Very cool. My heart skipped a beat when you flipped through after sewing and I saw that a page was upside down. I was put at rest by your clarification 😂
I love how you conserved the nature of the original book and didn't add that last gathering to the book block. Maintaining the history of the work. Nice.
Was anybody else holding their breath during the dismantling? I've rebound/repaired favourite hardbacks and paperbacks for myself and friends but nothing on this scale. Love the idea of being able to reverse some of the work - it can be so disheartening to open up a much loved book to find a dried out strip of Sellotape and the brown gunge left behind. Would never have thought to patch individual needle holes though! Good for another 300 years do we think?
Beautiful work...meticulously filmed...Surprised to see conservation work being performed while wearing metal jewelry though. I would think that would be risky...(unintended knuckle drag or accidental impression/abrasion of metal on paper). Thanks for sharing this content...much appreciated.
Hi!. Well spotted. My rings are round and smooth, so they don't catch (that's the main risk), but I do remove them for certain treatments. They also are a bit of "my signature" on videos that show only my hands ;)
This is fascinating, especially the resewing of the appendix in separately as it was originally. I love how you saved all the original materials, and made the new ones obvious. Can you tell me what the star-shaped "sticker" with "21" on the first page is? Almost looks like an irresponsible bookseller's price tag. 😂
Hi! Thanks for your message. The Star-shaped stickers are found throughout the Ogden collection. Other books from the same collection and provenance have stickers with different numbers. It's some sort of personal cataloguing system. A bit like library numbers on books. That is why it was important to keep it.
It's a joy to watch you working! What is the material you used on the spine of the book and I think also at the spine of the pages? Is this a kind of Japanese paper and if so, which kind is it?
Very very interesting! I love this job. But I noticed that other master restorers usually wear lattice or cotton gloves when they touch books, why it's not happening in this case?
When restoring, its important to feel the material directly with your fingers. If you wear gloves or something that interferes with this contact, you can easily damage the delicate material, with out even noticing it.
Conservators have carried out several studies to balance the risks and advantages of wearing gloves. Gloves are mandatory to handle metallic and photographic material. They are also needed to protect the user from the objects (either because they are dirty or could contaminate, with heavy metals for example). Cotton gloves, even lint free, are no longer used because they leave residue and they can catch on protruding elements. Don't worry, we've got this.
I'm kinda curious about the structure. I'm not an expert this style (or any style). In this book, the last gathering is sewn to the cover. It is separated from the text block. Does this provide any benefits? Why not just sew all pages together and attach the text block to the cover?
The last gathering was added to the book after the book was sewn. The conservation work replicated the object's original intent and structure. Conservation is about the materiality of objects so that they can tell the most complete story. If the last gathering had been sewn with the rest of the text block, the materiality attached to the fact that it is an appendice would have been lost. There was also no structural reason to not respect the original structure. :)
@@laurentcruveillier1371 uh yes, thank you so much for answering!! I missed the part you explained the structure was uncommon. Your video is super helpful. Not only did it teach how to repair books, but the rich details observed also showcase the uniqueness and stories of these old books.
The documentation and conservation work, carried out at the UCL Special Collections Conservation Department, took well over 100 hours, and required far more complex operations than the ones shown in this film
It depends where. On paper: Methylcellulose and Klucel G, gelatine on the parchment. I also used wheat starch paste and mixtures of the above... the type and concentration of adhesives depends on the analysis of the substrate. :)
Hi, I am repairing a book from 1574, the paper is generally OK except for the corners which I will have either to replace where missing or strengthen. Do you have any advice on the mixture of methyl cellulose that would be suitable to give some body back to the paper perhaps before attempting any Jap tissue work. Thanks, Nick
That's because 1) we are conservators and 2) studies have proven that it is actually safer not to wear gloves to handle paper and books (except few exceptions). Every object is a case. It is not simple. The following video is a good explanation: ua-cam.com/video/VAzLunt6Lr0/v-deo.html
That is because you are not a conservator. The issue of wearing gloves has been the object of several scientific studies for decades now, and we use different types of gloves according to rigorous protocols. Cotton gloves are most often banned because they leave residue on the objects (even the "lint free" ones), and the knitted fabric can catch on the material, causing damage. It is funny to see, nevertheless how the public still thinks they know better than trained and experienced conservators. I guess it comes from a good place and a try concern for the preservation of heritage.
@@laurentcruveillier1371 If we do speak from a misconception then is it not for the conservators to communicate the current understanding better. Instead of some on screen notes, a voiceover giving an explanation would’ve been handy here. It doesn’t have to be your voice just your words.
@@RegBarlow Thanks for the suggestion. I'll include that in my next video. Especially because the public "wants" gloves, and we always have to explain, despite all the videos that treat solely of that issue. But, yes. It's a useful suggestion. thanks.
