Loew Heat-Set Tissue

PHOTOGRAPHED ON BLACK AND WHITE BACKGROUND  Book and paper conservator Steven Loew conceived and produced Loew Heat-Set Tissue with efficiency in mind. William Minter has recently taken over the production of this heat set tissue. This pre-coated mending tissue is comprised of a mix of Lascaux 498 and 303 HV adhesives and water applied by hand to 5 gsm tengucho (NAJ Toned Tengucho or white MMN-1 Tengucho 5g) on a silicone coated PET release liner. The need to apply wet adhesives to very thin and delicate Tengucho tissues makes the fabrication of heat-set tissue in the lab or studio a labor intensive process with a steep learning curve. With the advent of the Loew Heat-Set Tissue, labs and studios everywhere will be able to save time and material loss on projects that require a thin, translucent pre-coated mending tissue.  SIZE: 8.5"x 11" Weight: 5gsm (Tengucho) Colors: NAJ Toned and White PRICE: $22 per sheet Instructions for use: Use a sharp blade with light pressure to cut the heat-set tissue into strips to peel off the silicone coated polyester film carrier with a tweezers. Position the tissue shiny side down onto the substrate and press into place with your finger. Mends will stay in place until ready to be set with heat or solvent. Activate with ~ 120 C heat and slight pressure through a barrier of silicone release paper for 2-5 seconds. If still frosty or shiny in appearance, try increasing to 125 C or increasing dwell time with your tacking iron. We recommend placing a Plexiglas square or other light weight on top of the mend while it is cooling down to assure a good bond. Loew Heat-Set Tissue may also be activated with ethanol or isopropanol applied directly on top of a positioned mend with a cotton swab, or brushed onto the adhesive side of tissue strip before applying it to the substrate and adhering with light pressure through polyester webbing. Cover with polyester webbing and blotter; weight until dry. Try using 5 x 5 mm bits of the heat-set tissue as temporary bridge mends on the recto to line up torn text before applying full mends to the verso. Peel off the temporary mends with a tweezers and then set the mends on the verso with heat or solvent. All pictures provided by Steven Loew.