Bpga18 06
Bpga18 06
Bpga18 06
designs are drawn in chalk, ink, and pencil on vegetable Reyden 1993). Today, only a few places manufacture it,
parchment paper and impregnated transparent paper. because of the high pollution it produces.
Prior to treatment, all the drawings were slightly dirty
and had the expected damage for such papers. The impreg- Paper from Overbeaten Fibers
nated paper was badly discolored, the vegetable parchment At the end of the nineteenth century cheaper alterna-
slightly stained. The paper was brittle and creased and had tives to vegetable parchment were already being sought. It
numerous tears with pressure-sensitive tape attached to the was discovered that transparency could also be achieved
recto and verso. Many of the drawings had losses of vary- through longer beating of the paper fibers. When cellulose
ing size. is ground in a larger amount of water, it becomes gela-
When working with these papers it was necessary to tinized. Overbeating increases the fibrillation, the surface
identify the different types of transparent paper and their and the contact points between the fibers. With the
special qualities. Therefore, the different production meth- increased fiber connections, the breaking of light is reduced
ods will be briefly introduced. and transparency is increased (Van der Reyden 1993).
When pressed and flattened the paper becomes thicker and
PRODUCTION METHODS more transparent because the light-reflecting interstices
between the fibers are reduced.
Paper consists of a network of fibers. The single cellu- Imitation parchment, natural tracing paper, and glassine
lose fibers, which themselves are transparent, are paper differ from each other in the production of the paper
surrounded by air. Falling light is scattered by this air and pulp because of the choice of material used, the degree to
that is why paper is opaque. In order for the paper to be which it is beaten,1 as well as the different pastes, ingredi-
transparent the air has to be displaced by a material which ents, and pressing method. The three different types of
has an refractive index similar to cellulose. The light is then papers produced by overbeating fibers are reviewed below.
transmitted rather than scattered. In the history of paper- Imitation parchment paper. Imitation parchment paper is
making, three well-known methods were developed in produced from overbeaten chemical wood pulp and then
order to achieve transparent paper: impregnating, acid calendered.2 It was unsuitable for drawing. To produce a
treating, and overbeating. Each method is briefly discussed drawing paper, imitation parchment paper had to undergo
here. a soaking in wax or oil. The resulting paper is called, in
German, Ölpauspapier (Kotte 1959; Steinkellner 1979).
Impregnated Paper/Prepared Tracing Paper/Vellum Natural tracing taper. The majority of modern transparent
Paper drawing paper is natural tracing paper. Chemical wood
For many centuries paper was impregnated with mate- pulp is often used as the fiber substance because the fibers
rials that had a similar index of refraction such as linseed are relatively flat, split open easily, and connect together
oil, poppy-seed oil, starch, varnish etc. (Mills 1986; Flieder well in the sheet formation. The paper pulp is overbeaten
et al. 1988). Today starch, mineral oils, and synthetic resins so that a very even transparent paper is formed. The paper
are used to raise the transparency of paper (Van der Reyden can be calendered and coated on the surface (Flieder 1988;
et al. 1993). Van der Reyden et al. 1993).
Glassine. The chemical wood pulp for glassine is beat-
Genuine Vegetable Parchment Paper en in a smaller proportion of water than natural tracing
From the middle of the nineteenth century, paper was paper. The paper is less, or not at all, sized and contains no
made transparent through treatment with acid, mainly sul- fillers. A high gloss paper is produced through super cal-
furic acid. Through the effect of the strong acid, a coating endered drying.
of colloidal cellulose is produced on the fibers which is The identification of different types of transparent
insoluble in water, fills out the pores in the paper, and papers is difficult because the production methods are
makes the paper translucent and similar to parchment. often combined.
