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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]
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