It is a basic conservation
technique intended to provide support to torn or damaged photographs to aid in
handling.
You need:
- Hollytex
- Blotting paper
- Wheat starch paste
- Two brushes (one for preparing the paste and other for its application of the strips)
- Japanese paper strips
- Tweezers
- Glass container
- Plexiglas
- Weights
How to do
- Strain a small amount of a wheat starch paste through a sieve.
- Put a strained paste in a glass container and stir it with little filtered water using a brush. You will need 2-3 minutes until you get smooth texture. As soon as it is ready put it aside.
- Cut the Hollytex in dimensions which are little bigger than the treated photograph.
- Put the recto of the photograph on the Hollytex surface so you can see the verso of the photograph.
- Adjust the edges of the tear as close as you can.
- Lay down the Japanese paper strip on a glass surface and apply a wheat starch paste on it using the brush.
- Very carefully, cover the tear with the strip, using the tweezers.
- Put over it a small piece of Hollytex, blotting paper, plexiglas and weights. Leave it for about 10 minutes to dry and flatten.
Tips:
- When mending a photograph with thicker paper support you can apply wheat starch paste in-between tear’s edges in order to adjust them better. Otherwise the tears may stay visible and tend to curl.
- Use only fresh wheat starch paste.
- If you do not have already prepared wheat starch paste you can make it by yourself .
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