Tudhope Conservation Studio - Conservation Services

Materials Treated -
Treatment services are available for any item with a primary support of paper or parchment as well as photographic materials (paper, plastic, glass or metal supports), oriental screens/scrolls, and ivory miniatures.

Types of Treatments -
Procedures available range from re-housing to stabilization of fragile materials. The treatment is always tailored to the needs of both the client and the object.

Common Treatments

mechanical and aqueous cleaning of paper
repair of tears
replacement of missing areas with new paper
lining
humidification and flattening
backing removal
toning/inpainting of losses
encapsulation or construction of other
specialized housing

Mechanical removal of an acidic backing board

Questions/Contact -
Visit our Q&A pages for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. For additional questions contact us by telephone or e-mail. We are happy to answer any request about the preservation or conservation of paper or photographs. There are no stupid questions! But please don't ask us how to fix your artwork at home. We can tell you what you can do to preserve your piece but not how to treat it for the following reasons:

There are many different ways to treat the same problem and without examining the artwork it is difficult to know the best treatment method for the piece
Conservators are highly trained professionals who have the proper equipment, materials and skills required to carry out treatments correctly
We can not be responsible for your errors if you treat a piece yourself
Not to mention this is how we make our living

Consultations -
Once we have an idea of the type of piece and its problems we will arrange with you to view the piece in person. This viewing allows us to better understand the problems, let you know what they are and what the remedies might be. Sometimes we can give a ballpark estimate for treatment but most often this requires an examination.

Consultations to view the art work in person are carried out in one of the following manners:

Arrange an appointment time to bring the piece to the studio for a free 10 minute consultation.
Arrange to have a conservator come to your location. Mileage travel time and an examination fee will be charged.
Ship the piece to the studio for consultation. The consultation will take place either by phone or e-mail. Return shipping, insurance, and packing fees will be charged.

Examination/Estimates -
As part of the American Institute For Conservations code of ethics and guidelines for practice an examination is required prior to the treatment of any piece that enters the studio for conservation. This procedure allows the conservator to:

Better understand the structure of the piece (what and how it was made)
Document the pieces condition
Carry out tests to determine what treatments would be affective (e.g. solubility of adhesives or stains)
Determine an accurate treatment plan
Determine an accurate estimate of cost

Estimates may be broken down into a series of treatment options that can be chosen in place of or in addition to other options.

Options allow clients on limited budgets to preserve an art work today and worry about cosmetic treatments in the future
Options allow clients to consider treatments that are beneficial to the art work but were not necessarily the reason the piece was brought to the studio initially
Compare services and/or costs (e.g. for conservation reframing verses new framing)

Documentation/Treatment -
All treatments are documented with digital photographs and written reports. One copy of the written report and images are provided upon completion of the treatment. Treatment costs include color laser prints on 8½" x 11" paper. Traditional color or black & white print film, color slide film or photographic prints from a digital file, and files on cd can be provided for an additional fee.

Treatment is typically carried out in the conservation studio however occasionally the conservator may work on-site. Length of time for the treatment completion is dependent on the conservators backlog of work. Most successful conservation studios will have waits of anywhere from one to six months.