"Pacific Railroad Surveys" - Stabilization/Restoration
I am seeking information about stabilization/restoration of the map volume for the Pacific Railroad Surveys.
I have collected a complete Congress set (as well as a few Senate volumes) of the Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, Volumes I-XII.
Some of the volumes are in very good shape others are not. Unfortunately, the volume in worst condition is the map volume.
I know very little about manuscript conservation/restoration and am trying to understand if the map volume can be stabilized/restored and what cost might be involved.
Many of the maps are brittle and torn; all are suffering from the poor paper used. I have read that deacidification is at least one step required.
While I am sure an accurate assessment would require examination of the manuscript, I would appreciate it if there is any advice or references you can offer to companies or persons who can competently do stabilization/restoration work on this volume it would be appreciated.
—Craig Kent
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 9:03 AM
1 Comments:
Don't know of a practical way of stabilizing the map volume of the Pacific Railroad Surveys so for our copy have to date elected not to take any drastic and irreversible action.
One could separate the maps, deacidify each, mount and reversibly laminate and/or frame each map behind UV absorbing plastic sheets. But this would destroy the original volume, come at a huge cost, and would expand a single book that can sit on the shelf into a map display that would take up an entire gallery.
Indeed a dilema.
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