You can find more information in the UCL catalogue entry for MS OGDEN/7/21: archives.ucl.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%22MS%20OGDEN/7/21%22)
@@laurentcruveillier1371 If you are referring to the unpleasant noise in the background, yes. UA-cam contributors are learning that wispy, non irritating music helps, not hinders ideas or projects they are promoting. This is an over-all generalization, of course, but positive feedback seems to confirm it. Most people want the music or lack of same to match the views. For example, romantic violin music does fit into scenes of a steam engine chugging up Cajon Pass or...relentless pounding music while a rare book is being conserved.
The new material aspect is small but looks dreadful, a wonderful job ruined by a small but terribly, scaring intervention, a horror that now happens to buildings, this is where a contemporary conversation is driven by machine-like scientific types, people that need to stay away from objects with a soul and a history. Bring back aesthetes into conservation and banish the dead heart scientific types that are killing the past they claim to be protecting.
Can you be more specific as to what you're talking about? Looks like it was cleaned, stabilized, and modifications were made to be reversible. What's wrong?
@@nathanielscreativecollecti6392 , I think the intervention is about considering that this was a "restoration" job. In a teaching setting, such as the special collections of a university, it is necessary that contemporary additions are clearly identifiable, so that our intervention is not mistaken with the original. Even is we document everything, eventually documentation records can be lost, and the only thing capable of telling the true story is what we leave obvious in our interventions. Plus, as you said, all is reversible, here.
Very cool. My heart skipped a beat when you flipped through after sewing and I saw that a page was upside down. I was put at rest by your clarification 😂
I love how you conserved the nature of the original book and didn't add that last gathering to the book block. Maintaining the history of the work. Nice.
Found this channel suddenly. Thankyou so much. Iam a paper conservator too.
Love watching these kind of preservations. Thnx for sharing!
The reference number (for searching) is now MS OGDEN/7/21
You're a role model for aspiring creators.
Was anybody else holding their breath during the dismantling?
I've rebound/repaired favourite hardbacks and paperbacks for myself and friends but nothing on this scale. Love the idea of being able to reverse some of the work - it can be so disheartening to open up a much loved book to find a dried out strip of Sellotape and the brown gunge left behind.
Would never have thought to patch individual needle holes though!
Good for another 300 years do we think?
I certainly hope so! :)
Very impressive; I learned a lot from this.
Beautiful. Amazing.
Beautiful work.
Beautiful work...meticulously filmed...Surprised to see conservation work being performed while wearing metal jewelry though. I would think that would be risky...(unintended knuckle drag or accidental impression/abrasion of metal on paper). Thanks for sharing this content...much appreciated.
Hi!. Well spotted. My rings are round and smooth, so they don't catch (that's the main risk), but I do remove them for certain treatments. They also are a bit of "my signature" on videos that show only my hands ;)
Fantastic job, tank's for sharing
This also shows how expensive books were. A lot of hours to ensemble the pages and cover.
Ambient sounds without any music would be more magnificent I imagine.
Er, volume control?
So the ambient sounds get lowered too? Genius
@@sk5054 Why thank you kindly but my IQ is only 131 so quite a bit below "genius" level.
This is fascinating, especially the resewing of the appendix in separately as it was originally. I love how you saved all the original materials, and made the new ones obvious. Can you tell me what the star-shaped "sticker" with "21" on the first page is? Almost looks like an irresponsible bookseller's price tag. 😂
Hi! Thanks for your message. The Star-shaped stickers are found throughout the Ogden collection. Other books from the same collection and provenance have stickers with different numbers. It's some sort of personal cataloguing system. A bit like library numbers on books. That is why it was important to keep it.
Spectacular.
nerve wrecking . unconsciously i hold my breath lol
There was a golden opportunity to photograph/scan the pages after you had un-sewn everything - was this done?
True. It was not done on this occasion, unfortunately. The book opens quite flat after treatment though.
It's a joy to watch you working!
What is the material you used on the spine of the book and I think also at the spine of the pages? Is this a kind of Japanese paper and if so, which kind is it?
Hi. Thank you. Yes it is a Japanese tissue. It's a kozo-fibre Tengujo, non bleached, about 11 gsm.
Amazing
Did you subject it to deacidification process? Bec. I did not see it in the video.
Very very interesting! I love this job. But I noticed that other master restorers usually wear lattice or cotton gloves when they touch books, why it's not happening in this case?
When restoring, its important to feel the material directly with your fingers. If you wear gloves or something that interferes with this contact, you can easily damage the delicate material, with out even noticing it.
Conservators have carried out several studies to balance the risks and advantages of wearing gloves. Gloves are mandatory to handle metallic and photographic material. They are also needed to protect the user from the objects (either because they are dirty or could contaminate, with heavy metals for example). Cotton gloves, even lint free, are no longer used because they leave residue and they can catch on protruding elements. Don't worry, we've got this.
I came here just to see if anyone asked this because I wondered.
