Paper Identification 101 Nic Butler Ph D Charleston
Paper Identification 101 Nic Butler, Ph. D. Charleston County Public Library Special Collections
What is Paper?
What is Paper? • Paper = a thin mat of intertwining fibers
What is Paper? • Paper = a thin mat of intertwining fibers • Typically made from vegetable fibers composed of cellulose
What is Paper? • Paper = a thin mat of intertwining fibers • Typically made from vegetable fibers composed of cellulose • Paper begins as a fibrous pulp separated from wood, cotton, grass, etc. , by a mechanical or chemical or process
What is Paper? • Paper = a thin mat of intertwining fibers • Typically made from vegetable fibers composed of cellulose • Paper begins as a fibrous pulp separated from wood, cotton, grass, etc. , by a mechanical or chemical process • Paper is an organic substance that breaks down over time and can become weak, brittle, and discolored
Outline • Handmade Paper • Machine-made Paper • Blue Paper • Newspaper • “Acidic” Paper • Kraft Paper • Ph Testing • Shameless Self-Promotion
Handmade Paper
Screening Pulp from a Vat
Drying sheets of paper
Laid Paper
Laid Paper • Made one sheet at a time in a frame or mould
Laid Paper • Made one sheet at a time in a frame or mould • Laid lines = Closely-spaced parallel lines formed by rows of metal wires in the mould
Laid Paper • Made one sheet at a time in a frame or mould • Laid lines = Closely-spaced parallel lines formed by rows of metal wires in the mould • Chain lines = Bolder parallel lines about one to two inches apart formed by thicker wires that secure the laid wires to the mould
Laid Paper • Made one sheet at a time in a frame or mould • Laid lines = Closely-spaced parallel lines formed by rows of metal wires in the mould • Chain lines = Bolder parallel lines about one to two inches apart formed by thicker wires that secure the laid wires to the mould • Watermark = Distinguishable letter, image, or symbol incorporated into paper during the manufacturing process
Laid Paper • Made one sheet at a time in a frame or mould • Laid lines = Closely-spaced parallel lines formed by rows of metal wires in the mould • Chain lines = Bolder parallel lines about one to two inches apart formed by thicker wires that secure the laid wires to the mould • Watermark = Distinguishable letter, image, or symbol incorporated into paper during the manufacturing process • Grain is parallel to the chain lines
A Paper Mould
A Paper Mould Laid Lines
A Paper Mould Laid Lines Chain Line
A Paper Mould Laid Lines Water Mark Chain Line
Viewing a watermark
Watermark designs
1742 English Book
1742 English Book
1742 Book: laid & chain lines
1742 Book: watermark
Machine-Made Paper
Fourdrinier Machine
Fourdrinier Machine • 1798: continuous paper-making machine developed in France
Fourdrinier Machine • 1798: continuous paper-making machine developed in France • 1804– 7: first machines built in England
Fourdrinier Machine • 1798: continuous paper-making machine developed in France • 1804– 7: first machines built in England • 1817: machine imitated in U. S.
Fourdrinier Machine • 1798: continuous paper-making machine developed in France • 1804– 7: first machines built in England • 1817: machine imitated in U. S. • 1827: first true Fourdrinier machine in U. S.
