Preservation Lab ‐ Examination and Treatment Report

Preservation Lab ‐ Examination and Treatment Report

Database ID

2247

Treatment ID

331

Item Record #

i10408943x

Date received in Pres.

9/18/2019

Department

PLCH

Call Number

749.097717 qJ76Zj 1842Date Returned to Origin

3/3/2020

Title

An account book of Jones and Rammelsberg, merchants dealing in furniture, cabinetry, lumber, et cetera, 1842‐1844.

Conservator

Kasie Janssen, supervised by Ashleigh Schieszer

Primary Support

The primary support is a medium weight, light cream wove paper.

Medium

The manuscript throughout the textblock and illustrations is iron gall ink. There is a graphite notation on the recto of the first page marking the call number. There is a graphite notation on the lower edge of the recto of page 64 as well. There are blue colored ink notations on several pages.

Binding

Only the textblock remains of this account book, and there is no record of what the original binding may have looked like.

Textblock

The textblock is sewn through the fold on three recessed cords, with a kettle stitch at the head and tail. No endsheets remain attached to the textblock. The textblock was originally trimmed and measures 28.8 centimeters high, 21.0 centimeters wide, by 3.2 centimeters deep.

DESCRIPTION:

CONDITION:

Author Jones and Rammelsberg (Firm) author.

This is an account book of Jones and Rammelsberg, cabinet and furniture makers who operated in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1838‐1845. Seneca Jones and his partner Frederick Rammelsberg operated a cabinet warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio and produced a variety of cabinetry and other different types of wood furniture before dissolving the company in 1845. After 1845 Jones went on to start his own shop in Covington, Kentucky and Rammelsberg went on to found Mitchell and Rammelsberg, another furniture manufacturer which operated from 1846 until 1880. This account book includes handwritten transactions from August 1, 1842 – January 4, 1844 and details customers’ names, items purchased and their price, and the names of employees and their wages.

General Remarks

N/A

Attachments|Inserts

N/A

Housing

Technicians Jessica Ebert, Catarina Figueirinhas, Hyacinth Tucker

Thursday, March 5, 2020 Page 1

Primary Support

The wove paper of the textblock is in fair condition and is still quite flexible. Overall, the primary support has yellowed and darkened, especially along the outer edge of the leaves. The first leaf is significantly darkened with engrained surface dirt and grime. There is surface dirt throughout the textblock with heavier grime at the edge of the pages. Minor foxing is evident throughout the textblock as well. Several leaves at the back of the textblock have suffered previous water damage and mold damage, causing minor tidelines as well as purple and gray discoloration scattered across the leaves.

Medium

The iron gall ink used throughout the textblock is unstable. There is irregular degradation of the ink throughout the textblock. The ink has begun to burn through the paper substrate. There is slight fading of the ink where previous water damage has occurred.

Textblock

The sewing remains intact, but the spine of the textblock has become distorted at an angle. There are minor tears and losses throughout the textblock. Several folios have begun to split at the fold. The textblock consists of 18 signatures with 5 folios each.

Binding

The binding has completely detached and is lost.

Housing

Previous Treatment

N/A

Materials Analysis

The manuscript ink was tested with bathophenanthroline indicator paper for iron (II) ions, and tested positive for Fe(II) ion, indicating it is likely iron gall ink. The ink was tested throughout the textblock for solubility of both water and ethanol. There was some transfer of heavily inked areas onto blotter when tested with filtered water, but this is likely surface deposits caused by excess ink. No visible fading or bleeding was caused by the water solubility testing. There was no transfer of ink onto blotter when tested with ethanol. No visible fading or bleeding was caused by the ethanol solubility testing.

Proposal

1. The manuscript ink will be tested with indicator paper for Fe(II) ions to determine if Fe(II) ions are present,indicating if iron gall ink.

2. The manuscript ink will be tested for solubility in both water and ethanol.

TREATMENT:

Overall, the book is in poor condition. The binding has completely detached and is lost. The sewing remains intact, but the lack of binding has caused the spine to distort at an angle. There is surface dirt throughout the textblock, and several leaves at the back of the textblock have suffered mold damage and staining. The iron gall ink used throughout the textblock has begun to degrade and burn through the substrate. There are minor tears and losses throughout the textblock.

Summary

N/A

Housing Narrative

N/A

Attachments|Inserts


3. The sewing will be removed from the textblock. Proper colla on will be noted at this me, as well as documentation of the sewing and signature structure.

