capillary washing
Capillary washing -either plane or slanted- is an alternative to bathing in paper conservation, particulary useful for artefacts whose technique is water sensitive such as watercolours, but also for oversized paper artefacts.
Capillarity enables water circulation through the paper support intended to clean while avoiding dripping or leaks over the surface. It enables an effective cleaning yet keeping unaltered the water sensitive technique (gouache, watercolour, pastel or other).
Water flux is made possible by placing under the paper artefact a fabric, a paper, a synthetic tissue (like Paraprint OL60) or either semi-synthetic (Sontara). It runs faster when slanted. Water can be modified with chemical agents (such as deacidification reageants , for instance, or others).
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PEL Preservation Equipment Limited (United Kingdom) promotes one of the products they supply with examples of conservation treatments made in this studio. Watch the video describing the process of capillary washing using Paraprint OL60 here: How to wash artwork on paper with Paraprint OL60.
Find below the portfolio projects related to capillary washing:
Lecture: ‘Diving in wet treatments’ 2nd edition (IPCE).
First edition of the confernces cicle Re-Enpapelamos was held solely in-person. This year it is repeated free and on-line. ¿Which are the main benefits of bathing? ¿Do wet treatments justify the potential drawbacks involved in them? Let’s see it in five diverse artefacts, washed from least to major degree: a pencil drawing, a gouache, two hand-coloured technical drawings on tracing paper and one pastel drawing.
Map by Blaeu cartographers
Conservation of 17th c. map by Blaeu dutch cartographers, 1630 Hand coloured print with gouach and golden paint. It had kraft paper patches and discolouration caused mainly by light exposure. The conservation treatment consisted on dry cleaning, old repairs removal, wet cleaning (slanted capillary wash) and flattening.
Conservation of varnished map
Conservation of an oversized map, varnished and with a linen backing, dated 1906. Varnish removal with gels, backing removal, capillary washing, tear mending, infilling, lining, flattening, retouch, varnishing and finishing (tapes and slats on edges).
Conservation of oversized Adami drawings from Musée Jean Cocteau
Conservation of oversized casein drawings by Valerio Adami with stains caused by a flood. Slanted capillary washing, flattening, mending and conservation mounting.
Conservation of gouache and watercolour drawing on paper
Conservation of a china ink, pencil, watercolour and gouache drawing with severe discolouration due to light exposure. Dry cleaning, wash cleaning, deacidification, light bleaching, inpainting of light areas and flattening.
Workshop: Wet treatments
of Works on Paper (Köln, 2021)
Theoretical and practical sessions. When to apply wet treatments on paper, and how. From the basis of handling wet paper to more complex moisturizing, humidification and washing techniques. Fugitivity tests, types of inks and their properties, and many case studies to show conservation treatments on real artwork: manuscripts and documents, drawings, watercolours, pastels, charcoal drawings...
Conservation of cartoon drawing of a packed tram
Conservation of a china ink, pencil, watercolour and gouache drawing with severe discolouration due to light exposure. Dry cleaning, wash cleaning, deacidification, light bleaching and flattening.
Lecture ‘Diving in wet treatments’, first in-person edition (IPCE)
¿Which are the main benefits of bathing? ¿Do wet treatments justify the potential drawbacks involved in them? Let's see it in four diverese artefacts, washed from least to major degree: a pencil drawing, a gouache and two hand-coloured manuscripts.
Conservation of gouache on paper, painting by Joan Ponç
"Gran Pastoral", gouache on paper, 83 x 112 cm. The artwork was lined on a Kraft paper with tapes and synthetic adhesives. It had losses and tears, and remarkable discolouration. The paper was extremely brittle. Tape and synthetic adhesives removal. Capillary wash and light bleaching, infilling of losses, lining, inpainting (mimetic criteria in the small ones, neutral color in the bigger ones).
