After testing the damaged wax paper, it was found that there was a layer of powdery color filler between the wax paper and the paper, so it was concluded that the color of the wax paper had been dyed before waxing. After the paper base is dyed, it can not only change the appearance of the paper, but also change the internal quality of the paper.
In order to be exactly the same as the wax paper used for cultural relics, the ideal restoration effect is achieved. The researchers also sprinkled gold on the back of the colored paper substrate to show the nobility of the waxed paper.
As application paper, flatness is the most basic requirement. After supporting, dyeing and spreading gold, the upper wall of the paper base is stretched flat. According to the ancient papermaking method, the research team experimented step by step, and the texture of the paper was getting closer and closer to the original waxed paper.
Stretching is followed by calendering. Although these production procedures seem simple, they need to accumulate a lot of experience and some techniques, and even the strength is related to the quality of paper.
The choice of wax is the key. Different kinds of waxes have different crystalline states and different physical and chemical properties.
How to wax paper is also a difficult problem. If the wax is thick, you can't write. If the wax is thin, the wax layer is difficult to be uniform, which is extremely unsightly.
After repeated experiments, the researchers made the wax that matched the wax paper, and spread it evenly on the carefully made paper base.
After waxing the paper, the color is crystal clear, the feel is smooth and soft, it is not easy to get wet, and it has the function of preventing insects from eating. Among the cultural relics in the Palace Museum, there are many wax paper cultural relics, some of which have been seriously damaged and need to be repaired. The restored ancient technology has finally begun to be applied to the restoration of wax paper cultural relics, and the lost ancient technology has seen the light again.
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