Paste Washing

I have a question about paste washes and their effect on leather. Does paste washing help preserve leather as John Mitchell says in his book on gold tooling? Could this question be directed to one of the editors of Skin Deep?

Michele Brown Book Conservator
Preservation and Conservation
Cornell University, NY

Like so many bookbinding techniques, there are often varying opinions as to the suitability of any one particular process. Processes such as the application of leather dressing, leather dyes and of course paste washing often come under close scrutiny. As a rule, we will not offer our opinions as to the pros and cons of a particular process, since the monitoring of these procedures and the assessing of their suitability are outside of our control. However, We would welcome a discussion within the pages of Skin Deep and would be delighted to publish a letter or article on the subject of Paste Washing. Any volunteers?

- Ed