A CONDITIONING CHAMBER FOR PARCHMENT AND OTHER MATERIALS

Humidification, using a variety of methods, has been practised for many years as a way of flattening distorted parchment. But these methods have been fairly crude and not capable of fine control, leading to gross disturbance of the parchment surface. In many cases the heavy layers of pigment, gilding bole, etc., which lack parchment's rapid response to humidity changes, have cracked or even come loose. The author has designed and had built humidifying - more accurately, conditioning - cabinets that enable precise control of the rate of humidification to be achieved. Dehumidification and heating/cooling functions are also possible. The flexibility of the cabinet makes it suitable for materials other than parchment to be treated or conditioned.