Washing

Washing was the most time consuming step of the entire preservation process shown in this project. It was necessary especially to clean the remaining goo that was scraped from the original spine.

The following steps were successfully tested prior to my actions. Each leaf of paper was soaked in a tub of water with a dash of isopropyl alcohol for five minutes each; the alcohol intoxicates the paper fibers so that the water can get in between the fibers and flush dirt out; in turn the water turns pale yellow. Also in the tub was a polyester mesh, similar to a metal kind that hugs windows. The paper was laid on the mesh and carefully pressed under water with two hands until fully submerged.

Once five minutes accrued (longer is ok), I lifted the mesh by a corner, the paper firmly clinging, and the excess water dripped down. Then I laid the paper-side face down on blotting paper covered by Reemay (a non-woven polyester) and rolled the mesh away from the paper.

Next, the damp page was covered with Reemay and then blotting paper. And the process was repeated with the next damp page in the same way. Because the paper was not seriously dirty, I allowed two five-minute soakings before changing the water-alcohol mixture.

Two ply boards rested on top of the stack when other stages were going on; several weights were left on the boards to dry overnight. The next day the pages dried further in the paper dryer.

Proceed to Guarding and Digitization