leather
Find below the blog posts related to leather:
Beauty (and Christmas prize!)
Beauty is around us: in the writing of a manuscript, the clasps of a book, the mark of an etching or the traced lines of a drawing. In this year's Christmas there are masters' works by Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Sam Cobean, Bruegel, Ramon Casas, an 14th c. manuscript and an Ornithology by Aldrovandi with parchment over stiff boards.
Profession: book and paper conservator
What does a paper conservator do? Whom does she work for? What skills and knowledge does she ought to have? Preservation and conservation, a field linked to science, history and arts and crafts. A video explains what differenciates us from forgers and shows -among other- how we produce a hand-made suction table to restore paper artifacts, with loads of creativity, a feature most necessary to become book and paper conservator.
Christmas angels in serious condition,on their way to full recovery!
Christmas angels currently at ICU in serious condition. Diagnosis: chronical humidity, binding dislocation, a variety of infections and rodent attack. Prognostic is optimistic because a high level team is taking good care of them. Soon they'll be bright and happy as Larry, just like in this year's Christmas greetings. Don't miss the video!
Untangling tensions, for an improved 2019
We wish you merry Chrsitmas and a better (and restored) 2019, untangling knots and tensions, at least those from parchment manuscripts.
Unlocking St. Anthony’s locked manuscript
"Tony, Tony, come around, something’s lost and can’t be found!" Some manuscripts require more than just manual skills to succeed in their conservation, and so we prayed to Saint Anthony to help us unlocking the bookbinding, whose key had been lost forever. Certainly not many renaissance bookbindings have an iron safety lock in their covers and thus this extra holly help was deemed quite necessary. The prayer didn't provide any key, but at least a satisfactory conservation solution was achieved!
Mysterious iron rods in a 16th limp vellum binding
Case of a manuscript bound on a limp parchment bindining with peculiar sewing over iron rods
“Customized” conservation with Richard Wolbers
Fellows of joys and sorrows, conservators, here is why I am so excited with the "Cleaning workshop: Paper bathing/stain removal", given by Wolbers: The idea is to make every conservation treatment a kind of custom-made dress for each particular object with a minimal initial investment. He speaks about solvents, gels, surfactants, conductivity and pH. Nor in my wildest dreams had I imagined such a close, easy and useful chemistry. Thanks a lot Richard, we owe it to you.
“Smart books” and bibliographic terrorism
Terrorists do not always carry explosives or mallets, nor they come from overseas, it may even be people in charge of collections. We ought to deal with them to safeguard "smart books": books intelligently made, such that no material interfere with each other, on the contrary, they create formidable synergies. Each one has its peculiarities, its beauty and its function. They represent a compendium of technology, art, society and culture at the time and place in which they were created.
Bibliopaths: The case of the lacquer binding
Are we supposed to fear bibliopaths? Or maybe we should give them an award? Who are they? Atention! Because they can be among us, or we might even be one of them?! I invite you to read the Case of the Lacquer Binding to know more about them
Flattening under tension on paper and parchment conservation
Flattening under tension may be an interesting alternative to the press and very useful when a selective flattened is required: dry seals, wax seals or even parchment and ink manuscripts. Explanation based on the recently discovered oldest documents from Sants-Montjuïch archive.
Books washing-machine and new conservation methods for leather bindings
From the books washing machine to new methodologies for leather bindings restoration, a visit to Domènec's restoration studio is always a great pleasure!
Nanotechnology & chemical gels applied to paper conservation
What are nanoparticles and chemical gels? Latest technological advances in restoration of archive material is about nanotechnology and chemical gels and so it is studied in the paper & books section of the IPCE.
Conservation of stationery manuscript in a vellum binding
The book from the notary of Esparraguera (1827) was severely damages by mould. To the extent to suffer remarkable losses on both folios and covers. The remaining folios were so weak that discouraged even a most careful handling.
