Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Place parchment artifacts on a clean and level surface using white cotton gloves. Lift the document from the upper corners without bending.
Blow away loose surface dirt gently from the parchment. Use a very soft natural bristled brush, as you would use for photography, to remove excess surface dirt. Brush from the center working toward the edges. Use a drafting brush to remove accumulated dirt and dust from the edges of the parchment.
Kill mold from the parchment by airing the paper artifacts. Expose the parchment to direct sunlight for about one hour.
Place the parchment in a separate cabinet made with racks and a metal floor if the mold doesn't clear. Place thymol crystals, a fungicide, in dishes on the floor. Spread out the artifacts on the racks for two or three days to allow the thymol fumes to permeate the paper. Use 30-watt bulbs to warm the metal floor every day for about an hour to volatize the crystals.
Neutralize the damaging effects of acidic substances. Deacidify paper that has been exposed too long to city pollutants. Apply a solution of 15 percent calcium hydroxide, 70 percent ethanol and 15 percent glycerine, or apply 15 percent water, 70 percent barium hydroxide and 15 percent glycerine, and let it soak for 24 hours.
Apply protection to the parchment after it has been soaked in the glycerine solution for 24 hours. Apply lanoline, wax, paraffin, glycerine, castor oil, oxfoot oil or cedar oil, whichever you prefer, with a cotton swab. Place the parchment between two plates of glass to the size of the artifact. Degrease with talcum powder for a shiny and transparent appearance.
Eliminate insects and fungus from the parchment. Place the documents in polyethylene bags with pentachlorophenol, a pesticide, and borax, a bleach substance. Fumigate with with ethylene oxide for a period of up to six hours to remove insects, disinfect and sterilize.
Apply paraloid, an ink fixative, with a fine brush on the parchment to cover only the line of writing. Use paraloid in a spray for large areas using a template to protect the rest of the document.
Stretch the parchment if needed. Soaking the parchment in 15 percent water, 70 percent alcohol and 15 percent glycerine for about an hour.
Encapsulate the artifact between two sheets of clear polyester film with no heat or lamination. Matt the parchment using an acid free, 100 percent rag, conservation quality board to frame or store the artifact. Hinge, if necessary, at the top edge only.