Conservation Diaries

It's my pleasure to be tweeting this week in behalf of @ConsDiaries Codex Conservation offers book and archive conservation services in London. Here's our website codexconservation.com/

Here is the workshop with myself Ann-Marie Miller @Codex29123 and Veronica Zoppi. The beginning of another busy week #intheworkshop

We work mainly for museums, libraries and archives and get a really privileged insight into their collections. A real favourite is the people's palace archive @QMUL

This is a 1950's diary from the QMUL Archive, it had no back board, detached binding and crumpled pages. There are various stages in the repair of the binding

After humidification, the blotter insert has had the edges supported with fine, toned, Japanese tengu tissue.

acrylic inks have been used to tone the kawanaka paper for the losses on the edges, it's now ready to be sewn back onto the newly repaired text block.

The single surviving board from the diary

I have removed the surface dirt and toned some aerolinen to match using acrylics and methyl cellulose in water. It's a decent match, now time to recreate the spine piece and board...

Spine lining of aerocotton (warp direction) over a barrier layer of sekishu and wheat starch paste in position, loose pages and new endpaper sewn on. All lined with a transverse lining of handmade wove paper. This binding is ready to be reattached to the text block.

Another favourite archive with gorgeous bindings, Middle Temple Archive @middletemple

It's wonderful when surface cleaning has such a dramatic effect.

Such a joy!

From left to right, it is before, half done and finished. This parchment stationery binding has been cleaned with very lightly moistened cotton wool.

Today it's all about cleaning - surface cleaning #cleancats

Here's the finished diary with the new board and reconstructed paste down. A much happier book #intheworkshop #bookbinding #conservation @Codex29123