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Removal of tenacious adhesives is one of the major challenges in paper conservation. This article examines what water-resistant adhesives were used from 1870 to 1920 and comments on the implications of these findings to the practising paper conservator. Water-resistant formulations were found to be more likely to contain animal glue and linseed oil as binders. Other non-water-soluble binders, such as plant resins, shellac, gutta-percha and casein, were also used, as were mixtures of starch or flour paste with animal glue. A variety of chemical hardeners were employed, including tannic acid, formaldehyde and alum. The addition of substances containing multivalent metals such as copper, lead, calcium and aluminium may also have had a hardening effect, though they may not have been added for this reason. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the history and treatment of a special and little-discussed group of objects, namely oil paintings made in China at the end of the eighteenth century for export to the European market. China did not have a tradition of producing oil paintings, and these objects combined traditional Eastern techniques with materials introduced from the West. The oil paint was painted on paper pasted onto a cotton/jute canvas. This mixture has led to particular conservation problems which will be discussed, along with the treatment strategies and results. Research on the history of the objects carried out in recent years is presented, as well as the results of the research on the materials and structure of the paintings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-samples of loose dust, paper and paper from areas of pages with accumulated dust were obtained from a collection that was on open display in an historic library with significant levels of particulate pollution. The present study examines the origin of these dust particles and their ingress into the library books. The samples were analysed using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Qualitative point SEM-EDS was used to identify the characteristics and origins of individual particles, while bulk analysis was achieved by rastering the electron beam over whole samples. The inorganic fraction of the dust comprised 30–40% calcium sulfate, 10–20% sodium chloride and around 50% silicon dioxide, aluminosilicates, iron oxides/hydroxides and calcium carbonate. The ratios of these components were variously maintained as the dust penetrated between the pages of the book, suggesting that in some books sodium chloride moved as a solid, and not in a solution. This preliminary study suggests that SEM-EDS is a useful tool, not only in the determination of the identities of dust particles and their origin, but also in estimating the relative amounts of dust species and the extent to which they have moved into the book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damaged ukiyo-e are often backed with kozo paper and placed after conservation in matt window mounts. However, backing an ukiyo-e affects its physical nature by adding new materials to it. Matt window mounts are also not historically relevant because they come from the Western tradition of mounting prints. With these issues in mind, a new approach for treating and mounting ukiyo-e was developed at the Tokyo National Museum's department of conservation. The authors describe the technical steps that led to this new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marianne North project involved the restoration of the Marianne North Gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the conservation of its contents. As part of this project, 830 oil paintings on paper were examined, documented and conserved. Treatments included consolidation of cracking and flaking media, surface cleaning, removal of acidic and deteriorated backing boards, removal or reduction of bloom and blanching, non-aqueous de-acidification, re-mounting and, where appropriate, in-painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printed texts of the Edo period (1603-1867) were almost exclusively produced by woodblock printing, printed on Japanese paper and bound in side-stitched binding (fukurotoji) with Japanese paper covers. This article examines the physical traits of block-printed books of the Edo period. It looks at the writing systems, book dimensions and cover decoration, along with genres and their association with certain physical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furunori (aged wheat starch paste) is a traditional adhesive used to bond layers of paper and/or silk in the mounting of Japanese scrolls. It differs from fresh wheat starch paste in texture, consistency, tack and ageing characteristics. Furunori is produced in traditional Japanese mounting studios using the same general process: paste is cooked as for fresh wheat starch paste, placed in large storage jars, covered with a layer of water and stored in a cool environment. For a number of years, conservators in the East Asian Paintings Conservation Studio (EAPCS) at the Freer Gallery of Art, USA, have been trying to make furunori with limited success. This article addresses various adaptations of the process of making furunori in a non-traditional setting. The authors take a brief look at the starting material, wheat starch, and its manufacture in Japan as well as the chemistry of the process by which fresh wheat starch paste is transformed into furunori with long-term storage. A thorough description of the annual process of making furunori in a traditional Japanese mounting studio is also provided. The EAPCS process of making furunori is re-examined in an attempt to elucidate problems that lead to failed furunori. In addition, for comparison, a survey was conducted of other conservation studios located outside Japan that are making furunori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research project presents the history and characteristics of traditional Korean books and bookbinding. The article also discusses some aspects of Chinese books and bookbinding that bear a particularly important relation to Korean books and form the origins and development of bookbinding in East Asia. The style of Korean bookbinding had developed under the influence of China, but its uniqueness can be recognised in paper, printing techniques, bookbinding materials and decoration. The Korean scroll constituted the majority of book formats until the twelfth century. Concertina binding had been used extensively for Buddhist texts since the middle of the Goryeo period. Side-stitched binding became the predominant binding style in Korea from the thirteenth century, long before it became popular in China. Paper mulberry was the dominant material for book paper. From the fourteenth century, the most distinctive feature of Korean publishing was the use of movable metal type, coexisting with the earlier woodblock printing. Yellow dyed, embossed, decorative covers and red thread add to the visual characteristics of Korean books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]