In order to discuss in detail the book restoration and binding repair, first of all, we first discuss the content of the book, the text or pattern part, and then come to discuss the cover or appearance and so on. It can be divided into several parts: first, the first exploration of the book condition; second, the general common book restoration treatment; third, the special treatment of the binding.
First explore the condition of the book: this step is necessary and very important. Restorers need to start from the artistic perception and perspective, in order to correctly handle. First of all, the restoration of the book will be organized and summarized, listing the order and method of restoration, trying to understand the causes of the damage to the work from various sources, and determining whether it may be a biological attack, a chemical change, or a physical change, among other factors.
Commonly used book restoration methods, common damage and treatment:
*Common damage is animal or insect infestation, such as rats, cockroaches, termites or other moths. Usually the damage area is arranged, and the area is quite large; and the spine of the book, because there is a paste sticking, moths are also addicted to eat this area. In addition, cardboard or wood covers are also areas that moths like to eat. First of all, put a piece of formaldehyde agent in a sealed plastic bag and let it evaporate to kill the moths; then dispose of the moths, eggs or larvae that have been killed. It is necessary to pay attention to whether there are still moths alive, in order to do a second insecticide treatment. Alternatively, the vaporizing action of peritrina can be used. This treatment must be carried out with great care, as it is directed at the books and can leave grease stains if you are not careful. Insecticides should be carried out outside the studio, not in the clean area where they have already been carried out. Make sure that the books have been completely sterilized before placing them together with other books.
*Biological erosion, usually also in the spine and cover area, especially the paper moisture is more likely to cause erosion. Destruction of the situation is most likely to paper discoloration and embrittlement. In addition, mold and bacteria will also leave dark black stains or yellowish color on the books. Treatment can be as described above, with formaldehyde volatilization sterilization. Although the mixed vinyl oxide sterilization effect is better, but this method is highly toxic and dangerous, need to use expensive machines to do special treatment. The best way to clean is to treat one page at a time, but it must be completely isolated from uninfested books, as the spores spread quite rapidly. Restorers handling infected books are advised to wear gloves, a hood to cover their hair and a mask to protect their respiratory organs. People with allergies or respiratory problems should not do this type of work.
Surface soiling:This type of soiling is most common on the first stack (pile) and the bottom stack. If these areas are already scattered or loose, they can be taken apart, cleaned and treated with acid and alkali neutralization, but bleaching should not be done because the difference in color and shade from the original book is too pronounced. As for the sewing work is not complicated, this part of the removal of the treatment is quite good. If it is not possible to do the above treatment, then we can only do the machine or dry cleaning treatment. Take a piece of wood or plastic and place it behind the wiped paper, applying light pressure. This method also works well for oils, waxes, and use stains. The trickier part is the treatment of regional acidified spots, the results of which are usually unsatisfactory, so if it is possible to dismantle it, you should do so. Dirt caused by long-term use usually penetrates the bottom layer of the paper, especially in the corners. First of all, first cleaned with a machine, and then the ink blotting paper wet dipped in the back of the paper, and then with a cotton ball or gauze dipped in methyl plant fiber, methyl plant fiber must be as thick as a gel, followed by a cotton ball dipped in warm water, followed by filter paper to wipe the spots of acidification. You can also use fiber paper and methyl plant fiber treatment, so that the dirt through the capillary phenomenon of leakage, so you can also avoid the dirt in the paper creep spread. This method should be repeated every day because the use of moisture and leakage tends to deform the paper. When the paper is deformed, wrinkles are created.
*Wax is removed first with the tip of a scalpel, then with the aid of a solvent and a hot knife. However, it is necessary to put filter paper on both sides of the paper, so that the wax residue will remain on the filter paper, which is effective, but the process is slow.
*Oil, if it is newly generated, then the use of toluene or xylene to do the area of the treatment is also very good, and can even use benzene trichloride, but benzene trichloride will often bleach the paper, the treatment is best to put the absorbent paper, Remay nylon or filter paper. But if the oil has been oxidized, there will be dark brown stains, especially oxidation is particularly strong place, the paper is completely dull and dirty black, or even cracked, the base of the paper substrate broken situation. In this case, you may want to consider dismantling the book and treating it page by page, using calcium hydroxide to lighten the dark brown color of the paper. Cracked or torn areas are grafted or fixed with Klucel. These treatments can lighten the color of oil stains, but not bleach, which can make the soiled areas more brittle and in turn create acidic spots.
