experimentation

the Library of Congress US Newspaper Program is focused primarily on preservation of newsprint through media conversion to film.  the microfilming guidelines on its website provide some advice for dealing with the newpaper fragments, excerpted as follows: 

"Relaxation (humidification) and flattening.  ... Controlled amounts of moisture can be safely introduced into both rag content and wood pulp newspaper pages, allowing them to be relaxed for flattening.  The entire process - from the introduction of moisture through flattening and drying - should be conceptualized and experimented with prior to full-scale implementation of treatments.  ... For dealing with brittle folded material, which will break with attempts to unfold it, an inexpensive humidification chamber can be built."

last night I began a test with one of the wads to see whether a slow humidification can be beneficial.  it will probably take a day or two to see what, if anything, comes of it.