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Last edited by InfanterieSammler; 03-11-2006, 01:56 AM. -
Vellum Care
Hi John-
Another name for vellum is lamb or kid skin. The old "sheepskin" given to college graduates years ago used to be printed on vellum. Many of the same do's and don'ts of leather apply to vellum including temperature, and humidity control, and depending on your item maybe UV protection. If you have a document of some kind placed on the vellum, then you have a dual situation you might need to deal with. Old religious documents painted or inscribed on vellum alone would require their own set of procedures for proper display/maintainence. Mike -
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Vellum Care
Hi John-
Great looking RK document! I would guess that you are having 1 of 2 problems with the vellum. Natural skins will dry out over time and when this occurs it will roll. You have to make sure that the temp. and humidity is ideal for your document (see other threads.) Be careful applying anything to the vellum to impart moisture. I would not recommend this. Sometimes documents roll and your best option is to store them in acid free (pH neutral folders. Some of these are clear for viewing.) However, you may just choose to keep the document in the period presentation folder and see if changing any of the above conditons smoothes it out. I don't think this will help provide the result you want quickly. MikeComment
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Hi John,
Assuming that these RK docs. are made from real vellum & not cellulose vellum, the most important thing for preservation, is to keep the temperature & humidity level stable, as vellum is notoriously susceptible to environmental fluctuations. The fact that the animal skin has been stretched so much in it's preparation means that the absorbtion & release of moisture from the air will make the page try to return to it's original molecular composition.
The U.S. National Archives And Records Administration reccomends a stable temperature of 67 degrees F. for vellum & the storing of any manuscripts in a clamshell box (these clamshells create a micro environment for whatever is kept inside them & are generally made from acid free materials)
I would imagine that the gold leaf used for the recipient's name, on such an exotic manuscript, would have been 23 - 23 3/4 carat, so you will never have to worry about it tarnishing...even if the lettering has been executed in raised gilding, you should have no problems there either, as the rabbitskin glue used in the preparation of the lettering substrate will ensure that it remains as flexible as the vellum.
BTW. Vellum folios can actually benefit from human handling, as the natural oils present in the hands will act as a natural conditioner for the dry nature of the prepared calf skin.Comment
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I forgot to mention last night that 'NARA' also reccomend 50% relative humidity for storing vellum.
I think that displaying the doc in some form of accessible, glass case or cabinet would be safe enough.Comment
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