I'm kinda curious about the structure. I'm not an expert this style (or any style).
In this book, the last gathering is sewn to the cover. It is separated from the text block. Does this provide any benefits? Why not just sew all pages together and attach the text block to the cover?
The last gathering was added to the book after the book was sewn. The conservation work replicated the object's original intent and structure. Conservation is about the materiality of objects so that they can tell the most complete story. If the last gathering had been sewn with the rest of the text block, the materiality attached to the fact that it is an appendice would have been lost. There was also no structural reason to not respect the original structure.
:)
@@laurentcruveillier1371 uh yes, thank you so much for answering!! I missed the part you explained the structure was uncommon.
Your video is super helpful. Not only did it teach how to repair books, but the rich details observed also showcase the uniqueness and stories of these old books.
Very impressive and interesting! Curious how much time it took overall. Thanks for the detailed video!
The documentation and conservation work, carried out at the UCL Special Collections Conservation Department, took well over 100 hours, and required far more complex operations than the ones shown in this film
@@richardh8082 Thanks for the explanation! Great work!
What adhesive you applying?
It depends where. On paper: Methylcellulose and Klucel G, gelatine on the parchment. I also used wheat starch paste and mixtures of the above... the type and concentration of adhesives depends on the analysis of the substrate. :)
Hi, I am repairing a book from 1574, the paper is generally OK except for the corners which I will have either to replace where missing or strengthen. Do you have any advice on the mixture of methyl cellulose that would be suitable to give some body back to the paper perhaps before attempting any Jap tissue work. Thanks, Nick
The Pages of the book must be wasching whit hipoclorito of the sodio.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a conservative work without gloves.
That's because 1) we are conservators and 2) studies have proven that it is actually safer not to wear gloves to handle paper and books (except few exceptions). Every object is a case. It is not simple. The following video is a good explanation: ua-cam.com/video/VAzLunt6Lr0/v-deo.html
ممكن اعرف اسم المواد المستخدمة
I thought the first step to conservation would be wearing cotton gloves.
That is because you are not a conservator. The issue of wearing gloves has been the object of several scientific studies for decades now, and we use different types of gloves according to rigorous protocols. Cotton gloves are most often banned because they leave residue on the objects (even the "lint free" ones), and the knitted fabric can catch on the material, causing damage. It is funny to see, nevertheless how the public still thinks they know better than trained and experienced conservators. I guess it comes from a good place and a try concern for the preservation of heritage.
@@laurentcruveillier1371 If we do speak from a misconception then is it not for the conservators to communicate the current understanding better. Instead of some on screen notes, a voiceover giving an explanation would’ve been handy here. It doesn’t have to be your voice just your words.
@@RegBarlow Thanks for the suggestion. I'll include that in my next video. Especially because the public "wants" gloves, and we always have to explain, despite all the videos that treat solely of that issue. But, yes. It's a useful suggestion. thanks.
Good work. Please let us know the subject matter of the book. Was this a journal? 🎉
You can find more information in the UCL catalogue entry for MS OGDEN/7/21:
archives.ucl.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%22MS%20OGDEN/7/21%22)
...OK, but why?
not trying to be a douche, I'm genuinely curious, why is this being preserved?
The monotonous pounding sound adds nothing to this video.
Pounding sound? Do you mean the music background?
@@laurentcruveillier1371 If you are referring to the unpleasant noise in the background, yes. UA-cam contributors are learning that wispy, non irritating music helps, not hinders ideas or projects they are promoting. This is an over-all generalization, of course, but positive feedback seems to confirm it. Most people want the music or lack of same to match the views. For example, romantic violin music does fit into scenes of a steam engine chugging up Cajon Pass or...relentless pounding music while a rare book is being conserved.
I'd rather hear the sound of the old paper, etc.
Worst music ever for this video.
The new material aspect is small but looks dreadful, a wonderful job ruined by a small but terribly, scaring intervention, a horror that now happens to buildings, this is where a contemporary conversation is driven by machine-like scientific types, people that need to stay away from objects with a soul and a history. Bring back aesthetes into conservation and banish the dead heart scientific types that are killing the past they claim to be protecting.
Can you be more specific as to what you're talking about? Looks like it was cleaned, stabilized, and modifications were made to be reversible. What's wrong?
@@nathanielscreativecollecti6392 , I think the intervention is about considering that this was a "restoration" job. In a teaching setting, such as the special collections of a university, it is necessary that contemporary additions are clearly identifiable, so that our intervention is not mistaken with the original. Even is we document everything, eventually documentation records can be lost, and the only thing capable of telling the true story is what we leave obvious in our interventions. Plus, as you said, all is reversible, here.
I am not sure EXACTLY you have done. It is not a full proper restoration? As for upside down pages, never ever heard of a restorer ever allowing that.
if it was part of the original book, then that is exactly how it should remain - I suspect you don't enter the world of conservation very often
What do you use for surface cleaning?