*If the humidity is recent, such as flooding or similar, start by separating one page from another with blotting paper, replacing the paper from time to time as necessary, and keeping the temperature at 18 C or lower, with a relative humidity of less than 50%. Heating is not allowed because it encourages microorganisms to reproduce, while cold air ventilation is feasible. In case of biological erosion, sterilize by volatilization as described above.
*If the humidity has caused soiling for a long time, the paper will be deformed and acidic spots will occur. This is not a problem if the book can be disassembled for cleaning. If it cannot be disassembled, then you have to use absorbent paper to do partial treatment, and then use a spray gun to make the acidified spots wet, and use methyl plant fiber to absorb the dirt strongly. The effect of this treatment is only localized, but the additional damage caused by dismantling is much more difficult to deal with.
*Paper surface of the brown dirt: these dirt is the situation of the mottled surface of the paper, generally known as foxing (foxing), these are most likely to be attached to the paper manufacturing process of the load on the paper or other materials. Some can do acid and alkali neutralization treatment can be. But generally need to use bleach. First, partial treatment, and then all the final soaking. This treatment is fine for paintings, but for books, the pages must be removed. Books are often two to three hundred pages thick, which is quite a hassle. But restorers can also do spot bleaching just fine, and less obvious spots can be lightened and blurred with a spray paint gun.
*Burnt documents or metallic pigment stains on paper: Burnt and metallic pigment stains are different problems, but the treatment is similar. Metallic staining is a problem of acidification of ferrogalicas, which is a more serious situation and should be dealt with immediately. It is certain that some parts (i.e., the writing) have been damaged beyond repair. In the same way, in the case of books damaged by the Blessing, the edges are charred beyond repair, and if they are grafted onto a new substrate, they are often not successfully grafted due to insufficient tension on the charred paper. Repairing the book depends on the extent of the damage, and it is actually easier to deal with the burnt edges or corners of the book. After cleaning, removing the burnt part, acid removal and paper fixation, the result is still unsatisfactory, and it is even better if it is processed by machine. However, in the case of manuscripts, the damage is done to the text itself, and it is impossible to treat the burnt parts because we don't know what kind of writing style is used. What can be done is to clean it, remove the acid, not too high, and protect it, either with Remay nylon or with a machine. The last resort is to make a sheet of polyethylene and roll it on a roller or a paper roll, which is not ideal, but it is a good reference or microfilm for a work that is nearly destroyed.
*Broken or loose: Any book can be broken or loose, but there are some book characteristics that provide some guidelines.
*The breakage must be on both sides of the paper, so which side should be grafted or sewn? Use the most detailed transparent fiber paper and Klucel or methyl plant fiber (depending on the solubility of the ink), in order not to hurt the texture of the paper as a consideration, from the side of the text is less, try to let the fiber paper pasted on the text, fiber paper is transparent, the text is naturally visible. But remember that thick paper can never be used for grafting. Disassembled and rebound, be sure to measure the thickness of the paper, a folded paper is the thickness of two pages, plus the processing may increase the thickness of - disassembly, cleaning, acid will increase the thickness of - these additional thickness of these additional increases have to be made through the press according to the normal cloth slowly reduce the thickness of the folded paper to be able to bind each stack.
*Stack of paper (stacks of paper) placed: dealing with damaged, incomplete pages or lost books, we usually use the paper repair table, the edge of the largest page in the stack of paper in the transparent glass table and the center of the drawing, if a stack of paper only four pages or a little more, then the edge of the most outside of the paper is about 2mm more. this can be deduced from the rest of the stack of paper in the size of the page size of the proportion, and then to be a solid The book is then stitched to give it a neat cut, as we do not use a cutting machine (which would destroy the integrity of the book) in this process. In antique bookbinding, the edges and spine slots are larger and the lined pages can be seen.
