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Posterland Preservation
Linen Backing and Restoration Service


About Me

Many years ago following an interesting yet unfulfilling two year course in book restoration, my love of cinema memorabilia drew me away from the written word to the intriguing art of Linen backing posters, and now five years on I can achieve high quality linen backing to a professional standard in my studio and have worked on countless posters  and advertise some of them as you  are probably well aware on Ebay.

Although I am essentially a new kid on the block (but with a lot of experience) I am delighted to be able to offer a complete linen backing service - I should say that first and foremost I am a Poster collector and have been for the past thirty years, and as such I have a pretty good understanding of how important it is to treat and handle precious paper ephemera carefully and correctly.
What I Do


First thing I do when presented with a poster for backing is to completely remove any tape and it's residue, sellotape, masking tape, gaffer tape - infact any tape you can think of has probably found it's way onto the backs and fronts of posters applied by well meaning amateur preservationists.

After the tape has been removed you are usually left with the residual stains... old yellowed sellotape is probably the worst as the glue joins in with the fibres in the paper and hardens leaving the all too familiar browny-yellow stain. Another major culptit is old' Blue Tack' the manufacturers should be shot for all the horrible oily marks left on the corners of a million posters around the world - Terrible stuff! I can generally remove or greatly reduce most stains however some can be so difficult and ingrained  that using the required solvents would result in irreversible damage to the printed inks as well, so all you are left with is to try and disguise the the offending stain with some subtle watercolor over-painting - Some biro and marker pens can also present some headaches especially if in areas of artwork.

After a check for pencil markings and other dirty marks the poster now goes into a nice bath of deionised water for several minutes to wash out acids and other impurities, then it's into another bath containing a calcium hydroxide solution to a ph of 8. This is the buffer that will protect the poster from acid deterioration for generations to come.

The poster is now just about ready for the mounting process, it is rolled completely flat which removes most folds and creases then it is glued with purified archival wheat paste and tranferred onto a pre-prepared  wooden frame which is covered with stretched loom state duck cotton and japanese Masa roll. The poster is now left to dry for about a week and then with the linen and japanese paper providing a good foundation, I can now do minor restoration such as paper infilling of small holes in the poster and touch in fold lines with reversible watercolour pencils. Every material I use is acid neutral and purchased from professional restoration suppliers. After the poster is completely dry it is cut from it's wooden stretcher and is then  ready for it's owner to display  in a frame or place into storage in the comforting  knowledge that the poster will be free from the ravages of acid attack and other impurities which were originally in the paper!
Remember

Linen backing is a reversible process which means in years to come the poster can be remounted or conserved with whatever newly discovered preservation techniques have come along
What I don't do

I cannot recreate large areas of missing and damaged artwork. Linen back 3 sheets are too large. Also some modern glossy double sided posters can be a problem owing to the papers very shallow ink absorbency so basically you could end up with  terrible smeared and flakey artwork. I do not use any acrylic paints or varnishes as an overspray and I cannot make wrecked posters look brand new - I don't think that one should even try. A friend of mine just likes his his old posters to be cleaned and deacidified mounted on to canvas leaving the missing corners, colour aging and NSS stamps intact - basically preserving the poster and all of it's history - It's all a matter of personal choice.
Prices

As mentioned on Ebay, new customers may send one British Quad or U.S. One Sheet for backing for the introductory price of £35.00 plus £8.50 p&p.

Linen Backing for a UK Quad or U.S. One Sheet is £48.00. A U.S. Half Sheet is £28.00 and for a small French or Belgian Poster it is £20.00. For any tape removal, paper infills and fold line touch-ins, I charge £10 per hour, plus an extra £8.50 to send the poster back to you in a heavy duty tube. Turnaround time is approximately three weeks, probably less! I can quote for other size posters if required!

Sending Posters to me: Wrap your posters carefully in a well padded tube, or if folded placed in a plastic bag sandwiched between two pieces of thick cardboard. Then foward to me via Recorded delivery.
How to store a Linenbacked poster

Rolled in it's tube and bag is fine - flat under piles of other posters is very good - even better, framed behind perspex hanging on a wall. Extremes of temperature, dampness and humidity should be avoided as often found in attics and cellars. and obviously strong sunlight can be damaging to artwork.

That's about it, I hope I can be of service to you and please Email me with any questions or concerns you have regarding my Linen backing service. I will be only too glad to help.

Payment

I accept Cheques, Paypal or postal orders. But you pay only after your poster has been returned to you and are happy with the work done.
Contact Details


Neil Jeffrey
Posterland Preservation
60, Highfield Road,
Ramsgate,
Kent.
CT12 6QU

Email: neiljeffrey.c@ukonline.co.uk

© 2007 Derek Boyes