{"id":8076,"date":"2014-05-16T01:00:06","date_gmt":"2014-05-16T05:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/?p=8076"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:10:10","slug":"conservation-conversations-lascaux-498","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/16\/conservation-conversations-lascaux-498\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Lascaux 498"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve worked in a lot of library conservation labs throughout my training and when I was finally looking for a \u201creal\u201d job I thought I knew more or less what kind of supplies and tools were out there. But then almost two years ago I became the book conservator at a paper restoration company and I suddenly learned about all these new things I had never heard about before. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s because paper people just use different techniques, or it\u2019s just how my coworkers learned to do things, but I\u2019ve discovered a lot of new things over the past two years! Over the next few weeks I thought I\u2019d share some of the new products I\u2019ve encountered at this job, and maybe you\u2019ll learn something new as well!<\/p>\n

The first new thing I encountered on my first day was Lascaux 498 HV. I\u2019d seen it in a few conservation labs before, but it was always used as one of those \u201cextra\u201d adhesives that you\u2019d only take out on rare occasions when you\u2019d run out of all other options. But we love it and use it all the time!<\/p>\n

\"photo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lascaux looks a lot like PVA, except thicker. You can use it like PVA too, as a wet adhesive, but the fantastic thing about Lascaux is that you can use it as a heat-activated, reversible, dry adhesive.<\/p>\n

We make our own heat-activated mending paper by covering one side of a sheet of tissue with Lascaux and allowing it to dry. If you\u2019re using a thin tissue note that some of the Lascaux is going to bleed through to the other side and cause the sheet to glue itself to whatever it\u2019s drying on! To avoid this, move your glued up tissue onto a piece of silicone release, a drying rack, or hang it up to dry. When the tissue is dry, cut into strips. You now have your very own heat activated tissue!!<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>Gluing up some tear strips<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>Cutting strips after drying<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>Heat activated mending strips!<\/p>\n

While it works in the same way as Crompton\u2019s Tissue, that being you cut a piece out and then adhere it with a tacking iron, making your own heat-activated tissue gives you a lot more versatility. You can use any tissue weight or color, and sometimes we paint up whole sheets of paper if we need to back a brittle print.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>Even after drying the strips remain slightly tacky, so store them away from dust and dirt.\u00a0 I suggest a Disney-themed ziploc bag.<\/p>\n

Lascaux is both heat and alcohol activated, that means if your tacking iron dies you can use a bit of isopropyl to activate the adhesive on your strips, and you can also use alcohol to remove anything you\u2019ve already stuck down. You can also remove any tissue by activating the adhesive with a little bit of heat from your tacking iron.<\/p>\n

This adhesive is especially helpful for use with water-soluble pigments. If you have something that is very fugitive or very prone to tide lines, repairing or backing something with wheat starch paste can cause real problems or even permanent damage. Since Lascaux is a dry process there is no risk to pigments, and any mends or backings that are applied can be removed with heat or in an alcohol bath.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve painted up both sides of the tissue and used it as a kind of archival\/reversible double-sided tape. I just finished repairing a scrapbook \u2013 I reinserted everything into a new book with my double sided Lascaux pieces and I didn\u2019t have to worry about the pages cockling with moisture, and if I messed anything up they were easy to pop off and re apply.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure there are lots of different applications for Lascaux, but this is how we use it where I work. If you want to give Lascaux a try, make sure to use Lascaux 498 HV, there are lots of different Lascaux out there, but this is the kind to use to make mending strips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve worked in a lot of library conservation labs throughout my training and when I was finally looking for a \u201creal\u201d job I thought I knew more or less what kind of supplies and tools were out there. But then almost two years ago I became the book conservator at a paper restoration company and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1353],"tags":[1495,1884,1497,1496],"class_list":["post-8076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservation","tag-becky-koch","tag-conservation","tag-lascaux","tag-paper-mends"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Btis-26g","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8214,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/28\/conservation-conversations-beva-371-film\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":0},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ BEVA 371 film","author":"Becky Koch","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"One product we\u2019ve started using in the studio on a regular basis is BEVA 371 film. BEVA is a type of liquid adhesive used mostly in paintings conservation, but it can also be purchased as a thin sheet of film used to back items to paper or board. BEVA is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conservation"","block_context":{"text":"conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"These photos have been attached to the BEVA film but the Mylar backing hasn't been removed yet. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Engert-DSCF7767-300x224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Engert-DSCF7767-300x224.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Engert-DSCF7767-300x224.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9525,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/22\/conservation-conversations-adhesive-pre-coated-repair-materials\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":1},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Adhesive Pre-Coated Repair Materials","author":"Athena Moore","date":"April 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Mending tears is a treatment that book and paper conservators utilize\u00a0nearly every day.\u00a0\u00a0For this reason, wheat starch paste is one of our best friends at the bench - a dependable go-to, especially when paired with an appropriate eastern paper. Unfortunately, this reliable standard\u00a0is is not always an option - the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conservation"","block_context":{"text":"conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_86231.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_86231.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_86231.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/IMG_86231.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7915,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/01\/conservation-conversations-book-conserva-binder\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":2},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Book Conserva-Binder","author":"Athena Moore","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been asked before whether I consider myself a book conservator or a bookbinder, or whether I consider myself to be one or the other first. While I don't think you need to be both to be either, I find that for me the two are inextricably linked.\u00a0When I started\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conservation"","block_context":{"text":"conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c6d18df0acbb11e397651270abe28de5_8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c6d18df0acbb11e397651270abe28de5_8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c6d18df0acbb11e397651270abe28de5_8.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/c6d18df0acbb11e397651270abe28de5_8.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8781,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/15\/conservation-conversations-another-look-at-su-su\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":3},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Another Look at Su-Su","author":"Erin Fletcher","date":"November 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this year, as part of the Conservation Conversations column, Lauren Schott wrote an article on su-su, which highlighted the steps to creating this alternative matter for toning materials as part of the conservation treatment. Also referred to as paper dirt or paper extract, I was first introduced to this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conservation"","block_context":{"text":"conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9855,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/28\/conservation-conversations-japanese-papers-and-tissues\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":4},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Japanese Papers and Tissues","author":"Becky Koch","date":"July 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Japanese papers and tissues are used extensively in book and paper conservation; they are used to mend tears, fill losses, back or line weak or brittle papers, line spines and perform innumerable other conservation repairs. These papers originated in Japan (as I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve guessed) and are mostly made from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conservation"","block_context":{"text":"conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_3687.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_3687.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_3687.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/IMG_3687.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8138,"url":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/06\/conservation-conversations-removing-tape-with-an-air-pencil\/","url_meta":{"origin":8076,"position":5},"title":"Conservation Conversations \/\/ Removing Tape with an Air Pencil","author":"Becky Koch","date":"June 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"For those of you that don\u2019t know, tape is bad for paper and books! Tape eventually stains paper it comes in contact with (the length of time it takes to do this depends on the type of tape and environmental conditions), and the vast majority of the time this staining\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bookbinding"","block_context":{"text":"bookbinding","link":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/category\/bookbinding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC09749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC09749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC09749.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8076"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8090,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8076\/revisions\/8090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.herringbonebindery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}