Thank you to everyone at the Norfolk Record Office for an enjoyable 12 week internship.

My project with Antoinette looking at the differences between isinglass derived from wild-caught and aqua farmed sturgeon has gone very well.  The research limitations using equipment in the studio environment compared to my usual chemistry lab set-up were an interesting challenge, but in the end we’ve managed to answer some questions about protein adhesives, and develop some studio friendly methods for their modification.  We have written a manuscript which has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for consideration for publication.  If all goes well we’ll be able to publish a link to the article soon, but it can’t be considered for publication if we spill the beans on here first!

I’ve had an incredibly interesting time in conservation with Antoinette, Nick, and Yuki, and I’m grateful to Dylan for his photography support throughout the project.  When I haven’t been working on the project I’ve been learning about book binding and box making.  The photos below show a selection of the skills I’ve acquired during my time here.

Edward

Tensioning parchment with Antoinette

Book binding with Nick