Lifting Knife, Thin-Blade

Description

A thin, flexible blade for lifting a pastedown, easing a spine lining or separating two sheets that have been stuck where they should not be. The steel is left thin and springy on purpose so the blade can be introduced almost parallel to the surface and worked forward under the lift, following the plane of the join rather than cutting across it. Edges are dressed but not brought to a cutting sharpness — this is a separating tool, and a sharp one will part the paper instead of the adhesive. Best used with the material slightly relaxed by controlled local humidification. The handle is flat so the tool can be held low to the bench, which is the position most lifting is done from. A conservator’s tool, and the one most often improvised badly with a palette knife.