4. The leaves of the textblock will be dry surface cleaned to remove any transferable surface dirt.5. The moldy leaves will be washed in a 70% ethanol bath or an ethanol vapor chamber to inoculate mold.6. Textblock will be immersion washed in water filtered to five microns in reverse‐osmosis filtered baths un l all or most of the degradation products in the paper have been removed. The leaves will be air dried.

7. The textblock will be washed the subsequent baths: a final filtered water bath, a calcium phytate bath with ammonia hydroxide, a filtered water rinse bath, and a calcium bicarbonate bath. The leaves will then be resized with a gelatin solution. The leaves will be lightly dried under felts.

8. Damaged leaved will be repaired with thin kozo ssue mends.9. The textblock will receive new double folio endsheets and will be resewn.10. The book will receive a new cloth binding.11. A custom corrugated clamshell will be created to house the book.

Housing Need

Corrugated clamshell

Factors Influencing Treatment

This treatment will be conducted to improve the state of the degrading manuscript ink. The mold will also be treated and mitigated in the process. A new binding will help future wear on the textblock. The book will be digitized after conservation treatment.

Performed Treatment

1. The manuscript ink was tested with bathophenanthroline indicator paper for Fe(II) ions, and tested posi vefor Fe(II) ion, indicating it is likely iron gall ink. The various ink types throughout the textblock were tested forsolubility of both water and ethanol [KJ, 2.4 hrs].

2. The original colla on of the textblock was irregular, and the textblock was collated in graphite at the lowercorner of each leaf to maintain order during treatment [KJ, 0.7 hrs].

3. The remaining sewing was removed and the thread fragments were retained along with the treatmentdocumentation. The signatures were separated throughout the textblock. The folios were separated from thesignatures, and a soft brush was used to remove any debris located along the gutter if each folio [KJ, 2.1 hrs].

4. Each folio was surface cleaned with an Absorbene smoke sponge, and insect frass and accre ons werereduced along the folds [KJ, 6.0 hrs].

5. The folios of the textblock, including the last two signatures consis ng of the mold damaged leaves, weresoaked in batches in a 70% ethanol and 30% filtered water bath (water is reverse‐osmosis filtered to fivemicrons). The folios were then washed in seven consecutive filtered water baths until the water was clear ofdiscoloration from the degradation of the leaves. The folios were blotted and then air dried until slightly damp,once damp, the folios were fully dried under felts [KJ, 11.0 hrs].

6. In batches, all folios of the textblock received a calcium phytate treatment. Each folio was misted with adahlia sprayer with 50% ethanol/50% filtered water to slowly introduce moisture. The folios were then placedin a filtered water bath as a group. The group of folios were transferred to the phytate bath consisting ofphytic acid, calcium carbonate, and filtered water, brought to pH6 with diluted ammonium hydroxide. Thefolios were rinsed with filtered water prior to being placed in a calcium bicarbonate bath for deacidification.The folios were sized with a 1% solution of gelatin sizing with 100 bloom. The folios were blotted and then airdried until slightly damp, once damp, the folios were fully dried under felts [KJ, 18.5 hrs; AS, 6.75 hrs; CF, 4.5hrs; HT, 1.5 hrs].

7. Tears and losses were mended throughout the textblock with usu gami thinnest toned with GoldenAcrylics. Damaged folios were guarded with usu gami thinnest. Mends and guards were applied with Zen Shofuwheat starch paste [KJ, 6.8 hrs].

8. New double folio dove‐gray end sheets were prepared with sekishu ssue loose guards. The textblock wassewn using the original sewing holes and a chain link stitch with 25/3 linen thread [KJ, 3.5 hrs]

9. The textblock was rounded and backed. The spine of the textblock received an usu gami reversibility liningapplied with wheat starch paste. Airplane linen endbands were applied to the head and tail of the spine with


Jade 403 polyvinyl acetate (PVA). The spine was lined with a secondary usu gami lining with wheat starch paste. An airplane linen lining with flanges was applied with PVA. A final textweight Mohawk paper lining was applied with PVA [KJ, 1.8 hrs].

10. Flanges were prepared for a splitboard binding with the airplane linen flanges, loose sekishu guard, anddove‐gray endsheet. Green Millboard boards were attached with the flanges [KJ, 1.25 hrs].

