New technology for reinforcement of paper-based archives by water-wettable cotton nets
LIU Jiaojiao1, JIA Xiaoyan2, LI Yuhu1*, XING Huiping1
(1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Engineering Research Center of Historical and Cultural Heritage Conservation, Ministry of Education, Xi′an 710119, Shaanxi, China;2 Restoration of Cultural Relic, Xi′an Museum, Xi′an 710068, Shaanxi, China)
Abstract:
To solve the problems in the reinforcement of paper-based archives by the traditional silk mesh，a new technology by using water-wettable cotton mesh with environmentally friendly characteristic and low cost is proposed.The characteristics of the developed technology are revealed in four aspects of adhesive property, technological process, restoration effect and reliability. It is comparatively studied in paper performances before and after UV aging treatments among the new technology, reinforcement by using silk mesh and by hydrophobic cotton nets. The results indicate that this technology can improve the mechanical strength and durability of the paper, and possesses good compatibility, reversibility and minimally invasive characteristic. This technology has been successfully applied in the salvaging and restoring some paper archives and ancient literatures with a good protection effect.
KeyWords:
cotton nets; silk net; restoration; de-acidification; paper archives and ancient literatures
