ブックタイトルConservation and Restoration of Western Paper

概要

Conservation and Restoration of Western Paper

Final considerationsStabilization treatments for documentswith iron gall ink have certainly been widelystudied for the last 20 years, so there is awide range of possibilities that respond todifferent aspects that must be consideredduring the assessment of the documents, inorder to choose the most appropriate optionfor each case. All treatments have certainrisks, advantages and disadvantages thatshould be known and evaluated before theirimplementation.The most successful chemical stabilizationfor iron gall inks with excess of iron ions isthe one established by Han Neevel, usingcalcium phytate, calcium bicarbonate andtype B gelatin. It is a long and an aqueoustreatment (its effectiveness lies mostlyin the amount of water used during thestabilization), which cannot be appliedmassively or in documents with watersensitivemedia, and it does not stabilizecopper (or any other metal) ions.As for the mechanical stabilization ofdocuments with advanced ink corrosion orrequiring structural reinforcement for otherreasons, the option that represents fewerrisks in terms of iron ions and/or sulphuricacid migration, is the use of reactivatedtissue with organic solvents ( Japanese paperprepared with solvent-soluble adhesives,mostly Klucel G, reactivated with ethanol). 17Its long-term stability is still under research,but it is certainly one of the best choicesnowadays for the local treatment ofdocuments with iron gall inks that can notbe chemically stabilized, but require anykind of mechanical stabilization.Without a doubt, the application ofpreventive conservation measures indocumental collections with iron gall inkswill always represent long term benefits.Regardless of the possibility of using directstabilization treatments, any documentwith iron gall ink is susceptible to theapplication of preventive measures and theirimplementation should be a priority in anydocumental collection. One of its mainadvantages is that it is a massive solution,as it benefits complete collections, opposedto specific treatments, in which resourcesare assigned to a limited number ofdocuments. By applying the basic preventiveconservation measures for collections withiron gall inks, the main extrinsic causes ofink corrosion (high relative humidity levelsor fluctuations and constant manipulation ofthe documents) are controlled, therefore therisk of ink corrosion damage is significantlyreduced.Thus, the first step in the preservation ofour documental collections with iron gallinks is to create awareness about the specificneeds and risks of this kind of documents,the possibilities and limitations related tothe treatment options for their stabilization,and understanding the importance ofpreventive measures for their preservation.53