Valeria Kremser

Conservation Portfolio
Contents

 Pamphlets

 Contemporary Notebooks

 Family Bible

 Bound Periodicals

 Contemporary Notebooks

 18th Century Handwritten Journals

 Oversized Portfolio

 Soot Remediation
Pamphlets

Title: Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection

Date: 1793-1911
Binding: Printed paper cover
Sewing: Various
Text: Black ink on laid and wove paper
Size: Various

CONDITION
 Covers were missing pieces, discolored, soiled, and torn.
 Leaves were moderately soiled and exhibit random tears and
losses throughout.
 Vol. .1 side sewing prevented full opening of the volume.
 Vol. .5 leaves exhibited liquid stains at the head.
 Vol. .5 original side-staples were missing from the volume.
Pamphlets
Pamphlets
TREATMENT
 Objects were disbound, and then surface cleaned using
vulcanized rubber sponges, grated and solid vinyl eraser.
 Vol. .5 was washed in baths of calcium-enriched deionized water.
 Leaves mended and guarded with Japanese paper and wheat
starch paste.
 Covers mended with toned Japanese paper and wheat starch
paste.
 Pages sewn through the original sewing stations with
unbleached linen thread.
 Vol. .1 cover attached with a tube of toned Japanese paper.

 Pamphlets were each placed in custom 4-flap 20 pt. wrapper.

Contemporary Notebooks

Tile: B. Springsteen Notebooks

Place, Date: New Jersey, 1970-2005
Binding: Spiral bound notebooks and three ring binder
Sewing: Wire spiral through punched holes
Text: Ink/graphite/marker on lined wove paper
Size: Various

CONDITION

 Covers and pages were variously worn from use.

 Some covers were missing while others were partially torn away.
 The paper was bright and remained flexible.
 Some leaves were partially or fully detached from the spiral ring.
 Many volumes had loose inserts in random locations.
 The ink and graphite text was stable.
Contemporary Notebooks

Rust was removed as

necessary from spirals
with a fine grade steel
wool. This allowed for
the pages to turn
more smoothly.
Contemporary Notebooks

A hollow wedge was

created to keep the
pages in the binder
from curling. A 20pt
insert was placed on
top of the pages to keep
them evenly and
lightly compressed.
Contemporary Notebooks
TREATMENT
 Covers and leaves surface cleaned with vulcanized rubber
sponges and solid vinyl eraser.
 Leaves mended with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste or
heat set tissue were necessary.
 Bends in covers reinforced with 20 pt. inserts.
 Covers mended with acrylic-toned mulberry paper.
 Loose articles unfolded as possible and kept in their
original locations.
 Cover extensions created for some volumes to protect articles
that protruded from the text block.
 Rust removed from spirals as necessary with a fine grade steel
wool and then coated with an acrylic polymer/wax emulsion
(SC6000) and hydroxypropyl cellulose in ethanol.
 Spirals smoothed and evened out.
 Vol. .18 leaves flattened under weights, because of curling.
 Vol. .4 back cover replaced with a 20 pt. removable cover.
 Treated volumes housed in custom-fit clamshell boxs with
spacers to protect spirals from being crushed.
Family Bible
Title: Bible
Place, Date: New York, 1846
Binding: Full grained leather, gold stamped
Sewing: Through the fold on recessed cords
Text: Printing ink on wove paper, edge gilt
Size: Approx. 13 x 10 x 4

CONDITION

 Cover was abraded and severely worn.

 Spine was pulling away and had multiple tears.

 End bands were loose and pulling away from the spine.

 Front board was detached and the back board was loose.

 Flyleaves were severely soiled and discolored toward the center

and exhibited losses and tears at the edges.

 The spine lining of the text block was too weak to support the
weight.
Family Bible
Family Bible
TREATMENT
 Cover and leaves surface cleaned with vulcanized rubber sponges
and solid vinyl eraser.
 Cover consolidated with an acrylic polymer/wax emulsion
(SC6000) and hydroxypropyl cellulose in ethanol.
 Major tears mended throughout the text with Japanese
paper and wheat starch paste.
 Loose leaves hinged to the text block with Japanese paper.
 Spine lining removed and the spine was re-lined with layers
of mulberry paper, cloth, and western paper, adhered with a
mixture of wheat starch paste and polyvinyl acetate.
 Original end bands secured.
 Front board reattached with a cloth joint.
 Interior hinges mended with toned Japanese paper and wheat
starch paste.
 Spine piece and board edges mended with acrylic-toned paper.
 Cover and cover mends were finished with an acrylic
polymer/wax emulsion (SC6000) and hydroxypropyl cellulose
in ethanol.
Bound Periodicals
Title: The Sporting Magazine
Place, Date: London, 1793-1828
Binding: Half leather with decorated paper sides (various)
Sewing: Bound through the fold with recessed cords
Text: Printing ink letterpress on laid and wove paper
Size: Approx. 8” x 5” x 2” each

