Bench setups compared for family archive work, from paper to textiles

What to take away

Four bench setups, named and compared

The flat sorting bench is the default. Blotting paper goes under the work, one tray takes what is finished and one takes what is not, and nothing else stays on the surface.

Gaylord Archival in Syracuse, New York, and University Products in Holyoke, Massachusetts, both sell unbuffered blotter sheets. Metal-edged Hollinger boxes, typically $10 to $25 each, hold the sorted stacks. A Lifetime 6 ft folding table, typically $70 to $120, carries the whole setup and folds flat against a wall.

The padded textile table is the one most households get wrong. A quilt needs the whole table and support along its length, so a rolled tube at each end keeps the weight off the seams.

An 8 ft folding table gives the length. A 4 inch polyethylene tube at each end takes the weight, and washed cotton sheeting covers the surface. Wash the sheeting first so no sizing transfers to the cloth. Testfabrics in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, sells scoured cotton by the yard.

The copy station is a bench that stops being a bench. Scanner or camera on a stand, blackout cloth to kill room light, and the lights off between shots.

An Epson Perfection V850 Pro flatbed scans prints and film at up to 6400 dpi and typically costs $1,000 to $1,300. A Kaiser RS 1 copy stand, typically $300 to $450, holds a camera for larger album pages. Rose Brand duvetyne, typically $12 to $25 a yard, is the blackout cloth.

The framed-work bench is the smallest change and the one that prevents the most damage. Ethafoam blocks at the corners, nothing hard anywhere near the frame, and a stack of backing board within reach.

Coroplast 4 mm corrugated polypropylene is the cheap, rigid stock. Rising Museum Board, a 100 percent cotton rag board sold in 4-ply and 8-ply, costs more and finishes better. Keep both near the bench.

Nothing framed leaves the bench without a backing board

The Canadian Conservation Institute's note on backing boards calls for one on every painting as a preventive measure, fitted to the auxiliary support. The board should be strong, rigid and light.

Coroplast 4 mm sheet and Rising Museum Board both meet that test. Lineco sells a museum-grade backing board cut to standard frame sizes.

Where winter air is dry, use a board with low permeability to moisture and seal it against the support. That cuts air infiltration and the humidity swings that come with it.

Marvelseal 360, an aluminum foil and polyethylene film sold by Talas in Brooklyn, New York, does that job. Lineco Frame Sealing Tape, typically $15 to $25 for a 36 yard roll, seals the board edges.

A hygroscopic layer inside the frame absorbs and releases moisture as the room changes. Art-Sorb silica gel, sold in sheets and beads by conservation suppliers, is the version that fits behind a backing board.

Glazing is what makes the board pay. Glass or acrylic sharpens the humidity protection, which matters when indoor humidity drops below 30 percent. The combination also shields the piece from day and night cycles. Depending on the glazing, board and sealing you choose, that protection runs from weeks to years.

Tru Vue Museum Glass filters up to 99 percent of UV and cuts reflection. Acrylite OP-3 acrylic filters UV at about half the weight, and carries static that can lift flakes off a soft surface. Museum glass usually costs more per square foot than UV-filtering acrylic.

Wrapping is a preservation layer, not packing material

The Canadian Conservation Institute's note on wrapping a painting treats wrapping as physical protection that also isolates an item from short-term humidity swings, whether it travels across town or ships further.

Inside a sealed wrap, organic parts such as a stretcher's wood or a canvas's linen moderate the humidity of the enclosed air, as long as the journey avoids extreme temperature swings. Add thermal insulation if transit will shift temperature by more than a few degrees. Ethafoam and Volara, both closed-cell polyethylene foams, make that layer.

Marvelseal 360 works as a sealed barrier wrap for a framed piece. Tyvek, the spunbonded polyethylene from DuPont, works as a dust and water-resistant outer layer over padding.

Two preconditions come with it. Items must be assessed as fit to travel and in good condition before wrapping, which is where a practical restoration setup earns its place. Backing boards go on before the wrap does.

Ending a session on a mixed bench

Return the bench to flat and clear every time. Anything half-done goes back in a box with a note on top. A note that lists table height, padding and board stock restores any of the four setups in about two minutes.

The evidence behind these habits is in what documented projects actually show, and handling at the surface itself is covered in the bench where accidents happen.

Common questions

What board for a backing?

A rigid, low-permeability board sealed to the frame or stretcher. Coroplast 4 mm sheet or Rising Museum Board does the job. Ordinary corrugated card is too permeable and too weak.

Does a backing board go on photographs too?

Yes. Any framed item gains from a sealed back, and dust exclusion alone justifies the cost. Board and tape for one frame typically run $10 to $30.

Can I wrap in bubble wrap?

Not against the surface. Put a smooth barrier layer down first; bubble wrap can emboss a soft surface under pressure.

How long should something stay wrapped?

As briefly as the journey allows. Wrapping is for transit, not for storage.