A Silk Binding in Need of Repairs
by Erin Hammeke, Senior Conservator
Kigen nisen-roppyakunen… is a Japanese book of photography with a lovely silk binding that’s falling apart. The cover is detached and the fragile silk covering is shattering on the spine. Silk is challenging to repair, especially on a bookbinding where components need to flex and be manipulated.
I’ve had to experiment with different adhesives to readhere the lifted silk over repair material in a way that doesn’t cause staining to the original covering – which is difficult! I’m experimenting in small areas on the binding and tracking the effectiveness of various methods by using UV imaging (above, right) to see whether there is also any staining that isn’t visible under full spectrum lighting (above, left).
To see other posts in this series, follow these links:
Day 1: Curatorial meetings
Day 2: Presenting our HVAC pilot project
Day 3: Using UV light to analyze materials
Day 4: Discovering details in book bindings
Day 5: Field trip! Gathering damaged books from Circulation points