Drawing Conservation Laboratory

The drawing conservation laboratory exists in the State Russian Museum since 1955. Primary meaning is attached to preventive conservation of monument paper ground. First of all these are series of measures eliminating unhealthy environmental influence and stabilizing further paper indices: acidity, close to neutral, stability of mechanical impact, constant whiteness.

Conservation and drawing conservation principles worked out in the I.E.Grabar Moscow Conservation Center are the foundation for the drawing conservation department of the State Russian Museum. Thus museum conservators traditionally approach a question of removing surface grimes from paper. This operation raises exhibit resistibility to destroying process and brings an exhibit nearer to its primal look.    

Yellowed paper should be also cleaned. To a certain extent the defect could be removed by simple washing in distilled water. If there are dyes that are unstable to moisture the washing could be conducted without immersion - just being carried out on the sheets of moistened filter paper. Experience of work shows that the more yellowed the paper, the worse the products of oxidation there should be taken out. For this purpose there could be used method of chemical processing of graphic works with weak solution of chloramine "B". Having no influence on paper structure bleaching with chloramine "B" allows not only to remove oxidation products but also to give it constant whiteness and returns to the work its primary look.