My documents and book pages are torn. What archival and safe material can I use to repair the damage?
Conservators use cooked purified starch pastes and food-grade cellulose ethers applied to good quality, long-fiber, thin papers for repairing tears. These adhesives contain moisture that can expand papers or bleed inks so care must be taken not to damage the original while mending. Modern synthetic adhesives are sometimes used, chosen by project and adhesive characteristic. Single items can be stored in sleeves of polyester terephthalate without plasticizers and coatings (MYLAR Type D™, Melinex 516™) to keep torn materials together if mending is not possible.
