900
Accession Number
8908
Title Of Article Chaper
Conservation of water-damaged written documents by freeze-drying
Title Of Journal Book
Nature
Volume
234
Issue
5329
Pages
420
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
A group of books, manuscripts and photographs was soaked, and subsequently frozen, following a fire in Greenland in 1968. The printed books were successfully air-dried, but 27 containers of manuscripts and a photograph album were kept frozen for 2 years awaiting decision on the method of drying. Preliminary experiments on newly-prepared samples indicates that freeze-drying was successful in drying documents without disturbing soluble inks. The manuscripts and album were transported to Copenhagen packed in dry ice, and held at -30 degrees C until they could be treated. Each block of papers, 2 to 3 cm. thick, was dried at 45 degrees C and 200 mtorr. to constant weight in about 1.5 to 2 days. Following drying, all the documents separated easily with no loss of ink. Wax seals caused minor problems. Distorted shapes of the blocks of papers were retained after drying. Photographs frozen together face-to-face stuck together after drying, but were fairly successfully separated by soaking. -- AATA
pub_id
900