Spine Re-Engineering Summer Camp

As the Dartmouth Summer Conservation and Preservation intern I have spent my time at Baker-Berry learning new techniques and building on the foundation of book repair knowledge with helpful tips and tricks gained through practical application.  Deborah and Lizzie have generously shared their insights on how they balance the demands of such an active collection which splits their time between the circulating collection, special collections, and special digitization projects.  In turn Deborah has encouraged me to share my own knowledge culled from my experiences as a student and intern.  In particular we have discussed my time spent at MIT working with Jana Dambrogio and Ayako Letizia, where I learned a technique known as "Spine Re-Engineering."

Spine re-engineering is a book conservation treatment style developed at MIT by Jana Dambrogio using thin, tengucho Japanese tissues and methylcellulose almost exclusively.  This technique builds upon a rich tradition of thin tissue repair in conservation by using the strength of Japanese tissues and

employing the flexibility of methyl-cellulose.  The tissue and methyl-cellulose are patiently layered creating a matrix which supports the original materials.

Working with Deborah, I selected a volume of Audubon prints to work some spine re-engineering magic on.  The volume's spine tube had failed leaving the front board and spine detached from the text with the leather covering holding the binding together.  I began by consolidating the spine linings with methyl-cellulose.  I then selected a piece of 10 gram tengucho long enough to extend above the head and tail, and wide enough to cover the spine area a couple of times.

 Painting the methyl-cellulose through the tissue, I began by adhering the tissue to the spine area and shoulders, folding the excess tissue at the head and tail back onto itself.  The main goal of this whole process is the add strength to the most vulnerable parts of the book structure.  Folding the long fibers of the tengucho back on itself helps to avoid tearing.
The initial layer is left to dry completely and the layering process is then repeated.  Special care is taken to concentrate on the weaker areas of the binding such as shoulders and filling cracks in linings by adhering smaller strips of tissue to these potential problem areas.  After every layer of tissue and adhesive are applied they are left to dry completely.  While this slows the process to a seeming crawl it is crucial to creating a strong attachment.

For this volume I began layering with the piece of tissue extending past the textbook shoulder and reserved the tissue extending past the board to form the hollow.  A flange of the tissue was left long at the textblock shoulder as well.

Once the spine area has been sufficiently consolidated and dried I cut a piece of silicon coated mylar to the width of the spine and taller than the textblock height by an inch or so at the head and tail.  I then continued the layering process and captured the mylar between my textblock spine and the new tissue layers.  Extra layers of tissue were added at the shoulders to ensure the strength where the action of the book takes place.  After I was satisfied with the built up layers I allowed the volume to dry completely.

More methyl-cellulose was applied to the spine and the case was lined up and closed.  Using a bone folder and the palm of my hand to avoid undue stress on the leather.  I worked the spine area to be sure the layers of tengucho underneath were able to adhere to each other completely.  Again, the volume was left to dry completely.  Once the main repair was dry, the silicone release mylar was removed and the inner hinges touched up with another layer of Japanese tissue to disguise the repair.








The final result is a book with a repair that is both strong and completely reversible.  I believe that spine re-engineering reflects the larger mission of the library and its collection by allowing access, in this case it is not merely the text but also to the physical materials of the book left intact which may provide valuable information to future conservators and book historians looking to understand more about the materials used to create these objects.

Written by Linnea Vegh