Fourdrinier Machine • 1798: continuous paper-making machine developed in France • 1804– 7: first machines built in England • 1817: machine imitated in U. S. • 1827: first true Fourdrinier machine in U. S. • Basis of modern papermaking machines
Fourdrinier Machine, 1850 s
Fourdrinier Machine, early 1900 s
Rolls of modern paper
Wove Paper
Wove Paper • All machine-made paper is wove paper
Wove Paper • All machine-made paper is wove paper • Pulp is poured or sprayed onto a continuous wire mesh conveyor mounted on rollers
Wove Paper • All machine-made paper is wove paper • Pulp is poured or sprayed onto a continuous wire mesh conveyor mounted on rollers • Uniform wire mesh creates even density
Wove Paper • All machine-made paper is wove paper • Pulp is poured or sprayed onto a continuous wire mesh conveyor mounted on rollers • Uniform wire mesh creates even density • Watermark can be created by using a “dandy roll” (with a soldered wire pattern)
Wove Paper • All machine-made paper is wove paper • Pulp is poured or sprayed onto a continuous wire mesh conveyor mounted on rollers • Uniform wire mesh creates even density • Watermark can be created by using a “dandy roll” (with a soldered wire pattern) • Grain is harder to determine, but is usually parallel to the length of the sheet
1816 Wove Paper
1817 Laid Paper
“Dandy Roll” Creates a watermark on wove paper
Wove Paper Watermark (1823)
Wove Paper Watermark (1823)
Wove Paper Watermark (1823)
Blue Paper
Early Blue Paper
Early Blue Paper • Venetian Blue (15 th– 16 th centuries)
Early Blue Paper • Venetian Blue (15 th– 16 th centuries) • Bleue Hollande (17 th– 18 th centuries)
Early Blue Paper • Venetian Blue (15 th– 16 th centuries) • Bleue Hollande (17 th– 18 th centuries) • Prussian Blue dye introduced in early 1700 s
Early Blue Paper • Venetian Blue (15 th– 16 th centuries) • Bleue Hollande (17 th– 18 th centuries) • Prussian Blue dye introduced in early 1700 s • Indigo: most widespread dye in textile and paper production
Early Blue Paper • Venetian Blue (15 th– 16 th centuries) • Bleue Hollande (17 th– 18 th centuries) • Prussian Blue dye introduced in early 1700 s • Indigo: most widespread dye in textile and paper production – Insoluble in water, so it requires chemical additives like urine to break down – Indigo dye not suited to mass production of textiles
1742 English Book. . .
. . . was bound with Blue Laid Paper
1742 Blue Laid Paper (detail)
19 th Century Blue Paper
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s • Recycling of Levi Strauss’s denim jeans?
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s • Recycling of Levi Strauss’s denim jeans? – No, Levi’s denim introduced in the 1870 s
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s • Recycling of Levi Strauss’s denim jeans? – No, Levi’s denim introduced in the 1870 s • 1828: Discovery of synthetic urea in Germany
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s • Recycling of Levi Strauss’s denim jeans? – No, Levi’s denim introduced in the 1870 s • 1828: Discovery of synthetic urea in Germany • 1830 s: Use of indigo in the textile industry expands rapidly
19 th Century Blue Paper • Spike in U. S. production, 1840 s– 1860 s • Recycling of Levi Strauss’s denim jeans? – No, Levi’s denim introduced in the 1870 s • 1828: Discovery of synthetic urea in Germany • 1830 s: Use of indigo in the textile industry expands rapidly • 1840 s: Recycled indigo rags become paper
1854 Blue Laid Paper
1854 Blue Wove Paper
Newspaper
Newspaper
Newspaper • 17 th & 18 th century: Newspapers printed in limited numbers on hand-made laid paper
Newspaper • 17 th & 18 th century: Newspapers printed in limited numbers on hand-made laid paper • 1810 s: European machine-made paper enables newspapers to be printed cheaply in larger quantities
Newspaper • 17 th & 18 th century: Newspapers printed in limited numbers on hand-made laid paper • 1810 s: European machine-made paper enables newspapers to be printed cheaply in larger quantities • 1850 s: newspapers still +-100% rag content
Newspaper • 17 th & 18 th century: Newspapers printed in limited numbers on hand-made laid paper • 1810 s: European machine-made paper enables newspapers to be printed cheaply in larger quantities • 1850 s: newspapers still +-100% rag content • 1880 s: wood pulp largely replaces cotton pulp
1818 N. Y. Evening Post Printed on cotton rag wove paper
1830 New York Mirror Printed on cotton rag wove paper
“Acidic” Paper
Increasing Acidity of Paper
Increasing Acidity of Paper • 1840 s: Mechanical wood pulping machines developed in Germany
Increasing Acidity of Paper • 1840 s: Mechanical wood pulping machines developed in Germany • 1867: Use of calcium bisulfite to chemically pulp wood patented in the U. S.
