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Whenever parchment was handled, it was done so carefully by
experienced conservators who made sure to have very clean hands.
While gloves are often worn when handling artwork and items of high
value, there are some instances when gloves can be a detriment to
safe handling because they can inhibit tactile ability and manual
dexterity. The edges of some of the Charters documents are very
fragile, and conservators often worked without gloves to ensure that
the parchment sheets were handled with the greatest care and
caution. It is sometimes hard for gloved fingers to lift an edge or
a small object. Even though gloves were not always worn when working
on the Charters documents, other techniques were used to protect
their surfaces. A small blotter square was often used as a barrier
between fingers or hands and the documents. The inked areas were
never touched with anything but a soft fine brush. And when it was
necessary to turn a document over, it was held securely between
sheets of blotter.—Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler
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