Chestnut powder

Sandrine Decoux <sandrine.decoux [at] nmgw__ac__uk> writes

>In the article Research and Restoration of the map 'The Borderlands
>of Latvi-Russia in 1782/1784' by Arija Ubarste (IPC Conference
>Papers, London, 1997), the author describes the use of chestnut
>powder, flushed through with water, to reduce staining.

The reduction of the stains on the Latva-Russian map sounds very
much like 'a cover-up'. Chestnut will give an overall creamy to
brownish colour to the object. So in fact it is not reducing a stain
but more concealing it with another overall colour. I know the same
procedure has been often applied in book conservation but than with
the use of tea and/or coffee residues. I consider this as very
unprofessional as it does not really remove anything and so does not
solve the problem, but only adds something which we know nothing of
for esthetic reasons.

However, I do know that an extract of the green pulp of the chestnut
was in use in Persia since the 11th century to make the papers
insect repellent, including the imported European papers (see

    R.Teygeler (1997)
    Het Islamitische boek: studie en conservering.
    Verslag van een conferentie
    [The Islamic Book: study and conservation. Report of a
    conference]. Care, Conservation and Restauration, 1997(0), pp.
    35-40).

If I remember correctly the same procedure has been applied
in Japan as well and for the same reasons.

Rene Teygeler
J.van Effenstraat 23 bis
3511 HJ Utrecht
the Netherlands
rene.teygeler [at] wxs__nl
+31 30 2322071
Fax: +31 30 2382170


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:38
                Distributed: Thursday, December 5, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-38-005
                                  ***