CONDITION
 Moderate heavy abrasions to the marbled paper sides with
losses at the board edges.
 Leather was desiccated and worn with some loss to endcaps,
spines and corners.
 Joints were split.
 Some boards were detached or loose.
 Sewing was stable.
 Leaves were moderately soiled and discolored.
 There were random tears and loose plates.
 Some volumes exhibited liquid staining.
Bound Periodicals
Bound Periodicals
TREATMENT
 Covers and leaves surface cleaned with vulcanized rubber
sponges and solid vinyl eraser.
 Leather consolidated with an acrylic polymer/wax emulsion
(SC6000) and hydroxypropyl cellulose in ethanol.
 Leaves mended with Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.
.
 Loose leaves were tipped in as necessary.
 Detached boards were tacketed on with unbleached linen thread.
 Exposed spines were lined on volumes .1-.6.
 Vol. .1-.6 were rebacked with new leather toned to match and
the original or replica labels were attached.
 Vol. .1-.6 were gold tooled with the year of the volume.
 Covers were mended with acrylic-toned mulberry paper.
 Interior joints were mended with Japanese paper and wheat
starch paste as needed.
 Leather was finished with an acrylic polymer/wax emulsion
(SC6000) and hydroxypropyl cellulose in ethanol.
18th Century Handwritten Journals

Title: Henry Melchior Muhlenberg’s Journals

Date: 1742-1777
Binding: Quarter leather & full leather
Sewing: On cords & tapes
Text: Iron gall ink on laid paper
Size: Various

CONDITION

 Covers were detached abraded and severely worn.

 Sewing was broken.

 Leaves were heavily soiled, brittle and yellowed.

 Many leaves were broken off about 1/2 inch the from the gutter.

 Iron gall ink text is cracked and severely laced.

 Some glassine and pressure sensitive tape throughout the books.

 Red labels marked different of sections in some of the books.

18th Century Handwritten Journals
18th Century Handwritten Journals

All the journals were heavily silked. The silking had

made the pages brittle and yellow.
18th Century Handwritten Journals
18th Century Handwritten Journals

Unbleached linen
thread was toned
to match the
original end bands
and new end bands
were sewn.

A new spine was

created with a
piece of dyed
leather. After being The original cover was repaired
attached the spine with toned Japanese paper and
was modeled with touched up with acrylic paints.
acrylic paints to
match the original
cover.
18th Century Handwritten Journals
TREATMENT
 Books disbound, coallated and then surface cleaned using
vulcanized rubber sponges, grated and solid vinyl eraser.
 Inks tested for solubility.
 Pressure sensitive tapes removed.
 Leaves pretreated with ethanol and then washed in calcium
enriched water for 5-7 baths, silking was removed.
 After drying, the leaves were treated with ethanol and placed in
a calcium-phytate bath, then a calcium bicarbonate bath.
 Leaves guarded and mended using toned Japanese paper and
wheat starch paste,
 Signatures humidified and flattened between blotters under
moderate weight.
 Text blocks were rebound with unbleached linen thread on to
tapes (1., .5) and raised cords (.4).
 Spines were lined with layers of mulberry paper, cloth, and
western paper, adhered with a mixture of wheat starch paste
and polyvinyl acetate.
 Vol. .1 covered in a limp paper binding with 20 pt. board covers.
 Vol. .4 received new hand sewn end bands, and was covered
using the original cover that was consolidated and repaired.
 Vol. .5 was covered in a new cotton library cloth case.
Oversized Portfolio

Title: The Atlantic Neptune (Volume II)

Place, Date: London, 1777
Binding : Cloth case
Sewing: On tapes
Text: Engravings and etchings on laid paper
Size: Various, most single leaves are 31" x 22 1/4"

CONDITION
 Half cloth bindings were in very poor condition.
 Leaves were detached, torn, and discolored.

TREATMENT
 Objects were surface cleaned, washed, and mended.
 Each text leaf and map was placed in a polyester L-sleeve.
 Objects were distributed evenly among 5 cloth portfolios.

The treatment of the leaves was completed by staff from the

paper section at CCAHA. The portfolios were designed and
built by a team of two led by myself.
Oversized Portfolio

Ribbon ties,
were woven
through the
cover to ensure
they were
secure and
would not pull
out.
Soot Remediation
Title: Approximately 1,200 soot-affected rare books
Date: Various
Binding: Various
Sewing: Various
Text: Various
Size: Various

CONDITION
 Due to a fire, about 100 linear feet of books were affected by soot.
 Objects smelled of smoke.
 The covers and heads of the volumes are most affected, though
some soot has traveled to the inside of select volumes.

TREATMENT
 Objects surface cleaned with rubber sponges and vinyl eraser.
 Some volumes were fanned to help reduce the smell of smoke.

Onsite treatment was completed by a team of three people in

one week. Sue Bing from CCAHA lead the team with
assistance from myself and private Conservator Nancy
Nitzberg.
Soot Remediation