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Abstract Accelerated ageing is an often-used tool in conservation research, yet difficult to apply to parchment due to the materials inherent heat sensitivity. The complexity of this organic material makes the analysis of its deterioration especially challenging. An attempt to develop a non-heat ageing protocol for parchment is described in this paper. The work was performed within the scope of a MA-thesis at the State Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart. Samples of a modern new limed goat parchment and pieces of reconstituted parchment made from bovine hide powder were subjected to a combination of light ageing and dynamic ageing at moderate temperatures. All samples were analysed with the goal to observe degradation on as many structural levels as possible: colour measurement via VIS spectrometry and light-microscopic observation of fibre damage were employed to assess visible changes. Shrinkage temperature (Ts) was measured as an indicator for the amount of intact intrafibrillar bonds and the determination of the maximum moisture absorption capacity gave an impression on the parchments overall level of hygroscopy. In addition, PMF (Peptid Mass Fingerprinting) via MALDI/MS TOF was performed on extracts from unaged and light aged goat parchment. The results of the different types of analysis showed significant degradation on different structural levels of the parchment, indicating that accelerated ageing of parchment that uses a combination of light and dynamic ageing may be a viable alternative to the more commonly applied thermal ageing.

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Abstract Paper documents with severe iron gall ink corrosion are difficult to handle. While a defined treatment for the chemical stabilisation exists already, methods to improve the mechanical stabilisation have yet to be developed. The degradation of the selected objects was so advanced that the documents needed special attention concerning handling and mechanical re-enforcement. After a calciumphytate-calciumhydrogen treatment, documents were lined with light weight Japanese paper and gelatine. A workflow for treating severely degraded iron gall ink documents was developed. Since the removal of objects from the silk screen frames after the wet treatment proved to be too difficult, a PE-board was introduced as an alternative washing support. Most synthetic fleeces such as Hollytex or Paraprint adhere to its granulated surface by mechanical means. This makes PE-board a practical support during any wet treatment of paper-based objects.

Novel approaches for reconstituted parchment from solely collagenous material are presented. The advantages and disadvantages of this infill technique are named, existing recipes which exclusively use collagenous material are analysed and modified. In a series of experiments, the possibilities to decrease or replace formaldehyde in existing recipes are explored and physical properties are investigated. As a result, two new recipes for reconstituted parchment are developed: the first one with a decreased amount of formaldehyde, the second one with potassium aluminium sulphate instead of formaldehyde. Their haptic and visual qualities are compared.