Vellum

A vellum deed with seal tag dated 1638 . Vellum (from the Old French Vélin, for "calfskin") is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame, and scraping of the skin with a hemispherical knife. To create tension, scraping is alternated by wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice, and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing or printing ink. Modern "paper vellum" (vegetable vellum ) is used for a variety of purposes, especially for plans, technical drawings, and blueprints .

The Magna Carta written in Latin on vellum, held at the British Library A vellum deed dated 1638, with pendent seal attached. Vellum is derived from the Latin word "vitulinum" meaning "made from calf", leading to Old French "vélin" ("calfskin"). The term often refers to a parchment made from calf skin, as opposed to that from other animals. It is prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. The term is sometimes used with a more general meaning referring to finer-quality parchments made from a variety of animal skins. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation and the quality of the skin. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame (a "herse"), and scraping of the skin with a crescent shaped knife (a "lunarium" or "lunellum"). To create tension, scraping is alternated with wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice , and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing or printing ink. Modern "paper vellum" (vegetable vellum) is a quite different synthetic material, used for a variety of purposes, including plans, technical drawings, and blueprints .

Animal skin used as a writing material Not to be confused with Vallum or Velum (disambiguation) . Magna Carta , written in Latin on vellum, held at the British Library A vellum deed dated 1638, with pendent seal attached Vellum is prepared animal skin or "membrane", typically used as a material for writing on . Parchment is another term for this material, and if vellum is distinguished from this, it is by vellum being made from calfskin , as opposed to that from other animals, or otherwise being of higher quality. Vellum is prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. The word is derived from the Latin word vitulinum meaning "made from calf", leading to Old French vélin , "calfskin". ) Modern scholars and custodians increasingly use only the less specific if confusing term "membrane". Depending on factors such as the method of preparation it may be very hard to determine the animal species involved (let alone its age) without using a laboratory, and the term avoids the need to distinguish between vellum and parchment. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation and the quality of the skin. The manufacture involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame (a "herse"), and scraping of the skin with a crescent-shaped knife (a "lunarium" or "lunellum"). To create tension, scraping is alternated with wetting and drying. A final finish may be achieved by abrading the surface with pumice , and treating with a preparation of lime or chalk to make it accept writing or printing ink. Modern "paper vellum" is made of synthetic plant material, and is called such for its usage and quality similarities. Paper vellum is used for a variety of purposes including tracing, technical drawings, plans and blueprints . "The surface examination of skin: a binder's note on the identification of animal species used in the making of parchment". In O'Mahony, Felicity (ed.). The Book of Kells: proceedings of a conference at Trinity College Dublin, 6–9 September 1992 .

Animal skin used as a writing material Not to be confused with Vallum or Velum (disambiguation) . Magna Carta , written in Latin on vellum, held at the British Library A vellum deed dated 1638, with pendent seal attached Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material . It is distinguished from parchment when it is made from calfskin , rather than that made from other animals, or having a higher quality when it is not. Vellum is prepared for writing and printing on and used for single pages, scrolls , codices , or books. Modern scholars and experts use the general and potentially-confusing term "membrane" more often. It may be very hard to determine the animal species involved (let alone its age) without going to a laboratory depending on the way of making the paper. Thus the term avoids the distinction between vellum and parchment. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, but there are great variations in its texture which are affected by the way it is made and the quality of the skin. The making involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame (a "herse"), and scraping of the skin with a crescent-shaped knife (a "lunarium" or " lunellum "). To create tension, the process goes back and forth between scraping, wetting and drying. Scratching the surface with pumice , and treating with lime or chalk to make it suitable for writing or printing ink can create a final look. Modern "paper vellum" is made of synthetic plant material, and gets its name from its similar usage and high quality. It is used for a variety of purposes including tracing, technical drawings, plans and blueprints . Esdaile's manual of bibliography (6 ed.). Introduction to Manuscript Studies . "The surface examination of skin: a binder's note on the identification of animal species used in the making of parchment". In O'Mahony, Felicity (ed.). The Book of Kells: proceedings of a conference at Trinity College Dublin, 6–9 September 1992 .

Animal skin used as a writing material Not to be confused with Vallum or Velum (disambiguation) . Magna Carta , written in Latin on vellum, held at the British Library A vellum deed dated 1638, with pendent seal attached Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material . It is often distinguished from parchment , either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellum is prepared for writing and printing on single pages, scrolls , and codices (books). Modern scholars and experts often prefer to use the broader term "membrane", which avoids the need to draw a distinction between vellum and parchment. It may be very hard to determine the animal species involved (let alone its age) without detailed scientific analysis. Vellum is generally smooth and durable, but there are great variations in its texture which are affected by the way it is made and the quality of the skin. The making involves the cleaning, bleaching, stretching on a frame (a "herse"), and scraping of the skin with a crescent-shaped knife (a "lunarium" or " lunellum "). To create tension, the process goes back and forth between scraping, wetting and drying. Scratching the surface with pumice , and treating with lime or chalk to make it suitable for writing or printing ink can create a final look. Modern "paper vellum" is made of plant cellulose fibers and gets its name from its similar usage to actual vellum, as well as its high quality. It is used for a variety of purposes including tracing, technical drawings, plans and blueprints . Tracing paper is essentially the same thing, however the quality level differs, sometimes greatly. Esdaile's manual of bibliography (6 ed.). Introduction to Manuscript Studies . "The surface examination of skin: a binder's note on the identification of animal species used in the making of parchment". In O'Mahony, Felicity (ed.). The Book of Kells: proceedings of a conference at Trinity College Dublin, 6–9 September 1992 .