An alkaline neutralization bath follows the acid treat-
ment. Then the paper is calendered so the remaining air in PREVIOUS METHODS
the paper continues to be reduced. As a result of the acid
treatment the paper reduces in size and becomes a high Because of frequent use and inadequate housing transpar-
quality, strong paper with especially tear-resistant qualities ent papers are often in such bad condition that lining seems
in wet situations and a matte surface. Until the nineteenth necessary. The problem is that these papers are extremely sen-
century, paper pulp was made mainly from cotton and/or sitive to moisture. Therefore, since the 1970s methods have
linen fibers; later chemical wood pulp was used. Vegetable been developed to line this paper without moisture.
parchment was used and produced until the middle of the A supporting material is prepared with synthetic adhe-
twentieth century (Flieder 1988; Hoffman 1992; Van der sive which can be activated by heat (tacking iron, hair dryer,
Homburger & Korbel Architectural Drawings on Transparent Paper 27
heat set press) or solvents. In use are PVA dispersions on quickly than wheat starch paste, which made it suitable
Renova paper (Wolff and Hoffenk de Graaff 1982), PVA for local applications. Deformation of the joined tears as a
on polyester web (Jirat-Wasiutynski 1980), BEVA 371 on result of moisture could also be reduced with isinglass.
chiffon-silk (Yates 1984), BEVA 371 on Japanese paper Mends with isinglass and linings using wheat starch paste
(Stone 1987, Cook, Dennin 1994), and Klucel G on were seen to be suitable because they were not toxic and
Japanese paper (Flieder et al 1988; Page 1997). application was uncomplicated. Also, the repairs and lin-
In the 1980s, Japanese lining methods were introduced ing could easily be removed with moisture without
into Western paper conservation.3 At first they were only endangering the object.
applied to Far Eastern objects. With time these Eastern
materials, tools and methods were also adapted for the W O R K I N G S TAG E S
conservation of Western paper because the methods had
been successful for a long period of time. Western and Far Dividing into Groups According to Condition
Eastern methods were united together and also used for According to the amount of damage, the transparent
the conservation of transparent paper. The transparent papers were divided into those which required only mend-
paper was lined with thin wheat starch paste and Japanese ing and those which need to be lined. In the group to be
paper and afterwards it was stretched or flattened under lined the tears would either be reinforced with Japanese
weight (Glaser 1980; Albright and McClintock 1982; paper after the lining or with paper pulp during the lining.
McClintock 1986; Huxtable and Webber 1987).
The suction table, ultrasonic humidifier, humidifying Dry Surface Cleaning and Removal of Pr e s s u r e -
chamber and Gore-Tex found their way into paper conser- Sensitive Tape
vation and made it possible to control the amount of The surface cleaning was carried out with grated eraser
moisture applied to sensitive objects (Keyes 1988). So trans- crumbs.
parent paper was, for instance, relaxed in a humidity The plastic carrier of the pressure sensitive tapes was
chamber or between Gore-Tex (Yates 1984; Cook and mechanically removed from many of the drawings; some
Dennin 1994), flattened on the suction table (Flamm et al. needed the application of warmth to ease this process. The
1990; Singer et al. 1991) or lined on the suction table. The remaining adhesive was either removed with a rubber-
effect of different conservation methods on the quality of the cement eraser or with alcohol, acetone, or ethyl acetate
paper was scientifically investigated (Van der Reyden et al. (Reissland 1995; O’Loughlin and Stiber 1992; Smith et al.
1992 and 1993; Hoffmann et al. 1992). 1984) (figs. 3-4).
Lining
Preparation. A work surface of Plexiglas was prepared with
a layer of Reemay, which was brushed with water to leave
a film of water.5 The object was laid on top of this with the
drawing facing downwards and sprayed immediately with
water. Without further manipulation the paper was given
time to expand. At the same time the repair paper was also
expanded over a piece of Mylar. The water film makes the
positioning of tears and folds easier (fig. 5). The object was
covered with Reemay and brushed out flat with the
Nadebake.6 Transparent paper has a tendency to wrinkle up
despite being brushed out flat so the drawings were blotted
Fig. 5. Gut Garkau, laid over a film of water. Fig. 6. Gut Garkau, blotted down during the cutting out of infil l
on Mylar.