*Book acidification:This is the most common problem, all paper will encounter problems. But in books it can be a problem in itself, the paper turns brown, emits a strong odor, and even cracks and breaks. One solution is to neutralize the acid and alkali, but it still depends on the book. It is still best to dismantle the binding because in severe cases, in addition to de-acidification, the loose ends will have to be fixed or grafted. As a compromise, barium hydroxide in methanol can be used, but the area of the binding must be handled with care. The different methods of acid and alkali neutralization of paper have already been discussed in the context of watercolor restoration, and are discussed below in the context of bookbinding restoration.
Special treatment of bindings
Data cards: General information such as when the book was sent in for restoration, who it belongs to, how much it cost, and so on. However, this type of data card is similar to the treatment of all printing, not as important as the archiving of works of art.
Book photography: Book photography is like taking pictures of the whole body, unlike flat paintings. Data such as light intensity, focus, auxiliary light...etc. need to be documented, and the parameters of each photo must be the same (aperture, speed, negative...etc.).
The compilation of historical information on books: bookbinding techniques and styles, the binding methods of the era, decorative techniques, the use of techniques (leather spine hardcover or all leather hardcover), the way of sewing, embellishment materials ... and so on, will be the most original of these materials and the original book together. The cover should also be noted to see whether it is sewn or separated from the book, whether it is made of wood or cardboard, whether it has been sewn or protected by iron, whether it has metal clad corners, etc., and the lining of the book, etc., all of which need to be dealt with together in the restoration. Also, ask the librarian for the book's bookplate and catalog label. Often, after opening a book, we find that the cardboard of the cover is made from the waste paper of other printed books, which may be lost or unknown to us, and this must also be included in the archives.
Choice of materials: This point is not specific to binding restoration, but rather to choosing the right materials for the right kind of book restoration. Restorers need to understand the application of modern bookbinding techniques, the use of acid-free neutral materials must be avoided to avoid damage to the book, the restoration method must strive to restore the treatment, must respect the whole and the integrity of the work, and never because of the repair or grafting and highlighting of certain parts. The use of paper must also be neutral, such as strips of gauze reinforced on the inside, lined pages or grafting. It is best to use a material that will not stain, otherwise the stained areas will produce acidic spots once wet.
*Wooden board covers are often damaged by biological erosion. If they can still be preserved, they should be sterilized, fixed, and a wooden board hard cover added to the damaged area. If it is beyond repair, we can re-do it in the same material, usually oak. However, it is not easy to find a material that is as dry and stable as the original wood. Other alternatives can be acrylic, but acrylic is more expensive and heavier than wood, and will add weight to the book (if the book is not large enough to consider using it). Alternatively, you can also use the general use of wooden plywood boats, lighter weight, strong resistance and not easy to deform. Where the outer cut of the cover becomes a rounded bald spot, it is necessary to use boards to make a hard cover at the corners. All new boards need to be glued on both sides with a layer of acid-free cardboard to prevent wrinkling or damage.
*Leather products are generally used sheepskin or calfskin, but must be natural leather, not processed and dyed. Tanned leather should preferably be vegetable-based, which is both easier to handle and easier to dye, but mineral washing and dyeing must be avoided, as they are highly susceptible to damaging the leather. It is best to seek out a skilled tanner who can test the leather to see what quality is best. Nitrated, cooked sheepskin is not ideal and is not easy to store.
*Alum tanned pigskin can be used to bind ancient books. The best leather for binding, however, is French leather, as regards the quality and character of the coloring. French parchment is also the same, binding or restoration are the best quality choice, but the cost is expensive. Generally available on the market to find a variety of parchment Thai half are very hard and easy to break, and lime bleaching. Lower quality parchment can be wet with water and 50% ethanol to make it more flexible, but also to wash off some of the white color. In addition to strengthen the fixed gauze, embellishment thread and other materials should also strive for good quality, and with the original book material similar to linen or marijuana. If the white color of the lined pages seems too abrupt with the original book, wash them with tea or coffee and fix them with Klucel and ethanol. Of course the best way to do this is to use the most standard of paper mill stains, which is the dye used for machine restoration.