Increasing Acidity of Paper • 1840 s: Mechanical wood pulping machines developed in Germany • 1867: Use of calcium bisulfite to chemically pulp wood patented in the U. S. • 1874: First commercial sulfite pulping mill built in Sweden
Increasing Acidity of Paper • 1840 s: Mechanical wood pulping machines developed in Germany • 1867: Use of calcium bisulfite to chemically pulp wood patented in the U. S. • 1874: First commercial sulfite pulping mill built in Sweden – Dominant method of pulping wood into the 1930 s – Results in a paper with high acid content
1864 Confederate newsprint
1864 Confederate newsprint Made with inferior materials (probably a combination of cotton rag and wood pulp)
1859 Charleston Directory contains acidic paper…
… and some alkaline paper. . .
… and some acidic color adverts …
… and an advert for paper …
Note the variety of laid and wove paper
1914 Acidic Paper
1931 acidic French paper
Kraft Paper
Kraft Process
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength)
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength) • 1890: First Kraft pulp mill built in Sweden
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength) • 1890: First Kraft pulp mill built in Sweden • Uses sodium sulfide to chemically break down wood chips into paper pulp
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength) • 1890: First Kraft pulp mill built in Sweden • Uses sodium sulfide to chemically break down wood chips into paper pulp • Produces stronger paper with less lignin than the sulfite process--less likely to discolor
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength) • 1890: First Kraft pulp mill built in Sweden • Uses sodium sulfide to chemically break down wood chips into paper pulp • Produces stronger paper with less lignin than the sulfite process--less likely to discolor • By 1940 is dominant method of pulping wood
Kraft Process • 1879: Invented in Germany (Kraft = strength) • 1890: First Kraft pulp mill built in Sweden • Uses sodium sulfide to chemically break down wood chips into paper pulp • Produces stronger paper with less lignin than the sulfite process--less likely to discolor • By 1940 is dominant method of pulping wood • Well suited to pulping resinous wood like pine
Ph Testing
Ph Testing Pens Results are often difficult to interpret
Ph Testing Kit Use with clean, Ph neutral, distilled water
1799 Document
1799 document = Acidic
Two 1801 documents
Two 1801 documents The chemical make up and storage history of each document has produced different aging characteristics
100% Rag Paper Doesn’t necessarily mean Acid-Free!
Why Does Paper Break Down?
Why Does Paper Break Down? • Acids present in 18 th century paper, too
Why Does Paper Break Down? • Acids present in 18 th century paper, too • Lignin (an organic polymer) present in old papers, too, but more common in wood pulp paper
Why Does Paper Break Down? • Acids present in 18 th century paper, too • Lignin (an organic polymer) present in old papers, too, but more common in wood pulp paper • Conservators now think it’s the sizing
Sizing Agents
Sizing Agents • Size: substance applied to paper to control its absorbency and/or to smooth its finish
Sizing Agents • Size: substance applied to paper to control its absorbency and/or to smooth its finish – Hard sized paper = writing paper – Weak sized paper = newsprint – Unsized paper = blotter paper
Sizing Agents • Size: substance applied to paper to control its absorbency and/or to smooth its finish – Hard sized paper = writing paper – Weak sized paper = newsprint – Unsized paper = blotter paper • Gelatin (animal) sizing used for centuries
Sizing Agents • Size: substance applied to paper to control its absorbency and/or to smooth its finish – Hard sized paper = writing paper – Weak sized paper = newsprint; – Unsized paper = blotter paper • Gelatin (animal) sizing used for centuries • Rosin sizing introduced in 1820 s
Sizing Agents • Size: substance applied to paper to control its absorbency and/or to smooth its finish – Hard sized paper = writing paper – Weak sized paper = newsprint; – Unsized paper = blotter paper • Gelatin (animal) sizing used for centuries • Rosin sizing introduced in 1820 s • Alum (acidic) sizing introduced in 1870 s
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