J.CAC VOLUME 28 (2003)
Preserving Letterpress Copybooks
In the fall of 2002, several letterpress copybooks from both the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and the Molson collections required attention, necessitating discussions of appropriate treatment methods and options. The books are large, hold a vast number of thin pages, possess valuable archival information and are suffering from iron gall ink corrosion. The goal of this project was to determine and to carry out an efficient and effective method for stabilizing the damage to facilitate access. The use of solvent activated adhesive-coated tissue was explored as a means of strengthening the paper. Tissue was coated with either Klucel G or a solution of methyl cellulose and wheat starch paste and three methods of re-activating the adhesive and applying the repair tissue were investigated: (1) applying the solvent while the tissue was in-situ; (2) dipping the tissue into the solvent before applying it to the document; and (3) moistening the tissue on blotters before applying it to the document. Concerns focused around the potential migration of the corrosive materials in the ink caused by excess moisture introduced during treatment, and the flexibility and strength of the repairs. After discussing the methods in which letterpress copybooks were created, the manner in which the inks corrode, the condition of the books, treatment options and the results of the trials, it was concluded that repairs with Klucel G-coated tissue followed by proper storage was the most effective method of stabilization for these volumes.
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