*The traditional adhesives used for binding are rabbit glue and bone glue. But this type of adhesive can not be used in the restoration, because it is very easy to solidify and lose adhesion, and its yellowish color will also stain the book. Another traditional adhesive is paste (flour and water, or potato or cornstarch and water). It can be purchased commercially off-the-shelf, but with a few drops of phenol (test before use, as too strong a sterilizing effect can also produce acidic spots). This method is not very correct in restoration, but it has to be used because it is susceptible to biological erosion. Most of the adhesives used in restoration are of a reducible nature, and most of them are not strong enough to withstand the force of machine-enhanced restoration. Reinforcement methods can be used methyl plant fiber or plastic material, high endurance and easy to dry, but can not be restored. Remedy can be methyl plant fiber dissolved in water, plus 10% of the polyethylene glue.
Identifying Damage:To avoid serious mistakes, it is best to examine the book before handling to see if it has been previously restored and what caused the damage. If these repairs are not the original condition of the book, it can be removed. It is best to examine the book first, looking at the text and graphics, counting the pages to see if there are any missing pages, maps, and other relevant information. The preservation of the stitching, whether it is scattered or loose, etc. should be considered. In addition, the cover, spine, and iron protection should also be surveyed to see if the same material can be found, whether the corners are broken or brittle, and the degree of preservation and damage to the cover layer (decoration). This part of the various related surveys we also use camera photography to assist in sketching, annotating, and labeling the number of pages restored and the condition of each stack of paper.
Book dismantling and restoration in different eras: Books are more or less worn out and flabby in the process of restoration due to damage or age.
*First of all, first of all, do the cleaning work, clean dust, kill insects and de-coating and other steps. The tools used are fine brushes, erasers for general restoration, soap, wax, and a slightly damp rag for cleaning. Any adhesive removed or cleaned is kept and documented.
*Spines and covers need to be cleaned and dried, so the areas are quite fragile, and the spine channel is usually the most damaged area; we use a scalpel or scalpel to lift the leather, without harming the fine cords and threads. The parchment or paper that is fixed to the inside records their thickness and material.
*The covers are cleaned in the same way, starting at the spine channel or the corners or edges of the cover.
*To remove the adhesive, use a paste if the adhesive is old, but don't abuse it or it will stick to the book.
*If there is localized cracking or bio-erosion, muslin or fiber paper with a high concentration of methyl vegetable fiber or paste can be applied to the binding.
*If the spine or cover is cloth, the color of the cloth should preferably be water-soluble in order to deal with acid spots. The rest of the cloth portion can be treated with Klucel with ethanol fixing. Then grafting or mounting a new spine or cover will be easier to handle.
*If the cover is paper, it is slightly dampened and lifted up, and treated with the paper repair method.
*Removal of liner notes: Remove the back cover liner notes if it can be removed without undue effort; otherwise, remove them with water using thick methyl vegetable fiber or blotting paper. The tools to be used for this are a scalpel and a hot knife. Long-standing adhesive on the liner notes can be removed by simply soaking them. The treatment also starts with the edges and spine, which are the most frequently used and damaged parts of the book. At this stage of the processing steps should also pay attention to remove (and restore) the collection of bookmarks and labels, stamps and paste, should be fixed and protected so as not to do water treatment to damage.
* cover inside the folded edge of the removal: cover, whether leather, fabric or paper, usually the first treatment of lined pages, so that you can deal with the inner cut surface (contracanto), some decorated with gold-colored discs, but usually the preservation of the state are not good, but should be retained on the cover of the things in order to re-binding and then stapled on.
*Unstapling:This part is handled as needed. We start by marking the pages with a pen and then blotting them out after the restoration. (The pages should be counted carefully and not rely too much on the page count of the book itself, which can sometimes be wrong, or there may be some notes or pictures that are not numbered). We need to know the total number of pages including the lined pages. Removing the threads can be done directly from the threads or stitches (take notes if necessary), slowly unraveling the stacks of paper, marking the page numbers and condition on the removal card, to see if they are loose or glued, and if there are any binding edges to be sewn into the book. This record card is very important and will be relied upon when rebinding the book. Tools need to use a scalpel or sharp iron drill, handling to be very careful, the amount of adhesive and old, especially the first and last stack of paper adhesive is the most, but also the most likely to be damaged. If the adhesive on the spine is too hard, you can use methylated plant fibers or paste to assist in removing it.
