A B C D E F G H I J L M P R S T V W
A:
Abrasions:
Disturbance in fiber with possible media loss caused by contact, usually rubbing or scraping, against a foreign object.
Accretions: Accumulation of foreign matter, dust, grime, insect debris, on the surface of the artwork. Can cause staining over time.
Acid free: A nonspecific term that refers to papers that do not contain acids. Acids can cause paper to discolor, become inflexible, and eventually turn brittle. All storage materials, ie folders and boxes are acid free.
Acid Migration: A process that occurs when acid transfers from a material containing higher acidity levels to one containing less or no acidity. This may occur through off-gassing (gaseous transfer) or physical contact.
Acidic Backboard: Board adhered/mounted to verso of artwork using various adhesives. Boards are usually made of wood pulp or other acidic materials which over time can cause severe staining, desiccation and other damage to the artwork.
Acid Burn: Staining due to acid migration from contact with acidic materials.
Adhesive: Paste, glue, or tape used to bind or attach items together. Archival adhesives such as wheat starch paste are fully reversible in water and cause little damage over time. Harmful adhesives such as acrylic and rubber based glues and tapes can are difficult remove, sometimes requiring the use of heat or organic solvents for reversal and can cause severe staining over time if left untreated.
Adhesive & Tape Residue: Remains of adhesive left by previous application of paste, tape, glue, etc.
Adhesive Stain (Tape Stain): Discoloration in paper due to acid migration and chemical reaction from adhesives with the paper.
Alkaline Reserve: Alkaline Reserve: Substance (commonly a calcium or magnesium salt) that has been added to the paper matrix either during manufacture or after, which neutralizes active acids and reduces the potential for the degradation of paper. Papers that have an alkaline reserve are referred to as Alkaline Buffered.
Aqueous treatments: Term which indicates a wet treatment with use of a liquid such as water or a dilute solution of magnesium bicarbonate.
Archival: Term that implies a material is chemically stable, and durable. Also in terms of adhesives or treatments applied to artwork, should refer to full reversibility or ability to remove product from artwork at a later date. However, there is no standard by which a material can be referred to as "archival". Therefore, terms such as acid free, pH neutral, alkaline buffered, or lignin free may be better guides for the permanence of a material.
Archival Papers (such as Permalife, Perma/Dur, or archival tissues): Papers made of high quality fibers frequently having an alkaline reserve (~pH 8.5).
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B:
Backing Removal:
Removal of harmful boards adhered to verso of artwork. Backing removals require mechanical reduction as well as possible aqueous and/or organic solvent treatments to remove board fibers as well as adhesive residues.
Board: Material made of compressed pulp, used as a support for artwork. High quality archival boards are comprised of cotton or rag materials and contain an alkaline reserve. Poor quality board are comprised of wood pulp or other acidic pulp materials which can cause staining and damage to artwork.
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C:
Cleaning:
Removal of superficial surface dirt and other disfiguring materials through the process of dry and aqueous methods.
Coated paper: Type of paper coated with white clay or a similar, synthetic substance to provide a smooth surface for printing detailed illustrations. The finish is often glossy but can appear dull.
Cockling: Planar distortion or waving with possible light creasing in the paper due to contact with moisture in air or direct contact with water or other liquid.
Consolidation: Procedure of re-adhering friable media to the paper support.
Crease: Line or mark made by folding or wrinkling. Often causes fiber disturbances with possible media loss and accumulation of surface dirt.
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D:
Deacidification:
The process that aids in the reduction of acidic content of paper fibers and impregnates fibers with an alkaline reserve to neutralize the active acid in the paper substrate and act as a buffer to neutralize acids produced in the future. Deacidification helps to extend the life expectancy of paper.
Delimitation: Separation of the layer(s) of the support and/or media layer(s); often accompanied by flaking.
Desiccation: Drying out of paper fibers causing artwork to become very brittle and delicate to the point of breaking, crumbling, or snapping.
Dirt/Grime: Dirt of any kind that has accumulated on the surface (accretion); may also be embedded into the support (soiling).
Discoloration: Shift of hue, often uneven causing disfiguring visual effects. Fading and staining can cause discoloration of media.
