The conservators packaged the tablets carefully and kept them in refrigerated storage to reduce the risk of further decay whilst a suitable treatment was worked out.
The tablets consisted of eight separate pieces of boxwood, approximately 30mm x 50mm in size and only 1.5mm thick. They were not bound like a book, but stacked together in a block and held in a 'wrap-around' leather case. The writing had been scribed into smooth wax surfaces held in recesses in each tablet. The top and bottom tablets in the stack had a layer of wax on the inner surfaces only, like the outer covers of a book, whilst the other six had wax on both sides. This meant there were fourteen tiny surfaces which could be written on.
Although the first tablet was separated from the rest when the leather case fell open on site, the other seven were firmly attached to each other. The wax, although wet, was very brittle and no longer well attached to the wood, which was soft and fragile. The calfskin leather wrapper was decorated with an incised oak leaf design.
After much deliberation and consultation with other conservation specialists, it was decided to attempt separation of the tablets prior to stabilisation. Although the computer tomograms were very useful, it would not be possible to read the hidden text unless the tablets were separated. A new technique developed for separating the tablets was based on the use of Melinex® (a thin, smooth polyester sheet), steady hands and a lot of nerve. The process of separating the tablets was a success, and the next challenge the conservators faced was how to stabilise the wood without damaging the fragile wax.
While the wood could be stabilised using p.e.g. and freeze-drying techniques, the wax would have to be secured very well during this treatment to avoid it being lost completely during drying. Mounts were devised for each tablet using acrylic frames onto which a fine, non-woven polyester fabric was attached. Each tablet was then 'sandwiched' between two of these frames. In this position the fabric was slightly under tension, gently holding the wax surfaces in position. With the wax safely held in place, the wood could be treated, and a special freeze-drier with a tiny chamber was borrowed for the drying process.
Thankfully the treatment was a success. The support fabric was removed from one side, and careful consolidation of the wax was carried out using a methyl cellulose-based polymer applied with a fine brush. Each tablet was then turned over and consolidation repeated on the other side. The surviving text could now be safely studied in detail by a specialist in medieval writing from the British Library.
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