Salvaging Manuscripts & Architectural Plans

In the flood salvage, we handled a lot of delicate materials as we tried to save them. Most paper is surprisingly resilient, as we found out while treating architectural plans and manuscript papers. Salvaging water damaged papers can be a daunting task. To avoid further damage, we were especially careful while removing and separating the materials from folders, containers, or other papers.

Architectural plans:
The architectural plans we worked with came in one of two varieties: either rolled and stored in cardboard tubes, or folded. In each case, we handled them cautiously as we attempted to dry them.

When we set up the flood, we had placed one set of architectural plans stored in a cardboard tube in lake water. In this case, extracting the plans from the container was the most hazardous part of the salvage. About half of the tube was soaked, but we were able to slide the plans out, and lay them flat on blotter paper. We then used another sheet of blotter to soak up as much water as possible. The folded plans were peeled apart carefully and laid between blotters in the same fashion.

* For plans stored in cardboard tubes, assess the damage to the tube and the moisture level before removing the plans. If the plans are dry, or only slightly damp, attempt to remove them as you normally would. If the plans are still wet, or if you meet resistance, carefully cut the tube vertically, being sure not to cut the plans.

* If folded plans can be unfolded without causing further damage, unfold and flatten them slowly and gently. If not, you may need to dry them folded and humidify and flatten them after they have dried.

• On a flat surface, place plans over blotter paper. You’ll want the plans as flat as possible so as not to cause creases.
• Lay large sheets of blotter paper over plans. Gently smooth sheets in broad strokes, applying minimal pressure. 
• Remove top blotter and check plans. If still wet, reapply blotter and repeat. If ink has bled onto the blotter, do not reuse it.
• Once plans have reached an acceptable level of dryness, you can leave them between blotters until completely dry. 
• Caveat: before leaving plans, replace damp blotter paper with dry blotter. This will reduce the chances of mold growth.  Check on the plans periodically.

Rolled plans from a cardboard tube which clearly show the water line.

Flattening plans over blotter paper.

Paper manuscripts:
We put a folder of handwritten and typed pages in our flood. The typewriter ink was relatively unaffected by the flood, and if dried properly the paper would only be a bit worse for wear. Some of our documents contracted a slight case of mold, which could have been removed if the papers had been important collection material rather than experiments. We discarded the moldy paper. The hand written pages, which contained multiple varieties of ink and pencil, several of which bled,  but in most cases, they were still legible.

• Separate pages as carefully as possible. 
• If you have the room, lay the pages out on a flat surface. Another option would be to stack them with paper towels or blotter between the pages. There will most likely be ink transfer between manuscript pages. If the ink used is stable and/or the content of the pages is not critically important, blotters can be used between every three or four pages in order to save resources. Another option would be hanging the papers to air dry, however the papers would not be quite so flat when done. 
• Caveat: blotters should be monitored and changed to prevent mild growth.

Ink bleed on handwritten pages.

Stack of drying papers with blotters between every four to five pages.

The easiest way to prevent mold growth on drying papers is to monitor them often, changing the damp blotters. Good luck and happy salvaging!