11. The binding was covered with Cotlin book cloth at the spine and with Canape a book cloth covering theboards. The flanges from the splitboard were pasted to the interior of the boards with PVA, and thepastedowns were adhered to the boards with PVA. The loose sekishu guard was trimmed and adhered to thefirst and last page with wheat starch paste [KJ, 1.6 hrs].

12. The tle for the book was stamped on Canape a book cloth and adhered to the spine of the book withPVA [KJ, 0.75 hrs].

13. The book was housed in a custom corrugated clamshell [KJ, 0.5 hrs].

Housing Provided

Corrugated clamshell

Storage Recommendations and Handling notes

Evidence of mold is still present, but the mold is inactive.

TOTAL Treatment and Documentation Time

80 hours

Housing Narrative

PRODUCTION ‐ WORK ASSIGNMENT AND TIME

Team Member Kasie Janssen 3600 minutes

Team Member Ashleigh Schieszer 600

Team Member Catarina Figueirinhas 270

Team Member Kasie Janssen, Jessica Ebert, Hyacin 320

minutes

minutes

minutes


i10408943x_2247_A02N - Before treatment,textblock, binding missing

i10408943x_2247_A03N - Before treatment,textblock with mold damage

i10408943x_2247_D02N - After treatment,textblock recased after full treatment

The Preservation Lab Treatment Report Cont'd

thepreservationlab.org Photographic documentation by Jessica Ebert

i10408943x_2247_D03N - After treatment, textblock recased after full treatment

i10408943x_2247_A04N - Before treatment,spine of textblock

i10408943x_2247_A05N - Before treatment,foredge of textblock

i10408943x_2247_D04N - After treatment,spine of new case



i10408943x_2247_D05N - After treatment,foredge of textblock and case

i10408943x_2247_A06N - Before treatment,head of textblock

i10408943x_2247_A07N - Before treatmentfoot of textblock

i10408943x_2247_D06N_Head - After treatment,head of textblock and case



i10408943x_2247_D07N_Tail - After treatment,foot of textblock and case

i10408943x_2247_A08N - Before treatment,first page of textblock

i10408943x_2247_B08N - During treatment,first folio after surface cleaning

i10408943x_2247_D08N - After treatment,first page of textblock and new flyleaf



i10408943x_2247_C08N - During treatment,first folio after washing and phytate treatment

i10408943x_2247_A10N - Before treatment,inner folio

i10408943x_2247_B10T - During treatment, transmitted illumination, after dry surface cleaning

i10408943x_2247_D10N - After treatment,inner folio after washing, phytate treatment and rebinding



i10408943x_2247_C10T - During treatment, transmitted illumination, after ethanol and

filtered water bath, prior to phytate treatment

i10408943x_2247_B01UV - During treatment, ultraviolet light, after disbinding, prior to washing

i10408943x_2247_C01UV - During treatment, ultraviolet light, after washing and phytate treatment



thepreservationlab.org Photographic documentation by Kasie Janssen






Photographic documentation by Kasie Janssenthepreservationlab.org


i10408943x_2247_A09N - Before treatment,inner folio of textblock with broken sewing

i10408943x_2247_A11N - Before treatment, inner folio of textblock with broken sewing

i10408943x_2247_D09N - After treatment,inner folio with repaired sewing and binding



i10408943x_2247_D11N - After treatment,inner folio with repaired sewing and binding

i10408943x_2247_A12N - Before treatment,inner folio depicting mold damge

i10408943x_2247_C12N - During treatment, inner folio after washing and phytate treatment

i10408943x_2247_B12N - During treatment,inner folio after disbinding and dry surface cleaning



i10408943x_2247_D12N - After treatment,inner folio after resewing and rebinding

i10408943x_2247_A14N - Before treatment,final leaf with visible mold damage and surface dirt

i10408943x_2247_B14N - During treatment,final folio after disbinding and dry surface cleaning

i10408943x_2247_D14N - After treatment,final leaf after washing, phytate treatment, and binding



i10408943x_2247_C14N - During treatment,final folio after washing and phytate treatment

i10408943x_2247_A13N - Before treatment,final folio after disbinding and dry surface cleaning

i10408943x_2247_A01N - Before treatment,acidic wrapper housing

i10408943x_2247_D13N - After treatment,final leaf after washing, phytate treatment, and binding



i10408943x_2247_D01N - After treatment,corrugated clamshell housing

Documents

Preservation Lab ‐ Examination and Treatment Report