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Hi! Thanks for your message. The Star-shaped stickers are found throughout the Ogden collection. Other books from the same collection and provenance have stickers with different numbers. It's some sort of personal cataloguing system. A bit like library numbers on books. That is why it was important to keep it.

if it was part of the original book, then that is exactly how it should remain - I suspect you don't enter the world of conservation very often

That's because 1) we are conservators and 2) studies have proven that it is actually safer not to wear gloves to handle paper and books (except few exceptions). Every object is a case. It is not simple. The following video is a good explanation: ruclips.net/video/VAzLunt6Lr0/видео.html

Hi! The current literature, based on scientific studies, privileges the increased dexterity vs minimal chemical impact on paper (it's more complicated than that, but i am not going to resume here a whole chapter of a Masters' degree in Conservation).

@@laurentcruveillier1371While you were getting your Masters degree in theory I grew up in an Antique restoration family. In lieu of college I went under an apprenticeship under a Conservator. I have shared this video to several Book Restoration & Conservation experts & well they concurred with my assessment. Increased dexterity? I never had a problem with this nor anyone I trained with. This must have been a problem for anyone born after 1980. I'm retired yet I still get calls to work on restoration projects that were jacked up by Conservator "experts" with high academic credentials.

That is because you are not a conservator. The issue of wearing gloves has been the object of several scientific studies for decades now, and we use different types of gloves according to rigorous protocols. Cotton gloves are most often banned because they leave residue on the objects (even the "lint free" ones), and the knitted fabric can catch on the material, causing damage. It is funny to see, nevertheless how the public still thinks they know better than trained and experienced conservators. I guess it comes from a good place and a try concern for the preservation of heritage.

⁠@@laurentcruveillier1371 If we do speak from a misconception then is it not for the conservators to communicate the current understanding better. Instead of some on screen notes, a voiceover giving an explanation would’ve been handy here. It doesn’t have to be your voice just your words.

@@RegBarlow Thanks for the suggestion. I'll include that in my next video. Especially because the public "wants" gloves, and we always have to explain, despite all the videos that treat solely of that issue. But, yes. It's a useful suggestion. thanks.

Hi. Thank you. Yes it is a Japanese tissue. It's a kozo-fibre Tengujo, non bleached, about 11 gsm.

I certainly hope so! :)

The last gathering was added to the book after the book was sewn. The conservation work replicated the object's original intent and structure. Conservation is about the materiality of objects so that they can tell the most complete story. If the last gathering had been sewn with the rest of the text block, the materiality attached to the fact that it is an appendice would have been lost. There was also no structural reason to not respect the original structure. :)

@@laurentcruveillier1371 uh yes, thank you so much for answering!! I missed the part you explained the structure was uncommon. Your video is super helpful. Not only did it teach how to repair books, but the rich details observed also showcase the uniqueness and stories of these old books.

The documentation and conservation work, carried out at the UCL Special Collections Conservation Department, took well over 100 hours, and required far more complex operations than the ones shown in this film

​@@richardh8082 Thanks for the explanation! Great work!

You can find more information in the UCL catalogue entry for MS OGDEN/7/21: archives.ucl.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%22MS%20OGDEN/7/21%22)

Pounding sound? Do you mean the music background?

@@laurentcruveillier1371 If you are referring to the unpleasant noise in the background, yes. RUclips contributors are learning that wispy, non irritating music helps, not hinders ideas or projects they are promoting. This is an over-all generalization, of course, but positive feedback seems to confirm it. Most people want the music or lack of same to match the views. For example, romantic violin music does fit into scenes of a steam engine chugging up Cajon Pass or...relentless pounding music while a rare book is being conserved.

I'd rather hear the sound of the old paper, etc.

Er, volume control?

So the ambient sounds get lowered too? Genius

@@sk5054 Why thank you kindly but my IQ is only 131 so quite a bit below "genius" level.

It depends where. On paper: Methylcellulose and Klucel G, gelatine on the parchment. I also used wheat starch paste and mixtures of the above... the type and concentration of adhesives depends on the analysis of the substrate. :)

Hi, I am repairing a book from 1574, the paper is generally OK except for the corners which I will have either to replace where missing or strengthen. Do you have any advice on the mixture of methyl cellulose that would be suitable to give some body back to the paper perhaps before attempting any Jap tissue work. Thanks, Nick

Can you be more specific as to what you're talking about? Looks like it was cleaned, stabilized, and modifications were made to be reversible. What's wrong?

@@nathanielscreativecollecti6392 , I think the intervention is about considering that this was a "restoration" job. In a teaching setting, such as the special collections of a university, it is necessary that contemporary additions are clearly identifiable, so that our intervention is not mistaken with the original. Even is we document everything, eventually documentation records can be lost, and the only thing capable of telling the true story is what we leave obvious in our interventions. Plus, as you said, all is reversible, here.

True. It was not done on this occasion, unfortunately. The book opens quite flat after treatment though.

When restoring, its important to feel the material directly with your fingers. If you wear gloves or something that interferes with this contact, you can easily damage the delicate material, with out even noticing it.

Conservators have carried out several studies to balance the risks and advantages of wearing gloves. Gloves are mandatory to handle metallic and photographic material. They are also needed to protect the user from the objects (either because they are dirty or could contaminate, with heavy metals for example). Cotton gloves, even lint free, are no longer used because they leave residue and they can catch on protruding elements. Don't worry, we've got this.

I came here just to see if anyone asked this because I wondered.

It is complex to explain here. Some paper substrates may not tolerate arlkalinization (de-acidification). Most often, it involves washing in a bath that is progressively brought to an alkaline pH, most often using calcium hydroxide. The media must allow for that (inks, paints, colours may run in the bath, or change colours!!). It requires training. Mass de-acidification can be done in gas chambers (it's an industrial operation). In a home setting, for printed books with solid inks, some sprays are available for buying, like Bookkeeper... There are unfortunately some disadvantages (microscopically, the spray is not distributed evenly on all the surface of the substrate). If you could ask a paper conservator near you (in a large library, or a museum), they may be able to help you. Each case is a case, the is no universal recipe.

Hi!. Well spotted. My rings are round and smooth, so they don't catch (that's the main risk), but I do remove them for certain treatments. They also are a bit of "my signature" on videos that show only my hands ;)