*Paging: With the help of the cards you used to open the book, fold each stack of paper and leave it in place for at least a day to firm up the spine and reduce the thickness of the book.
*Re-sewing: The way the book is sewn and the materials used follow the instructions on the card. Sewing should be strong, but not hurt the spine of the paper pile, in order to align, head and tail cutting edge to strive for neat. (Restored books can not be cut with a paper cutter to cut the original cut edges). The use of the original drill holes to re-stitch (to avoid wearing new rope holes). The sewing tool is a sewing machine, so you can make strong and correct seams. It is better to do it after you have a good knowledge and practice. If the stitching is not strong, it is better to remove it and re-do it.
*The string, whether hemp, leather or parchment, should match the holes in the original cover as closely as possible.
*Repairing of stitching: If the book is damaged in half, but the stitching is still there, make some supplementary stitching to join the broken ones. If you want to strengthen its durability, you can stick a thin string to the place where the stitching is.
* cover repair: the cover of the board, because it is the original material of the binding, should try to preserve the integrity of the aforementioned susceptible to insect infestation, insecticide, but also should be fixed. Board repair joints should be according to the carpenter's tools, falcon head, dove glue (dove tail joint), in addition to the need to understand the characteristics of the wood, so as not to tighten, some complex cases best to teach carpenters.
*If the cover is cardboard, and not disassembled, available adhesive and paper to fix the folds or damaged places. Ruined corners can also be redone by making grafts at the sharp edges of the cover.
*The thin cords of the spine channel, if broken, must be spliced and extended to join the cover, restitched and rewoven.
*Thread Repair:Threads in antique books have two functions, decorative and practical. The practical use was to protect the ends and ends of paper stacks and to strengthen the binding. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these were glued to the spine of the book where they were reinforced, and were only the finials of the paper pile stitching, which was a decorative function. The threads had to be preserved or reproduced in the original style. The most common form is the border, which is made of threads and cords that are wrapped around the base two or three times before the next pile is sewn on.
* cover repair: if the cover has been damaged and can not do to repair the processing, then do the base binding. Leather or cloth clean material ready, and then and the new cover together. The edges can be trimmed with a scraper or scalpel to avoid creasing when gluing. If the cover is still repairable, for small tears make a thick adhesive of methyl vegetable fiber and 10% Primal (if too thin, moisture will darken the leather) and graft it to the back with fiber paper. If the leather is poorly tanned or burnt, you can use oiled paper or cloth as a base layer, treated with Beva and toluene, and then processed with a hot paint knife through Remay nylon, and glued together with the new cover. In the case of cloth, fiber paper is used as a substrate and then pressed into a sheet. If the newly grafted leather needs to be dyed to a similar color as the original leather, ink or commercially available leather dyes can be used, but the dyeing will be uneven and the edges or grain of the leather will tend to darken or break down. It is best to dye the whole piece of cloth to be grafted before grafting. If it's cloth, it's easier to handle, with a more even rendering with ink or dye.
*Adhesion of interleaves:Adhesion of repaired interleaves should be done with particular care. It is best to use a restorable adhesive, just in case. Lastly, use an embosser to flatten the adhesive. Some of the cases we have dealt with so far do not require the book to be dismantled, such as a torn or scratched membrane, which can be grafted together with paper or leather using a special iron for book repair.
*Corner or edge tears: these are the most common and can be repaired in a similar way to liner notes, by grafting. The cover of the cardboard can be used with different adhesive with a vise to apply pressure to fix. If the leather is torn, rubbed or lifted, it is best to use a pen to dip the paste on the damaged area and repair it with a dabbing method. The best adhesive to make the leather stable and elastic, and good adhesive effect is paste.
Book Stamping: Stamping is a part of the binding work, difficult and time-consuming to complete. Stamping is made of pure gold silk pressure plate, the ancient book stamping is very delicate, but today's so-called stamping is not real gold, but aluminum foil, the difficulty, workload and cost is quite amazing. Preservation is also different from pure gold wire stamping. That's why restorers are better off dealing directly with gilders.
