Chinanews client, Beijing, October 30th (Reporter Shangguanyun) The faded photos carry the memories of the past; the mottled case files leave the mark of history... Recently, the feature film "Rebirth of Archives" And "The Restorer of Time" has received widespread attention.
A few days ago, the reporter learned through interviews that in Beijing Archives, in addition to the restoration of old photos, there are also many works related to the restoration of archives, such as paper file restoration, scientific research training, etc., which are interconnected with each other, making many old archives. It was able to regain its brilliance, linking up stories about time.
Rolls of old archives were restored in their skillful hands.
Photo courtesy of Beijing Archives
"Doctor" who treats paper
What kind of experience is it after many years of file restoration work?
For Xi Hongying, the answer is "be patient and sit still."
It is reported that 39 years have passed since she came into contact with this file restoration work.
Before file restoration, some preliminary preparations are required.
However, to repair a page of files by hand, you will usually go through more than ten processes, such as brushes, watering cans, brown brushes... it seems ordinary, but here is a professional repair tool, which tests the skill at hand.
"Now the technique of hand-repairing archives is basically derived from our traditional painting and calligraphy mounting skills. Simply put, we are an'archive' hospital, and the restorers are the'doctors' who treat papers." Xi Hongying said metaphorically.
After taking a file, the first thing to do is to check the page number.
After confirming that it is correct, unroll the file and clean the file first.
The "condition" of each volume is different, and the "prescription" for restoration is also different.
"For example, the file may have dust, mildew, and then there is a hole on this page, and the two pages are glued together..." Xi Hongying cites one of the problems as an example, "If there is a hole, spray the paper with water first. Flatten and fill the hole."
After the file is repaired, it must be deacidified.
Xi Hongying said that at present they are still doing manual deacidification to restore the files. They took a small watering can and sprayed the deacidification liquid evenly on the archives, and finally ordered the opened files.
Difficulty of repairing paper files
The process of repairing paper files may seem simple, but in actual operation, it often takes a lot of thought and energy.
Some old photos and simulations made using digital technology.
Photo courtesy of Beijing Archives
"If two pages are stuck together, we need to use water to'stuff' them so that they can be uncovered." This process may take three minutes, or it may take five minutes or more.
Xi Hongying said, judging whether "boring" is enough, at present mainly depends on experience, "One is to look at the color, the other is to have a feel."
Those files that are stuck or damaged are even more troublesome.
Xi Hongying showed a volume of archives to be restored, "This is called the'archive brick'. Now analysis shows that it must have been damp, and coupled with the long time, it has become a brick-like archive and cannot be opened."
In this case, fumigation is generally used to separate the paper sheets.
Some files still have metal rust marks left by the original binding, and they need to be repaired one by one.
There is a “paper wall” in the place where the archives of the Beijing Archives are restored. The files that are particularly damaged are required to be “mounted” after being repaired. The “adhesive” used when mounting the wall is to remove the gluten. Made from pure flour, follow the principle of reversibility.
In addition, some files need to fill holes, and the supplement paper used is also prepared in advance.
"That's all handmade rice paper-bamboo paper, thin and strong. Of course, when it comes to repairing, the thickness of the patch should be determined by the thickness of the archive paper."
"Now we are repairing the file, we still have to leave the image, what before the repair? What is the situation after the repair? The file for the repaired file is formed." In Xi Hongying's view, this work is also very meaningful. In the future, repair the file The process will be "very traceable."
"Repair" old memories in light and shadow
In addition to paper files, old audio tapes, video tapes, or photos can be restored to their brilliance.
Data map: In the previous event held at the Beijing Archives, the "Old Photo Restoration" attracted many people.
Photo courtesy of Beijing Archives
According to reports, in August 2019, the Beijing Municipal Archives established a regional national key archives protection center with seven sub-centers. Among them, Shi Guoguo is the head of the audio and video archives protection center.
"The restoration of some audiovisual archives probably involves issues such as color and exposure." Shi Guoguo introduced that the audiovisual restoration of archives cannot be handled like commercial film restoration, but the historical age of the archives.
"From another point of view, it is by solving the problem of carrier dependence of audio and video archives to achieve the protection of audio and video files." He gave an example of collecting archive audio and video resources on different carriers through different equipment and converting them into data streaming media. form.
For example, the Beijing Archives still has steel wire belts dating back to the 1950s, and special players. Using technical means to repair and convert recordings on steel wire belts and other media can bring great benefits to storage and management. Great convenience.
For the specific restoration of old photos, Jing Tao, the person in charge of the Photo Archives Protection Center, said that the current photo restoration is relatively complicated, and the main thing is to digitally restore the image. In the future, we will restore the original photos.
What is a "repairer of time"?
If you look at it as a whole, archive restoration has never been isolated.
Some restored archives should also play their due role, such as display or for readers to consult... This also involves the follow-up protection of archives, technical research, and simulation copying.
Just after the establishment of the aforementioned regional national key archives protection center, the purchase of a batch of new equipment gave Xi Hongying and colleagues more confidence.
However, although the efficiency of the machine is high, it is not perfect.
They are planning how to combine handwork and technology to serve archive restoration together.
"After the establishment of the protection center, the work of archives protection can be improved one step further. I think our purpose is to provide good service, through restoration and protection of archives, let history speak, let historical facts speak." In the view of Xi Hongying and colleagues, so , Can be regarded as a "time repairer."
(Finish)