Homburger & Korbel Architectural Drawings on Transparent Paper 29
down on the surface. The blotting paper absorbed the second felt was laid over it. The object was left to dry
degradation products from the paper. The fills were pre- overnight. When transparent paper dries, it shrinks to its
pared and cut as stated before. A light table made the original size or slightly smaller.
application of the fills easier (fig. 6).
Reinforcement of tears. The edges of the tears of the lined F L AT T E N I N G I N A H A R D - S O F T S A N DW I C H
objects tended to lift up after drying when using a thin lin-
ing paper. Two techniques were used to deal with this There are certain paper objects that require special fla t-
problem. The first included laying a strip of Japanese paper tening. Examples are sensitive papers like tracing papers
over the tears with isinglass. This was done after the dry- and Japanese papers. Papers with severe distortions such as
ing of the lined object. The second technique was to apply folds, buckling mends and open tears are also problemat-
paper pulp to the tears before the expanded object was ic. Papers with uneven expansion qualities require special
lined. The tears and edges were brushed on the back of flattening techniques as do papers with plate marks, impas-
the object with wheat starch paste. To achieve the best to painting, or papers with rough surfaces.
transparency in the paper pulp application, an industrial Flattening these papers between blotting paper might
transparent paper pulp was used. This pulp produces a cause creases in the paper or might compress the paper
highly transparent, white paper. To make the pulp fills surface or thick paint layers. Stretching is sometimes the
visually match the paper, colored fib e r s7 were added to the alternative (Huxtable and Webber 1987), but it involves
pulp. The beaten mixture of fibers was applied to the tears the application of stretching margins to the object, which
with a drip bottle and the excess moisture was absorbed is often undesirable.
with a tea-towel (50% linen:50% cotton,8 fig.7). The paper The technique we call “hard-soft sandwich” is another
pulp should not be too thick. If it is, it will be visible from alternative that does not require margins or any other addi-
the front and produce too much tension. The suction table tion to the object. The procedure is a very gentle way to
is not suitable for this because the paper at the tears would flatten heavily creased or sensitive paper objects and it is
dry out too quickly and shrink. Frequent spraying might very easy to do.
work but is not practical and would change the character-
istics of the paper too much (Van der Reyden et al. 1993). Pr o c e d u r e
Lining. The thinly pasted out lining paper was centered The object is relaxed in a Gore-Tex sandwich or mois-
over the object on a Mylar carrier and brushed down with ture chamber9 and laid on a sheet of Reemay on top of a
a Nadebake. Then the Mylar was lifted up following the hard museum-quality mounting board. It is then covered
grain direction of the object and the Japanese paper was with a layer of soft polypropylene fleece10 and smoothed
brushed firmly down to remove any air bubbles. through the fleece with a Nadebake brush. Depending on
The lined object was blotted to draw out the moisture the distortion of the paper object, up to four layers of
and to ensure that the papers formed a good bond togeth- fleece are put on top of the first layer. This means a more
er. Afterwards the object was lifted up from the table using heavily distorted object requires more layers of polypropy-
the Reemay support and laid out on a felt. The Reemay lene fleece. A wooden board and weights are placed on top
was taken off because it holds too much moisture. The (figs. 8-9). More weight is required than with a standard
recto of the transparent paper was blotted carefully and a pressing between blotting paper. Despite the heavier
Fig. 7. Gut Garkau, pulp application. Fig. 8. Construction of the hard-soft sandwich.
30 The Book and Paper Group Annual Vol. 18 1999
weight, plate edges and thick color layers, etc., are not reduced. With very large objects several pieces of fleece can
changed during this pressing process. The paper object lies be laid next to each other. It is important that no spaces
flat and free of tension. remain between the fleece. It is safe to overlap the pieces of
Some papers might require repeating of the process. In fleece because when weighted down they press into each
subsequent flattenings the number of fleece layers might be other and produce an even pressure overall.
