Home > Studio Protector > Resources > Recover After a Disaster, Salvage > How to Safely Dry Wet Documents and Art
As you begin salvaging your artwork and records, you will need to decide how to dry out the damaged items. There are four basic ways to do this. The first step, and most important to remember, is that freezing will buy you time and stabilize your collections.
Again, this all depends on your time, resources and the scope of the emergency. If you have hundreds of things that are damaged and wet, then freeze them and figure out salvage methods later. If you have 50 wet items, then air-dry them or send some things out to be frozen. This is more an art than a science.
Wrap objects in paper, wax paper, parchment paper in bundles, in zip-lock bags with paper toweling, or interleave if time permits; then place in freezer. Then proceed to one of the next three steps.
This is the most obvious and immediate way to dry almost any paper item. It’s suitable for drying relatively small numbers of damp or slightly wet materials.
If you have already frozen items, then take out a bundle or a few items and proceed as follows, knowing that it may take up to two weeks for some things to dry completely:
Air-drying requires no special equipment.
It’s extremely labor-intensive, and can require a great deal of space. That’s why it is suitable only for relatively small numbers of materials.
Salvage vendors will have access to vacuum freeze-drying facilities. This process is especially suitable for large numbers of wet books and records. It is a good way to deal with the problems that can’t be successfully air- or freeze-dried (water-soluble inks, watercolors, coated paper).
Objects/artworks must first be frozen, then placed in a vacuum chamber. Air is drawn out of the chamber, and a source of heat is introduced. The chamber is usually -20° F, and the introduced heat brings the temperature up a bit — but still well below 32°, so the artifacts remain frozen throughout the process.
The physical process known as sublimation takes place, in which ice crystals vaporize without melting. This means there is no additional wetting, swelling, stress or distortion beyond what happened before the materials were frozen.
Books and records that are slightly to extensively wet can be dried in a vacuum thermal-drying chamber. The vacuum is drawn, heat is introduced, and the materials are dried, theoretically at just above 32°. (This means the materials stay wet while they dry. This method does not sublimate ice into gas, as does vacuum freeze-drying).
This method is quick and relatively inexpensive. For large numbers of books or documents, vacuum thermal-drying is easier than air-drying.
Vacuum thermal-drying can cause enormous distortion in books. Expect them to need extensive rebinding, along with expanded shelf space. To lessen these impacts, some companies restrain books with metal plates during the drying process, and this can be quite effective. But regardless, coated papers will stick together. Water-soluble paints, inks and dyes may bleed. And heat accelerates the aging process.
As a result, this is an acceptable method of drying only for wet records that have no long-term value.