Ancient book parchment binding and preservation:The so-called elastic (flexible) binding refers to books without covers, and this way is the method discovered during the 1966 Florence flood. In the seventeenth century, flexible parchment bindings were the best preserved. Elastic bindings are characterized by the fact that they are not glued, but rather stitched with leather threads, looped around the edges to support both the cover and the spine, which can also be sewn together. We can use colorless, acid-free materials, parchment paper similar to that of the seventeenth century or modern neutral paper for the cover, which can be simply stitched, and after the spine has been consolidated, a bit of methylated vegetable fiber is used for the adhesive, followed by a number of lined pages. If the book is more than an octavo, it usually has a cardboard cover to support the parchment inside. The cardboard used in antiquity is usually replaced by acid-free paper. The restoration of the so-called flexible bindings follows some of the same steps: the book is disassembled and cleaned with an eraser; the dry and hard cover is soaked in 50% ethanol and water, the parchment is placed between two layers of polyethylene plastic and two layers of absorbent paper, and outside the book is pressurized with a wooden board or a weighted object such as a yardstick, repeated several times until the original shape is restored. If the leather surface is damaged, whether by biological erosion or burning, it can be treated with Polietinglicol 400, rubbed and massaged by hand, which restores the book's hygroscopic action and elasticity. The more problematic part is the text, which is usually handwritten in ink on the spine, and Polietinglicol has a strong solvency, so it should be handled with extreme care or the text will be damaged. The boards and lined pages are repaired with acid-free, colorless paper. Adhesive should be used as far as possible only on the part that treats the new area. Paste with a few drops of formaldehyde has a sterilizing effect.
Preservation measures for books:As with paintings, temperature and humidity are controlled, with relative humidity of 55% and 18 C. Libraries should be kept clean at all times, with good ventilation. Restored books are best kept in boxes. The box should be made of acid-free material, and the cloth box should be undyed and of natural color. Boxes should preferably be kept with the top lid open and the spine facing upwards. Shelves should not be overly fragile, nor crowded or filled with books to facilitate access. If the shelves are high, arrange books horizontally and try to place books of the same size together to even out the weight.
Special equipment and materials for book restoration: the necessary tools need to have a sewing machine, to deal with the work of sewing; spine groove of the wooden frame (preferably sketched to the carpenter to order), there are two spiral screw to do the spine groove, stamping can also be used to fix the book; slate: used to scrape the edge of the thin leather, but also can be used to press the book with; hand-pressing machine, the side of the disk shape of about 60cm. But if it is a smaller press like the one used at the beginning of this century, it can be replaced by thick plywood; Punching and shearing machine/scissors, used to handle paper stacks and cut the graft excess. There are two types, table type and upright, table type is about the size of A-3 paper, upright cutting surface is about 1m long, better than the table type, but more expensive, and the space needs to be 1.50x2.00 meters, small studios may not be able to accommodate; work counters, restoration processing is best to work standing up, so restoration is almost always dependent on work counters, work counters need to be able to support the pressure, the tabletop is easy to clean, the table can be placed under the supplies such as paper cardboard. The counter needs to be able to support pressure, the table top is easy to clean, and supplies such as paper and cardboard can be placed under the table. Other minor tools are needed by the person: scraper, use an oiled whetstone; paper cutter, cut the size of the paper pile; scissors, at least the need to have a large scissors to cut the cardboard, and long scissors, so that a cut can be cut all the way through; book groove pliers: spine of the book and the book is tied together, used to measure the spine of the parallel lines of the tool; pointed iron drill (can be used in place of a scalpel): removal of the old stitching and spine of the adhesive solidification; needle solidified adhesive; needles (sewing needles for carpet weavers) need to have curved and straight needles; bristle brushes, used to spread the paste, synthetic bristle brushes are used to deal with the plastic adhesive; (cobbler's) hammers (hammers), curved hammers can be dug into the appropriate spine grooves; various thicknesses of wooden boards (a minimum of 16 mm thick), is used to press the pile of paper or as a ruler for pressing the book.
Lastly emphasize that restorers need to measure the amount of work and difficulty, if necessary, it is best to find another professional bookbinder to repair the complete requirements of the restoration, of course, restorers must also understand these treatments and processes.