Other Conservation Projects

Using a bone folder to smooth creases in a document belonging to church archives.

At my first internship with Paperloves Conservation LLC, I spent over a year learning basic conservation techniques and processes. These techniques included handling, photography and documentation, washing, humidification, pressing, and basic repairs and removal of corrosive fastenings.

One of my first projects was to clean the interior of a family heirloom photo album using a variety of brushes and vulcanized rubber sponges. I also injected adhesive into the cracking plastic cover to fill in shallow hollow areas and prevent further cracking.

During my last three months of this internship I also completed a project in which I followed the conservation process from start to finish. First I took representative photographs of the collection, then cleaned and removed corrosive fastenings from over 200 loose paper documents and over 20 ledgers, books, and Bibles. This project especially allowed me to hone my focus for repetitive tasks, as well as continue to improve my hand eye coordination and organization skills.

Beyond this experience, I have also created a pamphlet for public use focused around educating people on the basics of storing and maintaining heirloom art pieces, and performed a number of minor repairs including tip ins, assisted in moving large objects, and learning the basics of bookbinding.