Hello,
I treated the leather bloom that I encountered in a collection by gently brushing off the bloom with a soft brush. This was done in a fume hood, for my safety and for preventing the "bloom dust" from contaminating other materials. The gentle brushing shouldn't impact the surface of the binding.
Best, Barbara Adams Hebard
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Barbara Adams Hebard
Conservator
Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-12-2024 13:27
From: Gillian Boal
Subject: Leather bloom
Please could you tell me the latest practice for removing leather bloom on books. At the moment l am removing the white bloom by polishing with a cloth, but l can still feel the waxy dressing. Feels like l have not removed much, only the bloom, and consequently have polished the binding! What are your thoughts? What chemicals are people using?
Should l use an alcohol wipe, would that work?
Thanks for your help.
Gillian Boal, Conservator,
UCB law library, Berkeley.