Corrosion and Conservation Presentation by Emma Esperon Library Studies 490 A Brief History Middle Ages to the 1900s Predecessor Carbon Ink Successor Synthetic Inks Drafts of American Constitution ID: 439390
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Slide1
The Dark Side of Iron Gall Ink:Corrosion and Conservation
Presentation by Emma Esperon
Library Studies 490Slide2
A Brief History
Middle Ages to the 1900s.
Predecessor:
Carbon Ink
Successor:
Synthetic Inks
Drafts of American Constitution
Leonardo
da
Vinci’s Notebooks
Ink Drawings Done by Rembrandt and Van Gogh Slide3
Ingredients
Tannin
from Galls on Trees (below)
Vitriol aka Iron Sulfate (left)
Gum Arabic, the binding agent (bottom left)
WaterSlide4
Ink Corrosion Evolution ModelSlide5
1604 1807
Environment and HandlingSlide6
Signs of Corrosion
Bleeding and Discoloration Around the Ink
Change of Ink Color and Opacity
Cracks Cause Holes in the InkSlide7
Risk Areas
Large
Areas of Ink
Heavily
AppliedSlide8
Treatments:
Wash or Paper Simmering
Submersion in Near Boiling Water
90°C Water for 15 minute increments
Dissolves 50-100% of iron (II) ions most of the acids
Consequences: paper shrinking, bleedingSlide9
Treatments:
Deacidification
Aqueous Treatment
Magnesium carbonate, Calcium bicarbonate, or Magnesium bicarbonate
Prevents Acid Hydrolysis (starch
sugar)
Alkaline Treatment neutralizes the acids left
by the Sulfate in the Vitriol
The excess Iron remains in the document to rust over time
Consequences:
Paper Yellowing,
Ink Bleeding Slide10
Treatments:
Phytate
C
alcium-
P
hytate /
C
alcium-
BicarbonateThe
Phytate
chelates
Binds the iron (II) and iron (III) ions
Stops the Oxidation Process
The calcium-bicarbonate is a
deacidifer
Neutralizes the acidic components of the ink
Consequences: white powdered precipitate that can be easily brushed awaySlide11
No Treatment
Original Blotting Sand Remains on Ink
(right)
Treatment removes Original Character of the record
Treatment fundamentally changes the composition of the record
Cannot Prove History:
No Dating
Provenance
Authorship
Before
Deacidification
After
Paper Simmering Consequences (below)Slide12
Thoughts?
Preserve First!
Cool Environment
Low Moisture
Conservation
C
alcium-
P
hytate /
C
alcium-
B
icarbonate
Method
Lesser Side Effects
No cracking, bleeding, blotting, fading,
Stops the oxidation and the acid hydrolysisSlide13
Works Cited
Banik
, Gerhard, et al.
The Iron Gall Ink Website
. Ed. Birgit
Reissland
and Frank
Ligterink
. European Commission on Preservation and Access, Bureau Metamorfoze, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, 13 Feb. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://ink-corrosion.org/>.Louisiana Binding Service, Inc. "LBS-A Unique Line of Solutions: Deacidification." Document Preservation Specialists. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.louisianabindingservice.com/solutions.html>.Morenus, Linda Stiber
. “In Search of a Remedy: History of Treating Iron-Gall Ink at the
Library of Congress.”
The Book and Paper Group Annual
22 (2003): 119-125. Web. 16 Apr. 2012 PDF File. < http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v22/bp22-23.pdf>.
Pedersoli
, Jose
Luiz
, Jr., and Birgit
Reißland
. "Risk Assessment."
N.d
. PDF File. <www.viks.sk/chk/res_4_03_205_226.doc>.
Reißland
, Birgit, and Suzan De
Goot
. "Ink Corrosion: Comparison of Currently Used Aqueous Treatments for Paper Objects."
N.d
. PDF file. <cool.conservation-us.org/iada/ta99_121.pdf>.
Shamayim, Melechet. "Dyo Making."
The STa"M Forum
. Ed. Eli Gutnick. Blogger, 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://stamforum.blogspot.com/2012/03/dyo-making.html>.
Schell, Laura. "Process."
Laura Schell Paper Conservator
. N.p., 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.paperconservationwny.com/process.htm>.
Tse
, Season, et al. "The Effect of Simmering on the Chemical and Mechanical Properties of Paper."
Restaurator
and Canadian Conservation Institute Newsletter
36 (Fall 2005): 14-35. Germany. Web. 16 Apr. 2012 PDF file. <http://www.viks.sk/chk/res_1_05_14_35.doc>.