Christopher Jagers

Friday, June 15, 2007

NYC Day 4: FedEx, Wounds, and Practical Tips

One of the reasons for my trip to NYC was to fix a drawing that was shipped to a collector, but got punctured in the mail. FedEx to be specific. Even though it was properly packed, insured, and everything - FedEx didn’t give me a dime. So, here is what I learned. Don’t use FedEx.

1) They don’t insure “art,” but don’t inform of this fact, and they let you buy insurance anyway.

2) They use automated machines to push the packages through the system. These machines are what crush packages.

3) Use the United States Postal Service because all their stuff is processed by hand, resulting in less damage.

So, I started practicing weeks ago, punching holes through paper, and trying to fix them to regain their seamless surface (sexy, I know). And I finally got pretty good at it. So I showed up Sunday morning at the collectors house with all my tools.

First, I sprayed both sides of the damaged drawing with water using a normal water sprayer. Its important to wet the whole paper so it all dries evenly. The water hides creases and opens up the fibers, allowing them to re-mesh. I brought some dental tools just in case I had to manually stitch the fibers, but that was unnecessary. Next, I sprayed the Mulberry rice paper with water and applied the Nori rice paste with a credit card. This paste is PH neutral and drys completely clear. I then placed this “rice bandage” on the back of the drawing, and with the same credit card, pushed it into the damaged area. It was like magic! The two different papers melted into each other. It was like watching a wound heal itself in 3 seconds! Now, the puncture is imperceptible from the front and you can hardly see the patch from the back. Perfect. Lastly, I put paper towels over the whole thing and books on top so it would dry flat.

Well done Christopher, well done.

posted by cjagers at 04:30pm