Dog-ear: Slang term for creased or folded corner.
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E:
Encapsulation:
The process of creating a protective enclosure for flat materials by placing the object between two sheets of mylar Type D or polyester film and then sealing it on at least one, but often all four edges using ultrasonic energy.
Engage: To place face mat over edges of artwork to give added stabilization.
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F:
Face mat:
A mat board which has a window bevel cut from center and placed on top of artwork or document to aid in the stabilization of the artwork as well as in its display. Unit of a storage mat.
Faded: Losses of brightness or brilliance of the color often due to exposure to harmful UV sunlight.
Fill: New material or fibers used to replace fiber and media losses.
Floating: In terms of matting, floating artwork on backing board, art work has no mat holding artwork in place. V-hinges are used to attach artwork to backing board and are not visible.
Floating: In terms of aqueous treatments, refers to allowing artwork to sit on surface of aqueous bath instead of submerging the artwork below surface of bath.
Flaking: Media, layers of fiber or coating which are separating from main support of artwork.
Foxing: Irregularly shaped stains, often reddish-brown that occur on paper. Foxing is often caused by impurities in paper.
Frass: Insect residue accretions which cause staining over time.
Friable: Media which is flaking from primary support of artwork due to insufficient binding to adhere the media to the sheet or board (support).
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G:
Gear:
Dilute aqueous solution of magnesium bicarbonate used in deacidification to reduce soluble stains and acids and to add an alkaline base to paper.
Gouge: A groove, indentation or cavity resulting from an object pressing or cutting into the surface without completely penetrating the support. Similar to abrasion.
Grain Direction: Refers to the direction in which the majority of the fibers in a piece of paper or board are aligned and to the direction in which the warp threads run in cloth. Grain direction in all materials used in bookbinding should run parallel to the spine of a volume.
Ground-in Surface Dirt: Surface dirt which has been driven deep into the surface of the fibers, possibly embedded into mass of paper fibers.
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H:
Handling wear:
Shallow creases (usually in or near the edges) and surface dirt/finger prints created by rough handling.
Hinge (noun): Structural item used to attach artwork to backing board in preparation for matting and framing. Highest quality hinges are made of Japanese tissue using wheat starch paste as adhesive.
Hinge (verb): Act of attaching artwork to a backing board in preparation for matting and framing.
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I:
Inclusion:
A foreign body enclosed within the mass of the paper fibers.
Infestation: Over-run and invaded; usually associated with insects, bacteria or other microorganisms such as mold.
Interleaving: The act of placing barrier sheets of acid-free or buffered paper between leaves or documents to prevent the transfer of media, acids, or damaging gases from one material to another.
Iron gall ink: An acidic, indelible ink popular from the middle ages to the mid 20th century when it was replaced by carbon ink. Made of tannin, iron sulfate, gum arabic and water, and with age turns brown and can eat away at and destroy paper fibers.
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J:
Japanese Tissue:
A soft, strong, long-fibered and often translucent paper made from the fibers of a variety of plants common to Japan, especially the Mulberry plant and Kozo tree. Extremely strong and delicate, it is a very versatile material available in a variety of thickness and colors, and according to the thickness used, it can be employed for mending torn paper, overall lining, and for use as hinges for matting and framing.
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L:
Lamination:
Method of adhering documents by placing them between two sheets of cellulose acetate film pressing the whole package together while introducing heat. It is generally irreversible, and if reversibility is possible, artwork generally sustains severe damage.
Light burn: Degradation of paper fibers and/or media due to exposure to harmful UV rays in sunlight. Media damage can result in fading. Damage to fibers can result in the destruction of the molecular structure of cellulose paper fibers, which causes staining, fiber weakness, and in extreme cases total collapse of fibers causing paper loss.
Lignin: A component of woody plant fibers used to make most modern papers (not present in 100% cotton or linen paper). Its presence in paper contributes to chemical degradation of the paper and can cause dark staining and fiber weakness due to high acid content.
Lignin Free: Refers to paper that contains no lignin. It may be 100% cotton or linen fibers, or be chemically processed to remove the lignin from the wood pulp.
