Alum rosin size

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Description

A type of acid size for paper containing a rosin-alum mixture. Starting in the 1820s, Aluminum sulfate, or papermakers alum, was added to rosin size causing it to flocculate to the cellulosic fibers in the pulp solution. However, residual alum in the paper produces an acidic environment that accelerates the degradation of paper.

Synonyms and Related Terms

alum-rosin sizing; rosin alum size

Authority

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

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