{"id":4429,"date":"2023-11-27T13:58:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T18:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/?p=4429"},"modified":"2024-06-11T12:12:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T16:12:16","slug":"fish-gelatin-spreading-the-word-about-a-book-conservators-new-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libapps.libraries.uc.edu\/thepreservationlab\/2023\/11\/fish-gelatin-spreading-the-word-about-a-book-conservators-new-friend","title":{"rendered":"Fish gelatin: Spreading the word about a book conservator\u2019s new friend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last year around this time, the lab was fortunate to bring in book conservator<\/a> and toolmaker<\/a>, Jeff Peachey for a week-long intensive workshop<\/a> to learn leather rebacking. While I always expect to walk away with new anticipated skills as advertised by the workshop, I\u2019m ALSO always pleasantly surprised by the tangential tips and tricks shared along the way.\u00a0 In the case of Peachey\u2019s workshop, there were many! One of my favorites was his use of a fish gelatin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to Cold Fish Gelatin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While adhering spine linings to our text blocks, Peachey pulled out a small baggie of fish gelatin he brought with him to the workshop.  He poured the dry flaky powder into a small jar, added room temperature cold water, and mixed it until a liquid-y consistency.  He then added strained wheat starch paste to the gelatin and mixed with water until he was happy with the consistency.  He estimated it was a 40:60 ratio of gelatin to paste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Fish<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Fish<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jeff Peachey taught a workshop at the Preservation Lab in Oct. 2022 where he first introduced us to a low-bloom fish gelatin for book conservation that didn\u2019t require heat for use<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever used gelatin before, you might be wondering \u2013 how is it possible to mix the gelatin without heating?  That\u2019s the beauty of this product \u2013 it has a high molecular weight with low bloom strength and is produced from cold water fish which gives it this ability.  It might not be the strongest of the films with a 0-bloom strength, but for a book conservator doing paper repairs that need to be reversible yet strong, this combo still had an amazing tack when dry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peachey explained he first heard about the gelatin on a lab tour at the Weissman Center. He recalled Alan Puglia might have been the one who originally investigated the adhesive for pigment consolidation of hundreds of manuscripts for a show. The mention of a high molecular weight Norland fish gelatin was shared during a talk given at the American Institute for Conservation\u2019s 44th<\/sup> annual meeting.  The talk was titled, The Challenge of Scale: Treatment of 160 Illuminated Manuscripts for Exhibition<\/a>,\u201d by Debora D. Mayer and Alan Puglia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peachey also doesn\u2019t take credit for mixing the gelatin with wheat starch paste. He notes that even in Rene Matin Dudin\u2019s 18th<\/sup> century manual<\/a>, it discusses the “union” of paste and glue in the last paragraph below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Fish<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Peachey shares an excerpt by Rene Matin Dudin descripting his 18th<\/sup> century historic use of gelatin mixed with paste.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the week-long workshop, I had fallen in love with the properties of how well it adhered.\u00a0 By itself, the fish gelatin had a long working time and didn\u2019t stick until it was nearly dry – but when mixed with wheat starch paste, it combined the best of both worlds.\u00a0 There was both the initial tack from the paste and a strong adhesion from the gelatin after dry. \u00a0I wasted no time in ordering my own sample supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatments Testing the HMW Fish Gelatin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the past year, I\u2019ve slowly incorporated the fish gelatin in treatments and testing more applications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n