--- Begin Forwarded Message --- Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 11:57:50 -0600 (MDT) From: Ronald Whistance-Smith <[log in to unmask]> Subject: repair of blue-back charts Sender: Ronald Whistance-Smith <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Cc: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: Ronald Whistance-Smith <[log in to unmask]> Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]> Dear All >A client has brought us two of Imray's blue back charts for >repair and conservation so that she can pass them on to her >daughter in better condition than she received them from her >father. >I'll tell you what they are and then ask advice. > >Estuary of the Thames, 1878, has a 4 inch tear through both >layers at bottom centre and about a 1 inch tear in the lower >left corner. We need to replace the red bias tape edging >also. We've surface cleaned it and think we can do these >minor repairs without removing the backing. > >East India Archipelago, Western Route to China Chart No. 3, >1878. Both are by James Imray & Son. >This one has a 21 inch tear through both layers right up the >centre from the lower edge. All the edging is gone and it >has a sizeable water stain in the lower right corner. The >water stain means to us, that we would probably give it a >bath and work that stain out of it. > >My question is, has anyone had experience of working on these >charts? Does the blue of the backing bleed into the wash >water? A Q-tip test says no but with the size of the chart >a small mistake could quickly become a big mistake.Is there >a way to separate the two layers prior to >washing? I used to think they were only attached by the >edging but find that they have been glued or pasted together. >My wife (the better conservationist) thinks if we can separate >them we should back the map on unbleached cotton and then >reattach the blue backing. I can see that if we put our >cloth over an open stretcher frame that we could do both >at once. > Ron Whistance-Smith 14520 84th Ave. NW Edmonton, AB Canada T5R 3X2 FAX: (403) 483-5858 email: [log in to unmask] --- End Forwarded Message ---