Wheat Starch Glue
Table of Contents
Date and Time:
2016.April.8th, 10:30 am
Location: Chander 260Subject:
MsFr 640 Recipe:
Fol 10v
Transcription:
<head>Assiete d<m>or</m> de foeuille sur <m>parchemin</m></lb>ou <m>papier</m></head>
<ab>Fais colle d<m>amydon</m> fort clere & qui ne demonstre poinct</lb>
avoyr de corps Et en fais six ou cinq couches & sur la</lb>
derniere estant demy seiche aplique ton <m>or</m></ab>
</div>
Translation:
<head>Layer of <m>gold</m> leaf on <m>parchment</m> or <m>paper</m></head><ab>Make a very transparent <m>starch glue</m> <sup><m>colle d’amydon</m></sup> with little body. And apply six or five layers, and when the last is almost dry, apply your <m>gold</m>.</ab>
Supplemental Recipe:
From Cennino Cennini, Il Libro D'arte (translation by Lara Brocke),"How to make a batter or flour paste: Take a pipkin almost full of clear water; get it quite hot. When it is about boil, take some well-sifted flour; put it in the pipkin little by little, stirring constantly with a stick or spoon. Let it boil and do not get it too think. Take it out; put it into a porringer."
Other Sources:
University Products Instructions on making Conservation Grade Starch PasteConservation Survey on Wheat Starch Paste
Materials:
- Distilled water
- Wheat Starch Powder (from Kremer)
- Hot plate
- Wooden spoon
- Large pot
- Large Beaker
- Plastic wrap
Procedure:
- Fill pot with 500 mL distilled water and place on hot plate.
- When water boils slowly pour in 100 mL of wheat starch paste.
- Stir constantly for 10-40 minutes until the mixture smooth.
- Pour glue into beaker. Turn off hotplate. Cover with plastic wrap, label and place in fridge for up to two weeks.
Conclusions:
- Starch glue was very clumpy and of a putty-like consistency
- Although conservation recipes describe a 5:1 ratio for water to starch, the author-practitioner suggests a more liquid starch glue.