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Here's a closeup of an early 19 century binding that has been rebacked. We use special Scottish leather to perform this common task. The repair is a lasting one and will give a renewed life to any binding. Yet to be done to this book will be the reattachment of the original spine onto the new leather. |
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Mending
paper is an intregal part of the conservator's work. Often the pages at
the beginning and end of a book have become loose or detached. We can
spend a good portion of time making these internal repairs before starting
on the spine. The trick is to match the repair paper and original as best
possible.
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This is an early Survey of the Roads. Sometimes the binding is so worn that the sections of paper need to be relined at the fold before being resewn. Note the complex mechanical tools used in this step. |
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The
image above came from this book. You can see how the deterioration of
the spine can lead to the sections spliting at the fold. In order to remove
the old embrittled hide glue a poltice of paste is applied and over several
applications gently lifts the glue.
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This painting is over a hundred years and in that time has managed to get quite dirty. I simply masked the top left and cleaned the bottom right in order to show how much filth can be deposited on the surface. Once cleaned the paint is protected with varnish. |
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