Savior For Documents/Stock Certs/Etc.: Archival Mending Tissue

Doing a search didn't bring up any discussion about this, so I thought I'd post about it in case some people aren't aware of it.

If you collect revenue documents, stock certificates, etc., especially 100-200 years old, you'll frequently encounter documents that have become brittle and split. Additionally, there are frequently issues with cut and punch cancels that make the documents susceptible to further damage in transport and handling.

You want to stabilize the document while at the same time you do not want to impact the visual presentation or introduce acid-based repair materials (tape).

I swear by Lineco's "Archival Mending Tissue". It has helped me save and resonstruct countless documents that have been in less than optimal condition. It's pH neutral and will not stain/discolor over time.

https://www.amazon.com/Lineco-58320..._top?ie=UTF8



The tape is very delicate, the name "tissue" is accurate width respect to appearance and consistency, but it is very strong.

You don't want to try and apply long lengths of the tissue, instead use multiple smaller strips; they're much easier to work with.

Most revenue documents have a particular side (or face) that you want to present or image, so you'll want to put the tissue on the back (the nonfacing side). That seems like a common sense notion, but important to reinforce.

As examples, I used it on the two documents below. On the first, the document was completely split into two pieces, so I used the mending tissue to put it back together. On the second, I used it to "fill" portions of the cut and pierce cancels back into position; you can frequently "restore" pierce cancels, as the cancel, while making a hole in the document usually didn't remove paper but pushed it to the side. If you're careful, you can frequently unfold the edges of the cancel and restore the appearance of the document.

Interesting. New product to me.

This product was recommended by Bill Weiss and is listed on the Stamp Smarter website under the article named 'How To Repair Covers'.
https://stampsmarter.org/learning/H...rCovers.html
Don

That looks like a nice product, I have several revenue documents put away due to deteriorated folds. Now I will be able to display them. I did see the topic Don mentioned on Stamp Smarter, but dont remember if it had a picture or link for purchase. Thanks for bringing it up.

It has an image of the product but I removed the link last year when it no longer worked (sadly an ongoing issue when we post commercial links, they tend to change fairly often). But Bill really liked this product and mentioned that it could be removed in the future if desired. I never tried this, has anyone ever tried removing it?
Don

I have not tried removing any from my documents.

It may seem a bit expensive at $8-10 per roll, but a 50-foot roll goes a LONG way. I'm just now getting to the end of my first roll that I bought about 3 years ago.

For those considering using it on covers, keep in mind that while it does not have a glossy/shiny surface like many standard tapes would, and disappears fairly well, I would not call it "invisible", hence my earlier recommendation of using it on the back side of documents. I'm not sure that cover collectors would deem it as perfect a solution as document collectors might.

Below are images of the back of the second document I show above, so you can see the mending tissue itself. On the first image it really isn't noticible. On the second, a 1600dpi zoomed in portion, you can see it, although it does a good job of disappearing. You can still see the document surface details under the tissue. The bioggest impact is the slight obscuring of the manuscript ink (compare the color of the portion under the tape with that not under the tape).

I'd be interested to know what the gum on the "Archival Mending Tissue" does to the document in 20 years or so.

Presumably real "archives" will have considered that. Should also remember that, in most philatelic cases, the document is of no wider historical importance - with the stamp, it's part of the entertainment for the collector.

I was introduced to this product -- or its earlier equivalent - some 25 years ago when I was working on a Masters in Library Science, in a class on book repair, which was taught by the Rare Books Librarian at the University.

I have used it since for repairs as described on fragile documents that were form my collection of US Post Office operations materials, including several Postmaster Commission documents from the 1840s, one of which was purchased in several pieces. I put it back together, then encased it in an archival quality book dust jacket cover and it looks great.

We also used rice paste and rice paper for repairs, which is recommended for really rare/valuable items but one has to mix that from scratch for each use), but for the materials I collect (usually under $100), this is a good compromise. It makes no sense to apply a $100 repair to a $10 item.

I use a bone folder (https://www.michaels.com/10242441.html) to insure the archival tape is smoothly adhered to the back of my document.

Perhaps you could post a document repair tutorial, do's and don'ts?

I've been using that tape for years...highly recommended.

Great info. Thanks to all.

Bump on this thread. Just received my first role of mending tissue. Attached are before and after pics of first attempt to fix a document, not perfect, but pretty darn good!

I have used this tape for minor repairs on items that are usually below $100 in value. Here are some pictures from a recent repair I made. In the first picture the top strip was in several pieces and I started my repair before I decided to document my progress. It took about 45 minutes to complete.

Thanks, Dan, for the tip. I have a family citizenship document from 1864 that has come apart at the folds. I think now I can finally "repair" it.