Flour

Description

A fine powder obtained from grinding grain products such as wheat, corn, rye, and rice. Flour contains starch and gluten. It will form a thick, viscous paste with boiling water that, once dried, is strong and water-insoluble. Flour paste has been used historically as a size for textiles and as an adhesive for paper, leather, parchment, ivory, and some inorganic materials. It has also been mixed with oil or glue to form an inexpensive paint binder. Flour pastes may only be removed with the aid of enzymes and are susceptible to attack by microorganisms, thus they are not in current use in conservation.

Synonyms and Related Terms

farinha (Port.); harina (Esp.); farine (Fr.); farina (It); flour paste

Resources and Citations

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• George Savage, Art and Antique Restorer's Handbook, Rockliff Publishing Corp, London, 1954