Caring for Screenprints

Date: 10 - 11 October 2012
Tutor(s): Piers Townshend
Location: Tate Britain, London
Number of participants: 12
Price: £325.00

This two day course will be run in association with Tate Britain.

Dealing with damage to screenprints is not straightforward. Prints from the 1960s are especially prone to cracking if wetted. This is why paper conservation students used to be advised not to try to treat them. Even if the ink does not crack, flattening a cockled print can be very difficult.

In this two-day course, participants will learn how to make and use solvent tents in order to replasticise brittle screenprint inks. The tents are made of Escal™ a gas proof film made for the food industry. A mix of solvents is used to saturate the atmosphere inside the tent. Once their inks are softened, the prints may be more easily washed and flattened.

It should be pointed out here that replasticisation is not a panacea. There are cases where it is not appropriate, but often a "write off" print can be rescued from the scrapheap by this method.

Prints will be provided for experimentation. Participants are encouraged to bring along examples of problem prints of their own.