Document washing. Really?
- 2nd June 2020
Yes, document cleaning by washing them!
People that visit The Hive, and in particular the behind the scenes tours, are impressed with the conservation of the documents and books.
They are often amazed that this is because we wash the documents.
Why do we do this? How is washing a document ok?
The main image shows a stack of documents, protected by muslin in a solution bath washing away 400 years of dirt and dust out.
Here we present a series of videso showing the skill of our conservator, Rhonda, as she deconstructs documents, washes the pages, repairs them and reconstructs them.
“It’s a kind of magic” so don’t try this at home. Rhonda has years of experience, skill and patience and although she makes it look easy …believe me it is not!
Why wash documents?
When documents and books are brought to us, they have been on shelves or in collections for sometimes hundreds of years. Over that time the document will have been subject to an environmental onslaught from damp, dust, smoke-filled rooms, insects, etc. so often pages will be stuck together or have been torn or dry and crumble as they have lost their structural integrity.
Here is a brief 1 minute overview. Read on to know more about…
- Preparing the documents
- Stacking the documents
- Washing the stack
- Years of dirt come out
- Reparing those that need it
- Drying before reconstruction
- Tell me more… (Q & A session)
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A. Preparing the documents
Having separated the documents (de-constructed a book if necessary), they are carefully flattened in a sandwich of muslin – this helps keep the documents fragments together.
B. Stacking the prepared documents (5-10 at a time)
Other documents or pages are carefully prepared the same way so they are stacked perhaps 5-10 sheets at a time.
C. Washing the stack of documents (wash one of three)
The muslin sandwiches are then carefully taken to the bath and gently immersed.
D. 400 years of dirt and dust comes off – how satisfying
The bath is repeated several times at different temperatures, and the final bath is in a solution that helps protect the document from exposure to airborne acids.
After the first few baths, there is a lot of satisfaction out of seeing sometimes 400 years of dirt, dust and grime that turn the media yellowy brown, get clearer.
E. Repairing any documents that need it using similar materials to the original.
When the water is clear, the stack of sheets is removed from the solution and separated. Those needing repair are carefully taken individually and mounted on the light-wall where they are patched and repaired.
Sadly, sometimes whole areas have been damaged so have to be completely replaced, while other small areas have been worn so have to be reinforced or patched.
F. Drying slowly before reconstruction
Once repaired satisfactorily, the document is transferred to blotting paper and kept flat between wooden boards and allowed to dry. Once dried, the book or document is re-bound or reconstructed ready to be returned, archived or displayed.
I had to know more …
Q. Does the same process work with all books?
A. It would work on more modern books (from 1920s-1940s), though paper production and book binding technology changed, but then there is little need as there is generally another copy.
Q. Water and paper generally make a very bad mix, how does it work?
A. The paper used in documents as old as we are dealing with is generally hand-made so easier to make a repair medium for.
Q. Why don’t the inks run?
A. With the age of the documents we deal with, the inks are generally based on Iron Gall (made from insect, infected swollen acorns) that were popular from the medieval period to the 1800s so the inks are pretty stable. The same applies to printed inks that are oil-based but general diaries, letters or notes may not work so well.
Q. How did you get into documentation conservation?
A. I have always liked papers (in a previous life I was an environmental health officer so liked science & chemistry) and so it paved the way. I took a calligraphy evening course and book-binding course (once a week).
Q. How have you been able to learn so much about the processes involved?
A. We only see the experiments that worked so are documented! Who would have thought of using a burned acorn gall that had been swollen through an insect laying eggs in it?
The British library do ‘courses’ – have a look at “Shepherds book binding”. Courses are harder to come by because the uptake just isn’t there. You have to be interested in the product/material rather than just the content.
Q. What keeps you so keen and dedicated to the painstaking work?
A. It’s the diversity. Before working at The Hive, for years I worked on washing and cleaning old hospital records and now the variety of books, documents and letters is enthralling – each has their own challenge.
Often the envelopes rather than letters interest me because it is often written more clearly and personally than just a more formal letter saying how they are and what they have been doing.
Q. Do you do conservation work for others?
A. Yes, I do work for places such as The Medical Museum, and the Porcelain Museum so the external funding helps pay for my time. If you want to discuss your own documents more details are here
Q. Do you go to conferences or symposiums?
A. Conferences and symposiums are possible and I am always learning. All the pieces I work on are unique so I learn so much about them. I work through experience, intuition and the intended use (part of a collection or just for show).
So, can anyone do this?
It is possible, yes. It is certainly not advisable, unless you have a very good idea of what you are aiming for and what you are doing. There are very few courses in document conservation and they may teach you the fundamentals but nothing can replace experience and amassed skills.
Rhonda has had years of practice and has acquired a vast amount of knowledge, developing and practising different techniques.
Her skills in conservation were spawned from a personal dedicated interest in calligraphy, book-binding and the world of document creation, taking part in courses when they were more readily available.
If you would like to speak to her about working on your collections you can contact her here
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