The hard-soft sandwich is also
suitable for local treatments. For
this however, the sandwich has to
be considerably larger than the
treated paper area. This way the
polypropylene fleece evens out
the tension between the damp-
ened and dry areas.
We used this method to flatten
lined tracing papers, unlined trac-
ing papers, repaired drawings and
completed objects. The papers
were placed in a Gore-Tex sand-
wich for 5-20 minutes according
to the paper type.
Some transparent papers had
to be partially flattened before
they could be dry cleaned and
repaired (figs. 10-11).
FINAL WORD
AC K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
Fig. 13. Hospital Gaffre Guinle Rio de Janeiro, after treatment.
We would like to thank
Annette Kessler for her assistance 3. Hyogu: The Japanese Tradition in Picture Conservation, ed. Paul
with the development of the paper pulp application tech- Wills and Nicholas Pickwoad, The Paper Conservator 9 (1985).
niques during her internship. We would like to thank 4. In Russia the use of isinglass is not only common in paint-
Gemma Caney for her support with the translation. ing conservation but also in paper conservation. Isinglass is a hot
glue which is produced from the bladder of the sturgeon fish. It
NOTES has a pH value around 6 and very good aging characteristics. It is
one of the best quality protein glues with a very weak color, a
1. Expansion and contraction of the paper in changing rela- high elasticity and forms a transparent film. The quality of the
tive humidity rises proportionally to the grade of beating of the glue depends on the origin of the bladder and its production
pulp. method (Foskett 1994).
2. At the end of the nineteenth century this method was dis- A 2% solution was used; 0.4 grams isinglass were soaked for
covered by accident: machines stopped during paper production. several hours in 20 ml water and then dissolved in a double
The paper pulp stayed longer in the hollander and was overbeat- boiler.
en, the resulting paper was transparent. This paper was called 5. Reemay has a less smooth surface than Hollytex. It is very
Pergamyn. porous and therefore water permeable. Hollytex is not as suit-
32 The Book and Paper Group Annual Vol. 18 1999
able because the object does not glide over the surface as easily 8th Annual Meeting, San Francisco: AIC. 20-25.
when being brushed out. Hofmann, C., D. van der Reyden, and M. Baker. 1992.
6 . Japanese brushes were used: Nadebake, smoothing The effect of three humidification, flattening and drying
brush, and Noribake, paste brush. See: A. Thompson, Japanese techniques on the optical and mechanical properties of
brushes for conservation, The Paper Conservator 9 (1985): 42-53. new and aged transparent papers. Conference Papers:
7. A tracing paper factory kindly sent us a sample bottle of Manchester 1992, ed. Sheila Fairbrass. Leigh, U.K.:
their fiber pulp but they asked us not to publish their name. One Institute of Paper Conservation. 247-256.
liter of pulp lasts a very long time and is enough for many objects. Homburger, H. and B. Korbel. 1998. Architekturzeich-
Conifrazell, dried chemical wood pulp, from Claasen nungen auf Transparentpapier. Restauro 7:462-467.
Papertronics was dyed with colors from Bayer and added to the Huxtable, Merryl, and Pauline Webber. 1987. Some adap-
tracing paper pulp. tations of Oriental techniques and materials used in the
8. Dutch method from van Oort (see: Otto Wächter, Prints and Drawings Conservation Department of the
Restaurierung und Erhaltung von Büchern, Archivalien und Victoria and Albert Museum. The Paper Conservator
Graphiken, Wien 1977, 136). 11:46-57.
9. If the paper is sprayed it does not moisten as evenly as in a Jirat-Wasiutynski, Thea. 1979. Sprayed polyvinyl acetate
Gore-Tex sandwich. heat seal adhesive lining of pen and iron-gall ink draw-
10. Instead of polypropylene fleece other materials with sim- ings on tracing paper. Journal of the American Institute for
ilar properties could be used. Conservation 19(2):96-102.
