Category Archives: Objects

Archeological Textile Discovery in the Stacks: Storage Solutions

This is the final post of a four-part series.

When a collection of Egyptian mummy bandage fragments at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library was found in an area used to store uncatalogued flat materials, the lab was asked to play a role in providing better stewardship.  

Click the links below to jump to the following posts:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Storage Solutions

Inspired by JAIC and AIC articles such as Storage Containerization: Archaeological Textile Collections by Dennis Piechota and Storage System for Archeological Textile Fragments by Lisa Anderson, Dominiue Cocuzza, Susan Heald and Melinda McPeek a custom matting system was created with the following goals in mind:

  • The textiles will remain in the enclosure for both storage and potential display
  • The matting system will support the fragments for handling and viewing
  • The fragments will not move or slide in the enclosure, yet be stored non-adhesively

Portfolio Matting System

Before constructing the final portfolio, models were created to test functionality. The first prototype was a helpful learning experience that lead to improvements in the final product.

First Portfolio Model

I used the basic construction outlined in Storage System for Archeological Textile Fragments with a few tweaks. Below is the original article’s construction I used as a jumping off point:

Fig 3. from Storage System for Archeological Textile Fragments by Lisa Anderson, Dominiue Cocuzza, Susan Heald and Melinda McPeek

In particular, I made one big change: rather than constructing the sink mat portfolio out of corrugated board, I used museum rag mat board. I also added a hinged window mat on top of the pillow. Below the window mat, notes or labels could be discretely added below so the object would be exhibit ready with no handling required.

A few other alterations included using 4-ply mat board for the inset board rather than 2-ply (I used the cut out from the window mat trimmed a bit smaller), and instead of using polyester webbing adhesive, I used Jade 403 PVA along areas where the construction materials did not come into contact with the textile.

Completed first prototype: a sink mat portfolio made out of museum rag board with an added window mat

The first model had many successful features; however, there were two main failures in its construction. These related to the cloth tie closures and Tyvek lining. Pros and cons in the construction were determined using a mock-up Egyptian textile fragment (made out of linen book cloth colored with acrylic paint and inscribed with Sharpie).

Pros:

  • The cover folds behind the backing board which is useful for saving space when on display.
  • The cotton/polyester pillow holds the textile in place non-adhesively with Velcro-like surface tension.
  • The cover’s inset board applies gentle compression that safely holds the textile in place when closed. The 4-ply board was the appropriate thickness for our thin textile.
  • Both the front and back of the fragment can be viewed without excess handling: If the portfolio is opened while laying face-down, the back of the fragment can be safely viewed while resting on the inside of the cover. Then the portfolio can be closed while still laying face down. Once closed, it can be flipped and reopened to the front. (See handling video below.)

Cons:

  • The cloth edge ties are cumbersome during handling. Ties showed potential to drape over and catch on textiles, becoming a potential for damage.
  • The soft Tyvek lining created such a strong static cling charge that the textile often became stuck to the cover lid when opened, posing a hazard of falling unexpectedly!
Nicole tests the portfolio finding the textile stuck to the inside of the cover upon opening due to static cling!

Improved Portfolio Model

Improvements to the second model included replacing the cloth ties with rare earth magnets and eliminating the soft Tyvek. A smooth, stiffer Tyvek was used instead. These changes proved highly successful and also felt more elegant!

It was a bit more time consuming to use rare earth magnets because the magnets were inlaid both to the cover and the hinged window. While creating the model, I learned to strategically use a stronger magnetic pull for the window so that when the portfolio was opened, the cover released preferentially. If you’d like to read step by step instructions about its construction, please check out my notes here.

Additional lesson learned: Be sure to double check how the magnets are oriented so they attract each other rather than repel!

Revealing rare earth magnets below the Tyvek lining and Tyvek tape to reorient them so they attract the opposing magnets rather than repel

Final Portfolio

This versatile portfolio facilitates storage, handling, and display as the cover can be folded behind the window and backing board.

Cloth Covered Clamshell with Trays and Chemise

Each fragment received a custom matted portfolio that then needed to be grouped appropriately and stored as a collection.

Overall, the collection of six fragments were stored together in a cloth covered clamshell, constructed by Conservation Specialist, Matt McCoy. We designed the enclosure as follows:

  • Each matted fragment sits on a custom support tray within the box because many portfolios varied in size and needed to be easily stacked.
  • To retain the context of the three fragments that belonged to a priest named Wennofer, these trays were grouped within the box inside a cloth-covered chemise.
  • Labels were added to the portfolios and trays for easy replacement into the custom trays.

This GIF shows the different layers within the enclosure system.

Curious on how these storage enclosures facilitate handling? Check out the video below for instructions on use.

If you missed the earlier installments, you can jump to the previous posts below:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Acknowledgements

  • Katherine Davis, Lecturer in Egyptology in the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan
  • Suzanne Davis, the Associate Curator and Head of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. Ann-Katril Gill at the University of Leipzig
  • Marieka Kaye, Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, Head, Conservation & Book Repair, University of Michigan Library
  • Obie Linn, Textile Conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Ann Wuertemberger, Catalog Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
  • Meredith Montague, Textile Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Special Collections Conservator and Co-Lab Manager [CHPL]

Archeological Textile Discovery in the Stacks: The Treatment

This is the third post of a four-part series.

When a collection of Egyptian mummy bandage fragments at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library was found in an area used to store uncatalogued flat materials, the lab was asked to play a role in providing better stewardship.  

Click the links below to jump to the following posts:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Conservation Treatment Consultations

Being a primarily book, paper, and photograph conservator, working on textiles comes up only intermittently as minor stabilization or housing.  When these projects do arise, I tend to consult immediately with a textile conservator. This project was no different. Generously, Obie from the Cincinnati Art Museum kindly visited the lab to look at the fragments with me in person.

Initial Treatment Idea

Before consulting with Obie, my initial plan was to cut the overall board and separate the individual fragments.  Once separated, I thought I might hinge the fragments to a backboard inside a sink matting system.  I had briefly corresponded with a textile conservator at the MFA Boston who is familiar with ancient textiles and she confirmed this would be a sufficient option. 

Testing

However, with Obie present, together we tested the solubility of the adhesives and likelihood of removing the fragments from the acidic board for better storage. Surprisingly, we determined removal was possible with the smallest amount of moisture!

Being familiar with backing removals and conserving degraded cloth covers (and now encouraged after having Obie’s support) I next went beyond spot testing and decided to perform a test treatment on one of the fragments to remove the backing board… with the caveat that I would stop at any point if I felt uncomfortable.  Should I ever feel out of my element at any step, or have concerns that removing the textiles from the backing would not keep them intact, I knew I could always pivot to my initial solution of storing the mounted parts in mats.

Treatment

My new plan was now to first reduce the acidic backing board layer by layer.  Once the backing was removed, I would assess if it was appropriate to remove the brown paper lining.  (While my test treatment was performed on only one of the smaller fragments, images below are pulled from the actual treatment for better illustration).

Low and behold on my first fragment, treatment proceeded without a hitch.

The board was removed slowly, layer by layer. The fragment was kept planar to prevent mechanical damage to the textile.

Before I knew it, it felt as though I was performing a regular backing removal on a photograph or document and soon found myself down to the final brown paper layer. 

After removing multiple layers of board, the brown paper lining was revealed. Some areas of the brown paper were no longer adhered to the textile and readily released during mechanical removal while other areas remained more firmly attached.

At this point, with the backing and lining parts removed as much as possible, I decided to test a corner of the paper backing with light moisture. To my surprise, the paper backing adhesive quickly reactivated, the lining lifted with little effort, and the humidification strengthened the fibers of the linen fragment. All of this eased fears the fragments might fracture during final treatment steps. Proceeding with treatment felt obtainable.

The final step was releasing the brown paper lining with moisture from a water pen and lifting the lining with spatulas.

With this new turn of events, I realized, if I ventured so far as to remove both the mounted board AND the paper backing, I’d need a new storage solution.

I halted treatment and went back to the drawing board to research storage enclosures (click here to jump to my post on storage solutions). Once I felt confident in selecting a method of storage for the loose textiles, I resumed treatment to remove the brown lining paper and proceeded with treatment on the rest of the fragments.

This is a time-lapse video showing how the brown paper lining was removed in stages. Localized humidification was applied from the back while mechanically separating the paper from the textile with spatulas.

Before Treatment

Collection is mounted to an acidic board with two of the fragments oriented upside down.

Normal Illumination, Before Treatment

After Treatment

Fragments are stored individually in storage solutions that double as long-term housing. The enclosures facilitate handling as well as display. Being stored individually, the fragments are able to be grouped as necessary by their context.

  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Recto, Normal Illumination
  • Verso, Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment, Upside Down
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment, Upside Down
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment
  • Raking Illumination, Before Treatment
  • Recto, Normal Illumination, After Treatment

To learn more about the storage, check out the final post of the four-part series: Storage Solutions!

If you missed the earlier installments, you can jump to previous posts using the links below:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Acknowledgements

  • Katherine Davis, Lecturer in Egyptology in the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan
  • Suzanne Davis, the Associate Curator and Head of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. Ann-Katril Gill at the University of Leipzig
  • Marieka Kaye, Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, Head, Conservation & Book Repair, University of Michigan Library
  • Obie Linn, Textile Conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Ann Wuertemberger, Catalog Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
  • Meredith Montague, Textile Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Special Collections Conservator and Co-Lab Manager [CHPL]

Archeological Textile Discovery in the Stacks: The History

This is the second post of a four part series.

When a collection of Egyptian mummy bandage fragments at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library was found in an area used to store uncatalogued flat materials, the lab was asked to play a role in providing better stewardship.  

Click the links below to jump to the following posts:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Learning About the Collection

Before coming to the lab, the library knew little about the fragments. So first and foremost, I reached out to a handful of scholars to see if I could glean any information.  I soon found myself engulfed in a journey of discovery with each colleague leading me to a new reference, sharing a collective wealth of knowledge.

History

With generous information provided by colleagues, the library learned the following about the fragments (fragment measurements below are with height and width at the widest points):

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Radiation

This is the center fragment.  It contains Hieroglyphic script, measuring 21 x 23 cm.  It’s part of a 3-piece set that belonged to a priest called Wennofer.  The large scene in the middle belongs to Book of the Dead Spell 110 showing the deceased doing various things in the netherworld.

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Radiation

This is the upper left fragment.  It measures 8 x 14 cm. Script contains images and no preserved text. This is part of the 3-piece set that also belonged to a priest called Wennofer. Images belong to the vignette of Book of the Dead Spell 148. “For making provision for a spirit in the realm of the dead” this spell provides the names of the Bull of Heaven and his seven cows, providing an eternal supply of food and beer.

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Radiation

This is the bottom right fragment.  It contains Hieroglyphic writing and measures approximately 10 x 17 cm, containing a Thoth god image. It’s the final part of the 3-piece set that belonged to a priest called Wennofer. Preserved images are part of the vignette of Book of the Dead Spell 125, the so-called judgement scene.

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Illumination

This is the bottom left fragment containing Hieratic script, however it is oriented upside down. It measures approximately 13 x 12 cm.  There isn’t an owner’s name preserved so we’re unsure if it belongs with any other fragments in this collection. Images contain a shrine column, sections of Book of the Dead Spells 125 and 126, as well as traces of the vignette belonging to Book of the Dead Spell 125.

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Radiation

This is the upper right hieratic fragment with Hieratic script. It measures approximately 9 x 7 cm. There is no owner’s name preserved.

  • Normal Illumination
  • Raking Illumination
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence
  • Infrared Illumination

This is the bottom center hieratic fragment measuring 4 x 10 cm, also with no owner’s name preserved and oriented upside down.

Further Reading

Check out this essay for Glencairn Museum News by Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner to learn more about burial practices and in particular, funerary texts, such as the Book of the Dead.

To learn about how the fragments were treated in preparation for long-term storage, check out the third post of the four-part series: The Treatment

If you missed the earlier installment, you can jump to previous post using the links below (or even skip to the final post on storage):

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Acknowledgements

  • Katherine Davis, Lecturer in Egyptology in the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan
  • Suzanne Davis, the Associate Curator and Head of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. Ann-Katril Gill at the University of Leipzig
  • Marieka Kaye, Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, Head, Conservation & Book Repair, University of Michigan Library
  • Obie Linn, Textile Conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Ann Wuertemberger, Catalog Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
  • Meredith Montague, Textile Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Special Collections Conservator and Co-Lab Manager [CHPL]

Archeological Textile Discovery in the Stacks: The Research

This is the first post of a four part series. Click the links below to jump to the following posts:

  • Research and Examination – Examining the material composition of the objects
  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Discovery in the Stacks

When a collection of Egyptian mummy bandage fragments at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library was found in an area used to store uncatalogued flat materials, the lab was asked to play a role in providing better stewardship.  

Discovered in the stacks: A mounted collection of six Egyptian textile fragments that date to the Ptolemaic Period (around 300-30 BCE), recto

Mummy bandage wrappings are rare finds in public libraries, and discovering that the materials where uncatalogued was not terribly surprising; having the specialized knowledge to catalog such a unique object may not have been available at the Public Library at the time of the acquisition.  With no identifying marks, and mounted to an aged board, the provenance of these objects are unfortunately unknown.

Collection suffered from a lack of storage housing without identifying information, found by staff performing a collections inventory, verso

Concerned about their overall safety of the fragments, as they were attached to a brittle board that could potentially chip and break if mishandled, it was clear that a solution for long-storage was needed.  Therefore, the items were brought to the lab for a comprehensive examination.

As a book and paper conservator with little knowledge of archeological textiles, the first step towards selecting a preservation solution was to better understand the fragments and conduct research on how to care for them. Because of the age and fragility of the items, my goal became to find a storage solution that could facilitate access while limiting handling of the actual objects themselves.

Examination

In order to conduct research, the condition of the individual fragments were fully examined with a variety of illumination techniques to better understand their composition. The collection was photographed with a DSLR camera in normal illumination, raking light, infrared, and ultraviolet fluorescence. The images revealed valuable information such as the possible types of adhesives used in mounting, the degree of linen loss, as well as the type of pigment applied to the linen. 

Creating the photographic documentation also allowed me to reach out to other scholars, to inquire about their history, while providing high quality images.

Types of Photography Performed During Examination

  • Normal Illumination – General reference image
  • Raking Illumination – Shows losses in linen, brown paper linings, and breaks in board
  • Infrared Imaging – Reveals inscriptions hidden along stains
  • Ultraviolet Fluorescence – Exposes differing types of adhesives
  • Normal Illumination – Overall images were taken of both the front and back of the mounting board. Normal illumination images serve as general reference photographs, representing how we perceive the object in normal room lighting.
  • Raking Illumination – Reveals the surface topography, showing breaks, tears, and losses in both the linen fragments and the mounting board.
  • Infrared Imaging – A modified DSLR camera and specialized filters remove visible light and capture longer wavelengths than the human eye can see, revealing the carbon-based writing while allowing the stains to disappear, making the writing more legible.
  • Ultraviolet Radiation– Ultraviolet radiation produces a fluorescence that readily shows the two differing types of adhesives used to adhere the fragments onto the backings. The first adhesive used to adhere the fragments to a brown paper backing does not fluoresce, while an adhesive that is smeared onto the face of the backing board does fluoresce.  This indicates that the fragments were adhered at different times to the two different substrates, first being adhered overall to a paper backing, then later mounted onto the board.

Research

Using the high-quality images described above, I reached out to experts in Egyptology and papyrology at the University of Cincinnati Classics Library and the University of Michigan to learn about the history of the objects. Right away, I was given extremely detailed information by generous colleagues.

One of the first surprising things I learned is that two of the fragments were oriented upside down.  So in their mounted format, they were not properly represented. Perhaps even more exciting was the discovery that three fragments were able to be attributed to a priest named Wennofer! (There will be more about the history of the pieces in the second part of the series, stay tuned.)

Of Parts and Pieces

It was serendipitous that during my research one of the contacts I was put in touch with was Dr. Ann-Katrin Gill from the University of Leipzig.  Dr. Gill happened to be in the midst of a larger project titled: Of parts and pieces: unearthing, reassembling, and documenting papyri and linen objects in US libraries.  As you can imagine, she was thrilled to receive the treatment documentation of the Public Library’s fragments to add to the collection.  We have hopes that should any other fragments belonging to these be discovered, perhaps they could become reunited.

Materiality

The Egyptian mummy bandage fragments, or cloth shrouds, are also referred to as archaeological linen textile fragments. I learned the following about the materiality of the fragments.

Inscriptions

Fragments contain either formal hieroglyphs (using pictorial characters) or cursive hieratic script (which is a later Egyptian shorthand writing system used by scribes). It was determined that the fragments likely date to the Ptolemaic Period (around 300-30 BCE) based on the writing style used during that time period. 

Inscriptions are written in black ink with a reed or rush pen, referred to as rush ink.  The ink appears to be typical of the time period, most likely carbon-based with a gum binder. The fragments when viewed though infrared imaging (see slide show above) shows the carbon in the ink absorbing infrared radiation, making the ink appear dark black in infrared images, while the organic staining drops out of the image.

20th Century Alterations

Lined with Brown Paper

At some point in the fragments’ history, the textiles were lined on the back in an acidic machine-made brown paper (reminiscent of brown craft paper tape).  If you look carefully in the raking light image (see slide show above), you might notice the brown lining paper poking through losses in the textiles as a slightly darker shade of brown than the board support.  Under UV fluorescence (see slide show above), the adhesive used in conjunction with the brown paper lining does not fluoresce. This adhesive was found to be readily water soluble and possibly a gum-based adhesive.

Trimmed Edges

You might notice the fragments are cut into odd shapes. Likely, they were trimmed to remove frayed ends and damaged parts.  There’s no way to know if the fragments were trimmed before or after they were lined with the brown paper lining, however the edges are fairly consistent with one another. One could make the case they were trimmed at the same time.

Mounted to a Board

After lining, these fragments would have then been mounted to a board, with two identified as upside down (oops)! Faint patterns on the back of the paper board resemble off-setting from wood, likely caused by a wooden backing board in a frame. If these assumptions are correct, it’s my guess that the fragments were mounted then framed for the tourist trade, with the frame now lost. 

Condition

Being mounted on an aged, unsupported, brittle board put the fragments at risk of breaking along with the board. Since the board already contained cracks and breaks along the edges, this concern felt urgent.

Despite the precarious storage and concerns surrounding the fragments being exposed to the elements, the textiles themselves appeared in fairly good condition for being over 2,000 years old! Viewing the fragments in raking light (see slide show above) reveals a considerable amount of linen loss throughout the textiles. However, it doesn’t appear that these losses were a recent incident in the past half century.  The losses were likely present when the fragments were lined with brown paper backing.

Next Steps

Next steps were to prepare the objects for safe keeping in long-term storage. To do so, required research on possible treatment options to safely store the items in their proper orientations. Also, knowing that not all fragments belonged in context with each other was further justification to split the collection into separate parts. Read on for more discoveries in this preservation journey!

To learn more, check out the other three posts in the series:

  • History – Historical information provided about the Egyptian inscriptions
  • Treatment – How the materials were treated after learning about their content
  • Storage Solutions – Individual solutions for separated fragments as well as storage as a collection

Acknowledgements

  • Katherine Davis, Lecturer in Egyptology in the Department of Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan
  • Suzanne Davis, the Associate Curator and Head of Conservation at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. Ann-Katril Gill at the University of Leipzig
  • Marieka Kaye, Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, Head, Conservation & Book Repair, University of Michigan Library
  • Obie Linn, Textile Conservator at the Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Ann Wuertemberger, Catalog Librarian at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
  • Meredith Montague, Textile Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer – Special Collections Conservator and Co-Lab Manager [CHPL]

Just Peachey: Jeff’s Conservation Hand Tools Workshop

For one week in July, 2024, the Preservation Lab busted out belt sanders and opened the elbow grease to host a workshop taught by Jeff Peachey, learning all about making, modifying and maintaining our own hand tools. Jeff, a book conservator and master tool maker, brought all kinds of fun machinery and exciting tools for us to learn from and use. From hacksaws to pencil sharpeners, Jeff’s tool collection is inspiring, and we all left the week with some amazing new additions to our bench.

A set of raw materials each participant received at the beginning of the week to shape into their own personal new tool set! Credit: Jeff Peachey
Extra scraps of horse butt, cherry, pear and box wood, Delrin, and bamboo: materials we used and experimented with during our workshop. Credit: Jessica Ebert

Delrin

We started the week off working with Delrin. Delrin, an acetal homopolymer plastic that appears similar to Teflon, was easy to shape with saws, files, scrapers and silicon carbide sandpapers. We burnished with sanding pads and polishing paper.

We started off with Delrin rods that we shaped into delicate heras. Heras are thin tools with spatula-like ends that Jeff says are great for delicate prying, inserting small amounts of adhesive, and lifting tape to name a few of the uses for this handy little tool.

We made a rough cut of the shape we wanted with the bandsaw, then smoothed everything out by going through a sandpaper grit progression. Once we’d crafted these, many of us tried our hand at making versatile Delrin folders. With lots of filing and sanding, this malleable Delrin was easy to manipulate into a variety of tool shapes, and no two tools were exactly alike.

A Delrin hera created by Holly. Credit: Holly Prochaska
Ashleigh uses a saw to shape her Delrin. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Jeff demonstrates how to work with Delrin. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer

Knives

Our second and third days with Jeff were all about M2 steel knifes, both sharpening them and making them. We learned all about using Jeff’s sharpening system and honed down our own Peachey paring knife. We also made two lifting knives out of Starrett 32T hacksaw blades by grinding the blades down on a belt sander and then taking them through the sharpening system with microfinishing films to achieve a sharp edge.

A progression of 3M Microfinishing Films adhered to a glass plate for sharpening. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
A Peachey knife next to a sharpening system on marble. Credit: Holly Prochaska

Sharpening knives turned out to be a complex process – a burr must be formed at each grit gradient before moving on to the finer grind, and if your hand position is off this could take some time. Furthermore, the wrong hand position could yield a bevel angle too big or too small on the plane of the knife. We aimed for an ideal bevel angle between 11 and 13 degrees.

Specular light shows a raw bevel angle during sharpening, before it has been ground smooth on the first grit progression. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer

Additional Knife Features

Some people chose to add grooves into the sides of their paring knives for a more comfortable grip; some of us chose to wrap our knife handles in leather and make horse butt sheaths for them. Matt was the bravest of all and mounted a custom carved wooden handle to his left-handed paring knife.

Catarina finishes a groove on the belt sander to make it more comfortable to hold. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Ashleigh begins her groove. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Matt’s paring knife is pictured with a wooden handle and leather sheath. Credit: Matt McCoy
Ashleigh’s German-style paring knife with a leather covered handle. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Kathy Lechuga’s completed hack saw lifting knife. Credit: Signature Conservation
Kathy Lechuga’s rounded French-style paring knife with a leather covered handle. Credit: Signature Conservation

Grained Book Cloth

We also went over creating 19th century grained book cloth on our third day. Through toning, glazing, then pressing with a die that has your desired pattern, it’s possible to create book cloth that mimics the textures of 19th century book cloth. After going through the time-consuming process, the idea of making up large batches at one time became appealing.

Jeff demos coating a cotton muslin with acrylics and paste, pressing the coated cloth with screens to add a grain, then finishing with an egg glare. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Jeff’s samples he made ahead of the workshop

Wood and Bamboo

On our fourth day we learned all about wood and bamboo carving. Using a chisel, wood plane or hatchet, we created the crude shape we wanted our wooden tools to take. Then we got to work sanding until the wood was smooth, and created a more precise shape. A final finish with nose grease or wax was optional.

Jeff’s workbench after his wood carving demo. Credit: Jessica Ebert

Bamboo is great for creating thin, flexible tools. With our pieces of wood most of us created folders, but a few decided to make wooden handles for their knives or straight edges. Personally, my favorite tool I created the whole week was my wooden folder I made, though it was probably the hardest to create. I had to shape it using a small hatchet, then sand it for quite some time before it took on the shape that I wanted.

Jeff demonstrating how to carve our piece of wood using his proprietary bench hook. Credit: Jessica Ebert
Holly chiseling a piece of bamboo using a generic bench hook. Credit: Jessica Ebert
My new wood folder. Credit: Nicole Browning

Stainless Steel

Our final day with Jeff was spent shaping stainless steel tools, which to me was the hardest material we worked with, as it took a lot of patience with the belt sander, and the metal was prone to heating up quickly and potentially burning our fingers. We created straight edges or 45 degree triangles, and even learned how to drill holes and attach small handles to these tools. We also had a thicker piece of stainless steel for creating a folder, which I found the most challenging of all. The stainless steel was harder to manipulate, understandably, and much less forgiving than the wood or Delrin.

Holly drilling holes in the stainless steel handle of her straight edge. Credit: Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer
Two stainless steel folders made and engraved by Jessica. Credit: Jessica Ebert

We ended the week by testing the sharpness of our blades and doing a little show and tell of our favorite tools that we made. It was so amazing to see all the different tool shapes people were inspired to make based upon what they most used in their work.

My assortment of tools I made at the workshop. From left to right: bamboo lifters, two Delrin Heras, two lifting knifes, a Delrin folder, a paring knife and its sheath, and a wooden folder. Credit: Nicole Browning

Learning from Jeff was such an amazing opportunity, and it was so eye-opening and world-expanding to learn that so many of these tools we use every day can be created from our own hands.

Jeff did a fabulous job tailoring his tool-making workshop to the the availability of machinery and other logistics of our facility. As a result, the actual tools made in our version of this workshop vary from other workshops Jeff has taught, empowering us to keep making tools with our space in the future. If you ever have the chance to take this workshop, we highly recommend it!

Be sure to check out this Instagram post by Jeff featuring all of us showing off our favorite hand tools we created!

Nicole Browning [CHPL] – Conservation Assistant

Preservation and Exhibition: DAAP Library’s Teaching Collection & Upcoming Gallery Talk (12/5)

For the past six months, Jessica and Catarina have been working with the DAAP Library on housing their Teaching art collection, including prior acquisition and newly acquired items.  This collection consists of different art prints on paper, print plates and manuscript parchment leaves in need of long-term housing. In addition to housing, this collection is used for teaching in a classroom setting and for exhibition.

Most of the collection only requires simple matting systems, but some require more intricate matting systems such as the copper plate along with its print, a project mentioned in a previous blog post entitled How many magnets is too many magnets!?.

As some of the items of this collection were being prepared to go on exhibit, we had the opportunity to create mounts for other items, such as two parchment scrolls that were included in the exhibit. This was a fun project to work on, as it required us to create a support that would secure both scrolls, while providing an elegant solution for display.

To start, Jessica created a very rough small model with mat board, polyethylene strapping, and paper (as we always do with anything new in the lab, we do love model making!!). The model provided us the visual example that we needed to create the mount for the two scrolls.

Scroll mock-up
Small rough model created by Jessica
Scroll mock-up
Small rough model created by Jessica

With the model in mind, we were able to engineer a good system that would provide support for the scrolls and could be used for display. The scrolls were supported with foam rolls on the inside for the rolled ends, and secured with polyethylene strapping that only touched the foam. The sections of the scrolls that were going to be displayed were also secured with polyethylene strapping that wrapped around the mat board support through slits in the board. At the bottom, the mat board extended outwards creating a small shelf to support the end of the scroll.

Two scrolls mounted to mat board with strapping
Scrolls mounted and ready for exhibition.
Two scrolls mounted to mat board with strapping
Scrolls mounted and ready for exhibition.

A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.

  • Catarina adjusting the strapping on the mount.
  • A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.
  • A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.
  • The foam rolls support the inside of the scrolls and are secured with polyethylene strapping.
  • Jessica securing the foam roll that supports the scroll.

As a result of all the mounting and matting we did for the Teaching Art collection and for the scrolls, each item is currently on display at the DAAP Library entrance case:

Image of the exhibit
Current display at the DAAP Library featuring the Teaching Art Collection.
Close up of the scroll mounted on exhibit
A close-up of the scroll mounted on exhibition.

If you are interested in learning more about our preservation considerations for exhibition of this collection, Catarina and Jessica will be giving a short gallery talk on Tuesday, December 5th at 1pm, at the DAAP Library entrance on the 5th floor.

Image of the gallery talk flyer

Catarina Figueirinhas [UCL] – Assistant Conservator

How many magnets is too many magnets?!

Recently Jessica and I started working on a series of special collection items from UC Libraries’ DAAP Library. These were recent acquisitions specifically bought to be used as a teaching collection within the DAAP Library. Most items are small prints and single manuscript leaves that need to be matted for exhibition and prepared for handling during class. We have been working on these in small batches since it is a much larger collection that keeps growing.

Most of the items we have received so far have been very straightforward matting projects, however we encountered one that was puzzling and fun to work on. We received this item: a proof print accompanied by its very heavy, copper engraving plate. The print was adhered to a paper brown envelope with no information and the copper plate was also unhoused.

Image of print on the left and the copper plate on the right, with a photography target below
Proof print (left) and engraving plate (right) before treatment and housing.

The curator of the collection wanted both items to be housed together and housed in a way that would allow students to touch the items, and also be able to use them for exhibits.  We decided that both items would be matted individually, and then housed together in a thin corrugated clamshell box. The most challenging part would be to create a matting system that was strong enough to secure the very heavy copper plate and elegant enough to be used for exhibition.

The print itself received minor treatment, with the backing envelope being removed and the print housed in a polyester L-sleeve mounted with photo corners.

An image of the matted print
Print housed in a polyester L-sleeve and matted with photo corners.

With the engraving plate, I needed to figure out how to create a matting system that was strong enough to hold the copper plate in place, especially if used for an exhibit where it may be propped at a slight angle. After considering some options, I created a sink mat that would secure the plate halfway, and then the rest of the sink mat would be adhered to the window mat so the copper plate, resting on a polyester tray, could be pulled out of the mat easily. How would I keep the matting system closed? ….with magnets, lots of magnets! For this project I used 24 rare earth magnets.

Image of the matted copper plate
Copper engraving plate housed in a specialty sink mat with magnetic closures.
Diagram of the magnet locations in the sink mat
Matting system for the copper plate – a sink mat, half attached to the back mat and half attached to the window mat, all secured closed with magnets.
Copper plate partially removed from the matting system with a box highlighting the location of the polyester film tray
Copper plate slightly removed from the matting system by the polyester film tray.

This was a fun project to work on. After using 24 magnets and breaking a few in the process, the copper plate was securely housed in the sink mat, while also able to be propped up for exhibition and handled for teaching.

Before treatment
Image of the matted print and copper plate side by side with photography target below
After treatment
The matting system in action!

Catarina Figueirinhas [UCL] – Assistant Conservator

Conservation photography by Jessica Ebert

Challenge of a Millennia: How to Store an Oversized Clay Tablet?

The University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library owns a few cuneiform tablets that date around the 1st century BCE.  Most are small enough to fit within the palm of your hand.  However, the clay tablet in question measures 14 inches (W) by 14 inches (T) x 4.5 inches (D) and weighs roughly 40-50 lbs.

Assyrian cornerstone during surface cleaning

More accurately, it is thought to be an Assyrian cornerstone that dates between 860 and 824 BCE.  It is described in the catalog record to be from the ruins of Calah (near Ninevah) on the Tigris River.  It is likely the cornerstone of a temple or palace erected by Salmanser III, king of Assyria. The provenance of how the University acquired the tablet is uncertain.

A translation of the cuneiform writing reads, ““Salmaneser, the great king, the mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Asurnaserpal, the great king, the mighty king, the king of Assyria, son of Tukulbi-Ninib, king of the universe, king of Assyria, and indeed builder of the temple-tower of the city of Calah.”