Loss: Area of missing fibers in one or more layers of paper, most frequently the result of abrasion, flaking, tearing, skinning, insect damage, etc.
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M:
Mat burn:
Area of staining caused by contact with acidic matting, generally visible directly under matted areas. Also known as mat stain.
Mechanically reduce: Treatment involving the use of various tools to reduce and remove harmful elements from the surface of the paper fibers.
Mold/Mildew: Various fungal growths which invade organic surfaces which have sufficient moisture present to support its growth. Mold/mildew produce enzymes which can cause staining, losses and general degradation to artwork. Mold, once embedded in paper fibers is very tenacious and difficult, sometimes impossible to fully remove.
Mylar: Invented in the 1960s. Mylar is the proprietary name for sheet polyester, an inert material in which fragile documents are often stored.
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P:
pH:
A chemical measure of acidity or alkalinity obtained by measuring the quantity of free hydrogen ions in a solution. The pH scale runs from 0 to 14. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, while pH higher than 7.0 is alkaline and lower than 7.0 is acidic.
Plate mark: Area of embossed indentation over image area created during printing process due to contact with original artists plate when paper was put through press.
Plexi package: Sealed package of UV filtering plexi glass and archival backing board surrounding artwork sandwiched between rag board face mat and backing board. The plexi package allows for a safe controlled environment for the art and is ready to be directly placed into a frame by the framer of your choice.
Pressure Sensitive Tape: Any tape made of a film carrier with an active, pressure sensitive adhesive applied to one or both sides. The adhesives on these tapes often discolor, stain and are difficult or impossible to fully remove.
Primary Support: Material providing the foundation for the image. i.e. paper, vellum, etc.; called the "primary support," when a secondary support (backing board) is present.
Protective Enclosures: Include storage mats, plexi packages, boxes, slipcases, portfolios, folders or any other container that is designed to hold and protect books, manuscripts or other archival materials. Many commercial containers or custom-built protective enclosures are available for a variety of materials and needs.
Puncture: Hole or loss in paper fibers, generally created by impact.
PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate): An emulsion adhesive that dries quickly and is considered permanent. It results in a very strong bond that remains flexible over time and does not yellow.
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R:
Rag Paper:
Paper made from cotton or linen fibers instead of wood pulp. Rag paper is stronger and more durable due to its chemical stability, low acidity, and long paper fibers.
Reversibility: The ability to undo a treatment or process without harming or changing the original object. Reversibility is an important principle when performing all conservation treatments.
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S:
Secondary Support:
Backing, backboard, mounting support or other material providing a foundation layer for the primary support.
Skinning: Areas of fiber loss or layers of fiber loss from primary support.
Split: A tear or break in the primary support, usually caused by stress.
Stain: A discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material.
Stain Reduction: Attempt to diminish or remove discoloration.
Storage mat: Protective enclosure comprised of a face mat, backing board and protective covering made of 100% buffered rag board. The artwork is hinged into the storage / framing mat using Japanese tissue with wheat starch paste or mylar corners. The storage mat protects artwork during transit and for long term storage. Protective covering can be folded to back to reveal face mat and placed in a frame for display.
Support: Material providing the foundation for the image. i.e. paper, vellum, etc.; also, called the "primary support," when a secondary support is present.
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T:
T-Hinge:
Hinge used when artwork is engaged by face mat. Hinge extends from upper edge of artwork and held down to the backing board with a second hinge placed above but not touching art work.
Tape stain: See Adhesive stain.
Tear: A rupture in the support layer often as a result of tension.
Tide Lines: Irregular lines or blemishes caused by the movement of water or any other liquid through paper and the residual stains left behind as the liquid dries.
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V:
V-Hinge:
Hinge which is used when artwork is floated on backing board. Hinge is folded under and adhered to backing board so as to not be visible.
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W:
Window mat:
Two-piece housing for works of art or documents that allows them to be safely displayed. The window mat or face mat, bevel cut from an archival rag board, sits on top of the document which has been hinged to a an archival rag backing board. Similar to a storage mat, but lacks the protective covering and is typically enclosed in a frame.
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