i began my six weeks by writing a condition report and treatment proposal for the posters. i then jumped in to relaxing any folds or creases (deionized water) and cleaning them using either a dry cleaning sponge or a vinyl eraser. once they were clean and flat i began mending using japanese tissue and wheat starch paste. two of the mends were in areas that would otherwise be distracting if they remained white, so i filled the mends using prismacolor colored pencils, matching the poster around it.
those that had some sort of adhesive - scotch tape, masking tape, glassine, or a lining - i removed before mending. scotch tape was removed using a hot air pencil, softening the adhesive and sliding a microspatula between the carrier and the paper. the remaining adhesive was then rolled off using a vinyl eraser. the masking tape was old enough that the carrier easily popped off by running a microspatula underneath. the adhesive had hardened on the paper, but was easily removed using acetone on a cotton swab. the glassine came off easily by applying some methylcellulose. the lining was made up of a cotton fabric attached to the poster by a heat set tissue, made of adhesive and a thin paper carrier. on the two posters that had linings, the fabric came off easily and the heat set tissue was removed by both mechanical means and through using the hot air pencil to soften the adhesive, allowing the carrier to come off.
one poster (life in the u.s. navy) was given a bath and lined using japanese tissue and wheat starch paste due to the brittle state of the paper.
now that the posters are complete they will be encapsulated in two sheets of mylar to further protect them from dirt and tears.
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