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Number 6 Small Repairs to Antique Maps Hans Kok and Corinne Hillman

Introduction

The following information applies only to maps on paper and consequently excludes silk and vellum.

Conservation is the process that preserves the object in its present condition. Treatment is carried out in order to stabilise the object for the future, without attempting to recreate the original appearance. Only toning of repair materials may be used to complement the original.

Restoration is the process used to bring back the object to its original appearance, using materials to fill missing areas in order that they blend in with the original.

A. Handling

a. Wear protective cotton gloves when examining material. Unbleached cotton gloves are available from larger chemists.
b. Place map on dust-free surface during examination, i.e. conservation board support or unbleached calico/linen.

Note: Conservation board is available in varying weights from artists supply shops or from Falkiner Fine Papers, Southampton Row London, WC1, UK. They will send a sample book (small charge) on request. Unbleached calico/linen is available from John Lewis, Oxford St, London, W1, and branches or textile outfits.)Top

B. Preparation

Before beginning any examination or treatment, you will need:

• Adequate space, i.e. clean, dry space and surface larger than the map.
• Suitable support when handling objects, i.e. conservation board.
• Tools, solvents and materials, which should be kept apart from the object to be treated.

Essential basic tools and equipment:

Surgical scissors (small pair) from medical suppliers or chemists

Needles of varying lengths to shape repairs.

Multisorb blotters (from Falkiner Fine Papers) in small quantities

Artists brushes - small to medium fine hair (from artist materials outlets e.g. The London Graphics Centre, in Covent Garden, London)

Staedtler Mars Plastic eraser and nutmeg grater

A pair of tweezers

Gluten-free wheat starch powder used with water to form a paste (from Falkiner Fine Papers)

A set of boards (beech is best; formica-topped is protective) larger than the largest map. Boards are available in pairs. (contact Camberwell College of Arts for more information, email: c.hillman@camb.linst.ac.uk)

Stainless steel spatula

Cotton wool - surgical cotton is safest and least abrasive.

Being an amateur calls for caution in every respect. Be content to be successful without causing collateral damage. Expect to learn by experience and by following professional guidelines such as these.

Plan, and consider which tools and materials are required beforehand, otherwise searching for a missing item may force you to use unsuitable tools, or interrupt a time-managed sequence, i.e. solubilised glue may dry again and re-bond.

Ensure that there is sufficient lighting.

When applying any adhesive or liquid, start on a corner or the reverse side (verso) where potential damage may be monitored without causing major damage to the object.

Test knives, eraser and fluids, either on some other paper or in the margin or the verso of the map.

Remember it is easier to add than to take away. Top

C. Removal from frame or mount

Opening a frame should not cause too many problems, as long as the process begins at the back and you manage to keep all the glass in one piece. Wear cotton gloves as protection. Opening the mount may prove more difficult as the map bay be attached on all four sides or only one – or it may be attached to the top or bottom panel of the mount. It may even be adhered to both panels, so be cautious. Next assuming the mount to be open, the map may be removed (see E. Tape Removal below). If in doubt at any time, consult a professional accredited conservator. (The Institute of Paper Conservation located at Leigh Lodge, Leigh, Worcs, holds a list of professionally-accredited conservators in the UK. Otherwise contact a local museum for information in your area.)

A mount may be re-used, i.e. decorative or inscribed, but in order to counteract the acid content, it should be lined with a strong acid-free paper (obtainable in small quantities from Falkiner Fine Papers) containing an alkaline buffer to protect against future acid attack. Top

D. Surface cleaning

a. Use a soft squirrel hairbrush to remove surface debris.
b. Using a nutmeg grater, grate a Staedtler Mars Plastic eraser. Rub the grating gently in a circular motion using a pad of cotton wool. Note that Draft Clean in pads or loose powder form are not recommended for the removal of surface dirt owing to abrasion and the problem of particles becoming embedded in the paper fibres.
c. Cotton swab. Top

E. Tape Removal

a. Dry with a spatula or scalpel blade.
Consider dry mechanical removal by scraping away adhesive residue with a spatula, then add moisture with a cotton swab to encourage solubility and removal.
b. A small amount of moisture on a brush should loosen the tape carrier.
Be aware that the area MUST be dry before any pressure is applied, as if not – or if the object is contained in a humid atmosphere – the adhesive may become moist and re-adhere.

If applying water to solubilise adhesive, begin with very little, and at most, a damp cotton swab (non-commercial, made by twisting a piece of surgical cotton wool around the ends of a pair of tweezers). Be patient and wait until the effect is visible: if it is not, cautiously add some more and wait again. Using too much water at the start will leave you with water staining and paper that may cockle and warp.Top

F. Stain Removal

DO NOT REMOVE CANDLE WAX, INKED OR PENCIL INSCRIPTIONS, LIBRARY OR OWNER’S STAMPS AS THEY MAY FORM PART OF THE OBJECT’S PROVENANCE AND HISTORY.
Do not attempt to remove discolouration cause by light or acidity, foxing or rush staining – take the object to a professionally accredited conservator.Top

G. Removal of Water Staining and Cockling

The removal of paper cockling (where the paper does not lie flat and is buckled) and planar distortion is not always a simple process, and a professional conservator should be consulted if the problem is too severe, i.e. if the object has possibly fugitive heavy over painting or hand colouring.

For small areas, the verso should be very lightly dampened with water on a natural sponge in order to humidify and swell the paper fibres to allow flattening and relaxation to take place. After damping, place the paper between blotters and allow to dry with a small amount of pressure. Note that with printed material, there is occasionally what it termed a ‘printers crease’ where the paper is naturally creased during the printing process. There should be no attempt to release the crease as doing so will distort the paper.

Water staining can be reduced or removed locally by placing the affected area between two dampened blotters (check to see that inks, etc are not fugitive or at risk), then dry blotters on each side, then sandwiching the whole between a set of beech or formica-topped boards. Small glass weights may be placed on top. Leave for 15 minutes, then check. Change blotters if cockled.

Washing, deacidification, bleaching and re-touching should be carried out by or under the guidance of a professionally accredited conservator. Top

H. Small Remedial Repairs

For tears, breaks or weak areas, Spider (excellent wet strength) or Lens tissues may be used with a gluten-free wheat starch adhesive to reattach fibres.
Repairs in conservation are always rounded – never with straight edge as this impedes bonding – and if using Japanese papers such as Tonosawa (34 gsm), the long fibres of the paper are utilised in the attachment of the repair in order not to recreate an overlap onto the object.

When bringing home a newly acquired old map, it is not unlikely that the map may have a split centre fold or a number of smaller tears in the paper margins.

Lifting the map, especially with one hand only, may easily cause these tears to increase. It is therefore recommended that temporary repairs be done to prevent this, until the map can be repaired properly. Use Scotch tape 811 (Removable Magic Tape) or Filmoplast P. (Available from artists' materials outlets) Sticking a small piece across the tear will effectively prevent the tear getting larger, extending the strip around to the reverse side may be even better. Although this tape is easily removed, it is still good practice to use it only on margins or a blank reverse side as removal for the final repair may sometimes damage thin paper or lift off some small part of the image/text.

AN AMATEUR CAN DO MUCH IN TERMS OF PRESERVATION TO EFFECT THE LONG TERM STABILITY OF HIS OR HER MAP COLLECTION – BUT BE AWARE THAT IF IN DOUBT, THERE ARE PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN HELP AND ADVISE ON THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION.