Giving new life to ageing books

Giving new life to ageing books

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 06:36 PM IST
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Your books too suffer from acidity and develop wrinkles. RATNADEEP BANERJI brings out the aetiology of book-ageing and the way of restoration.

Your grandpa’s books may be turning brittle and yellow, infested with silverfish and mould. Ever found anyone pondering over this senescence and infection?  It’s time you realize, the present machine made paper from wood introduced in the mid-19th century is far less lasting than the earlier hand-made paper made from plant fibres lasting centuries. Nilabh Sinha with INTACH says, ‘Even palm leaves were much more lasting than the present day paper from wood owing to its innate oil content in leaves. Modified objects pose more challenges than natural objects.’

Good quality paper has more of cellulose and less of lignin content. The presence of lignin in wood pulp paper gets oxidised becoming acidic and degrades the cellulose, which causes the paper to become unstable and turn yellow over time.

Overt humidity is highly detrimental causing foxing, water stains, desiccation and yellowing of paper and also

bleeding and smudging of ink. The natural expansion and contraction of paper owing to temperature in the presence of humidity causes the paper to become ribbed or wrinkled. Air quality must also be taken into consideration. Nagamurti Pareet, a paper conservator for last nine years with INTACH explains, “Paper has the natural ability to absorb and retain moisture from the atmosphere, making it prone to the growth of mould and fungi. Mould feeds on the sizing and paper fibres, leaving the paper weak. Sizing is given to the paper during when in pulp state to give it flexibility and decrease porosity that may also lead to spreading of ink to the extent of coming out on the back of the page”. Some inks used in old books and manuscripts are harmful to paper as it contains acid and can corrode the paper in humid conditions. The recommended relative humidity for archival material is between 45 -55 %.

Dust tends to absorb moisture, providing a suitable environment to attract mould growth and insects. Dust can also become acidic when combined with skin oils and the surface of paper. Air pollutants like sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen renders a scourging effect by combining with oxygen and moisture of the atmosphere to become sulphuric and nitric acid. Atmospheric pollutions does cause soiling, yellowing and embrittlement in paper. And so we de-acidify each page of the book and eventually making it supple enough.

The cellulose and starch content as well as the gum and glue used in the papermaking elicit the gastronomic delight

of living organisms. Nagamurti Pareet clarifies, “Termites have a penchant for cellulose while silver fish go for gum and glue”. Besides, ‘Various types of fungi secrete materials like acids, enzymes and pigments that interact with the material of the documents leading to their degradation and discolouration’, says Nilabh Sinha, Principal Director of INTACH Conservation Institutes.

All kinds of light be it sunlight, artificial light or spotlights can be harmful. Light can result in fading, darkening, bleaching as well as lead to cellulose breakdown. Wrong handling needs to be abhorred. Use of boxes made of highly acidic cardboard or wood for storage of archival material also contributes to their deterioration. Sharp fluctuations of humidity wreaks havoc in case air conditioners, humidifier or dehumudifers are not working and it’s better not to use them ever.

Restoration and Curing

Selecting the right reagent for restoration and curing is quite challenging. One needs to know both chemistry and history to come up with a befitting remedy. Can you think of washing old pages with water? One feels morbid over smudging ink among other issues. A conservator consolidates the ink after knowing the composition of it, may decide to thin water changing its aqueous tension with ink and thus ink remains sacrosanct.

Washing and alkalization: Washing not only removes dirt and aids in stain reduction; it also flushes out acidic compounds and other degradation products that have built up in the paper. Washing can also relax brittle or distorted paper and aid in flattening. When washing alone does not combat acidity, the addition of an alkaline buffer to paper is suggested for further de-acidification.

Severe tears that cannot be stabilized with polyester film can usually be mended on the reverse with narrow strips of

torn Japanese tissue. Nagamurti Pareet mentions the life-giving strategy, “The strips are adhered with a permanent, non-staining adhesive such as starch paste or methyl cellulose. Holes or paper losses may be filled individually or patch-mended with Japanese paper, with paper pulp, or with a paper carefully chosen to match the original in weight, texture, and colour. Also, weak or brittle paper may be reinforced by backing them with another sheet of paper. Again, Japanese paper can be used as a backing, adhered with a starch paste. The application of ultrafine Japanese tissue however impedes visibility to a small extent but not hindering readability.

There are several agencies doing laudable work in paper restoration, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts, National Archives of India and National Gallery of Modern Arts catering to their in-house collections while Alkazi Foundation and INTACH accept collections from private collectors and organizations.

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ALL restorations of manuscripts in the pictures done by INTACH centres

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