V. OrlandiniFebruary 2016

Survey on iron gall ink inscribed on paper

  1. How often do you encounter paper artifacts inscribed with iron-gall-ink?
  1. RarelyB. SometimesC. Frequently
  1. Which of the following do you perform on these artifacts?
  1. ExaminationB. AnalysisC. TreatmentD. Rehousing

E: Others…………………………………………………………………………..

  1. What means do you use to examine these ink-inscribed artifacts?

A. VisualB. TactileC. Micro-chemical testing (solubility)D. Analytical

E: Others…………………………………………………………………………………

  1. How damage is the iron-gall ink inscribed paper artifacts that you typically encounter?

A. Minor treatment (………%)B. Major treatment (………%)C. Rehousing (………%)

D. No treatment (………%)

  1. Do you perform any of the following treatments?
  1. HumidificationB. Aqueous bathingC. Ethanol/ water bathing

D. DeacidificationE. Others………………………………………………………………………………

  1. Which of the following methods do you use to carry out wet treatments?

A.HumidificationB. SprayingC. Float washingD. Full immersionE:Suction table

F. Others…………………………………………………

  1. How do you dry the artifacts?

A. Air dryingB. Between blottersC. FeltsD. Combination methods

  1. Do you resize after aqueous treatment of iron-gall ink artifacts?
  1. NeverB. RarelyC. SometimesD. Frequently
  2. Please, specify adhesive……………………………………………………………
  1. Do you use any of these treatment options?

Alkaline water raised with Calcium Hydroxide (pH 7 – 8.5)

Alkaline water raised with Ammonium Hydroxide (pH 7 – 8.5)

Tap water

Deionized water (~pH 6)

Filtered water – reverse osmosis (~pH 7)

Calcium Bicarbonate

Magnesium Bicarbonate

Calcium Phytate/ Calcium Bicarbonate

Calcium Phytate/ Magnesium Bicarbonate

Ethanol modified solution with Calcium Phytate/ Calcium Bicarbonate

Ethanol modified withMagnesium Bicarbonate

Ammonium Calcium Phytate

Halide salts (NaCl, NaBr, CaBr2)

Halide/ Calcium Carbonate

Calcium Propionate

Ethanol modified solution with Calcium Propionate

  1. Have you tried any of these treatments?
  1. Hot water washingB. Iron (II) complexingC. Copper (II) complexing
  1. Have you ever experienced active fungal infestation on iron-gall ink inscribed paper artifacts?
  1. No
  2. Yes, please specify treatment options used…………………………………………………………..
  1. Are you familiar with any of these stabilization treatment options for iron-gall ink inscribed paper artifacts containing mold?
  1. No measures are taken
  2. Cleaning and drying artifacts with electronic equipment
  3. Cleaning and drying artifacts by interleaving with dry absorbent paper
  4. Freezing
  5. 70%:30% ethanol: water solution
  6. 0.5%/ 1% PP and 5% Calcium Proprionate (Neves et al., 2008)
  7. Disinfestation: sterilizing with gamma irradiation
  8. Disinfestation:sterilizing with ethylene oxide
  9. Disinfestation: sterilizing with sunlight for light bleaching
  10. Disinfestation: sterilizing with artificial light source for light bleaching
  11. Thymol (2-Isopropyl-5-methylphenol)
  12. Ortho-phenylphenol
  13. Options currently available to counter paper biodeterioration by fungi are not totally satisfactory.
  1. If you decide not to treat an artifact damaged by ink corrosion, which of the following influence your decision?
  1. Curatorial/ client guidelines
  2. Uncertain outcome of treatment
  3. Physical risk to artifact(s)
  4. Insufficient equipment/ materials
  5. Other………………………………………………………………………………….
  1. Have you looked at the iron-gall ink website?
  1. YesB. No
  1. Which of the following best fits your job description?
  1. Conservator – government institution
  2. Conservator – private institution
  3. Conservator in private practice
  4. Conservator administrator
  5. Other………………………………………………………………………………….

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and provide your conservation experience in this survey. If you have further questions, comments and/or suggestions, please contact me. Your interest and feedbacks are greatly appreciated.

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Valeria Orlandini, Conservator of Works on Paper, Thematic Network MEEP (Metals in Paper)

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