Posted: 2013-11-28 09:15
Here are some Pre and Post Treatment photographs from a recently completed project. As one can see the condition of this 1839 published, half calfskin, ' mock-flexible ', format binding was fairly poor; the upper board had become detached due to the weak state of the leather at the position of the outer-joint. The calfskin was friable and dry; expected perhaps for a book of such antiquity, the front endpaper inner-joint was split, the spine linings exposed, and the headcaps extensively dry and damaged.
My treatment was to reline the spine, re-hitch the upper board using a split board with linen insert technique, repair the outer-joint and exposed board corners by underlying with a thinly pared cutting of matching skiver, repair and strengthen the headcaps ,and repair the split inner-joints of both endpapers with matching pigment surface paper. The repair leather was, ' age stained ', and fixed to complement the original covering skin. The final operation was to apply an overall conservation dressing compound of Lanoline, Hexane and Beeswax to cleanse and stabilise the leather.
The condition of the refurbished volume on completion before it is returned to the client's family collection.