Keyes, Keiko Mizushima. 1994. Some practical methods
REFERENCES for the treatment with moisture of moisture-sensitive
works on paper. In The Conservation of Historic and Artistic
Albright, Gary E., and Thomas K. McClintock. 1982. The Works on Paper, ed. Helen Burgess. Ottawa: Canadian
treatment of oversize paper artifacts. The Book and Paper Conservation Institute. 99-108.
Group Postprints 1:42-53. Kotte, H. 1959. Welches Papier ist das? Stuttgart.
Bachmann, Konstanze. 1983. The treatment of transpar- McClintock, Thomas, K. 1986. The drawings of Frank
ent paper: a review. The Book and Paper Group Annual, Lloyd Wright: conservation of the works on tracing
2:3-13. paper. In Conference notes: new directions in paper conserva-
Bachmann, Konstanze. 1986. Transparent paper before tion, 10th Anniversary Conference, Oxford, ed. Alan Howell.
1850: history and conservation problems. In Conference Leigh, U.K.: Institute of Paper Conservation. D63-64.
notes: new directions in paper conservation, 10th Anniversary Mills, John. 1986. Analysis of some 19th century tracing
Conference, Oxford, ed. Alan Howell. Leigh, U.K.: paper impregnants and 18th century globe varnishes. In
Institute of Paper Conservation. D61. Conference notes: new directions in paper conservation, 10th
Bush, Andrew. 1986. Conservation of 19th century tracing Anniversary Conference, Oxford, ed. Alan Howell. Leigh,
papers in the National Maritime Museum. In Conference U.K.: Institute of Paper Conservation. D62-63.
th
notes: new directions in paper conservation, 10 Anniversary O’Loughlin, E., and L. S. Stiber. 1992. A closer look at
Conference, Oxford, ed. Alan Howell. Leigh, U.K.: pressure sensitive adhesive tapes: update on conserva-
Institute of Paper Conservation. D61-62. tion strategies. Conference Papers, Manchester 1992, ed.
Cook, Paul, and Julie Dennin. 1994. Ships plans on oil and Sheila Fairbrass. Leigh, U.K.: Institute of Paper
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Flamm, V., C. Hofmann, S. Dobruskin, and G. Banik.1990. tracing paper: a quick practical approach. The Book and
Conservation of tracing papers. In Preprints, ICOM Paper Group Annual 17:67-73.
Committee for Conservation, 9th Triennial Meeting, Petukhova, Tatyana. 1989. Potential application of isinglass
Dresden. 463-467. adhesive for paper conservation. The Book and Paper
Flieder, Francoise, B. Guineau, Claude Laroque, B. Group Annual 8:58-61.
Liebard, et al. 1988. Analysis and restoration of old Reißland, Birgit. 1995. Die Entfernung von Doppelkle-
transparent papers. In The Conservation of Historic and bebändern auf Filzstiftzeichnungen. I A DA Pr e p r i n t s,
Artistic Works on Paper, ed. Helen Burgess. Ottawa: IADA 8th International Congress, Tübingen. 241.
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Foskett, Sarah. 1994. An Investigation into the Properties of ufacture of modern tracing papers. In Conference notes:
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Lloyd Wright at the New England Conservation Center. Institute of Paper Conservation. D64-65.
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Homburger & Korbel Architectural Drawings on Transparent Paper 33
SUPPLIERS
Conifracell
Claasen Papertronic
Landsberger Str. 80
D-45219 Essen
Tel. 02054/130, Fax 131790
Germany
Gore-Tex
Deffner & Johann
Mühläcker 13
D-97520 Böthlein
Tel. 09723/2044, Fax 4889
Germany
Isinglass
Dr. Georg Kremer, Farbmühle
D-88317 Aichstetten
Tel. 07565/1011 or 91120, Fax 1606
E-mail: kremer.pigmente@t-online.de