  • Front, Raking Illumination with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) by Jessica Ebert
  • Front, Normal Illumination by Jessica Ebert
  • Back, Raking Illumination by Jessica Ebert
  • Back, Normal Illumination by Jessica Ebert

After surface cleaning and digitizing the cornerstone, finding suitable storage for an Assyrian cornerstone tablet seemed like a straightforward task in the beginning.  I thought, “Let’s get it off the floor, house it, and protect it from dust!”  No problem, right?

But once we got the item back in the lab, the weight of the object combined with its fragility proved more of a challenge after Chris, Holly and I began thinking about how the object would be retrieved from storage and how it would be handled.  Rather than being stored in specialty shelving (such as items might be in a museum), this item was a library item.  We needed to fit the tablet amongst archival book shelving.  We were also faced with the prospect of transporting the cornerstone up and down a flight of stairs from the secure rare book storage. There is no easy elevator access!  And finally, once it was put in an enclosure, how would a librarian get it out to show researchers and students?

We decided on an industrial case with wheels that could be transported and stored anywhere. I knew I wanted a device with handles to pull the object in and out of the case, but immediately decided against the idea of ratchet straps. The threat of fracturing would be too great if the ratchet straps were over-tightened.

After careful thought (and the creation of mock up solutions!) the following custom design was created in five stages:

1. A waterproof, shock-proof rolling Nanuk 950 case (similar to a Pelican case) was purchased.  

Nanuk case open
Nanuk case closed
Labeled Nanuk case

2. The interior was customized with foam and supports.

Tyvek covered base
Bottom foam cutouts
Upper foam cutouts

3. The lid was fashioned with a Tyvek pillow screwed to the top with an interior Coroplast sheet.

Marking screw holes
Coroplast screwed to lid inside pillowcase
Sealing pillow filled with polyester

4. The cornerstone was wrapped around all sides in a foam sheet with four flaps.

Foam flaps secured with Velcro
Unfolded flas

5. A cloth wrapper with custom handles was sewn to support the tablet during insertion into and retrieval from the case.

Sewing cloth wrapper
During creation of handles
Completed wrapper

In addition, life-size surrogate photographs were printed by Jessica Ebert and stored in a polyester sleeve within the case.  These images may prove even more useful during exhibition or teaching than seeing the actual tablet as they were captured with raking light that beautifully highlights the cuneiform writing.  They could even be used as an alternative to handling the heavy tablet.

To help guide future librarians on how to handle the cuneiform tablet in the future, handling instructions were provided, a handling video was created, and a QR code of the video was pasted onto the case. Check out the video below.

I was appreciative to have been able to hearken back to my object’s conservation experience working at the Musical Instrument Museum. My prior experience helped guide me to dust the tablet and store surface cleaning samples, however, this was a project that took me out of my library conservation comfort zone.  The knowledge required to house such an object (and the amount of textile sewing used to create the cloth wrapper!) gave me even more appreciation for the work objects and textile conservators do to preserve our oversized and heavy materials – especially when transporting and taking them on and off display!

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Rare book and paper conservator

Video by Jessica Ebert

No-stick protective Mylar jacket for CD compilation

The purpose of this blog is to show a relatively easy long-term solution for strengthening and protecting the packaging for shallow banker’s box enclosures. There are two notable benefits to using this solution. The first being that in some cases little to no repairing needs to be done to damaged parts of the box and the second is at no time does any adhesive come into contact with the original piece. I have developed this system down to a science. If I make my measurements correctly, from start to finish, the lid and base jacket can be made from the custom stencils in about 180 minutes.

Ultimately you’ll be cutting 2 pieces of 4 mil Mylar to the following dimensions (W+thx4+4inches x H+thx4+4 inches) with the help of stencils.

To make a stencil I just place the lid in the center of the wastepaper and adding about 1mm all around, trace the width and height. Add 1 wall thickness all around followed by 1 wall board thickness all around then another wall thickness all around. Draw each of these added lines all the way to the edge of the paper.

Template of mylar jacket

You may notice little adaptations to the tabs that will be cut out of the Mylar. I make the tabs on opposite sides to create symmetry. Here is a close-up of one.

After scoring and cutting out the Mylar to match the pattern, fold on the lines using either a ruler and bone folder or your fingers.       

When you are all ready, place the box in the center of the Mylar sleeve and place double stick tape where the tabs will secure the corners. Start with the outside corners first.

One of the great qualities of this protective wrapper is that it can cut out repair time by the virtue of the strength of the wrapper itself.

Secure the rest of the outside, then inside corners, and we’re done!

Now it’s time to enjoy the music.

Chris Voynovich (CHPL) — Senior Conservation Technician