odtuszaniem

Odtuszanie is a term used in conservation and restoration to describe the process of removing ink marks or stains (tusz) from a surface, most often on paper, parchment, drawings, and manuscripts. The practice aims to recover legibility and original appearance while preserving as much of the original material as possible. In a broader sense, odtuszanie may also refer to the selective reduction of excessive ink or corrective removals that do not alter underlying features.

In professional practice, odtuszanie is performed by trained conservators in museums, archives and libraries. Techniques are chosen according to the material, ink composition and the extent of staining. Methods may include careful mechanical removal with magnification and precise tools, as well as chemical or conservational treatments that neutralize or extract unwanted ink. Any intervention is preceded by small-scale testing to assess reversibility and potential damage, and is followed by documentation of the procedure and the condition of the object.

Ethical considerations are central to odtuszanie. Conservators prioritize minimal intervention, reversibility, and the preservation of original material. The goal is to restore legibility without obscuring or modifying authentic features, and to record all changes for future study.

Etymologically, the word derives from tusz, meaning ink, with the prefix od- indicating removal. In Polish conservation literature, odtuszanie is distinguished from related activities such as wymazywanie (erasing pencil marks), retusz (augmenting with new pigment), or bleaching (wybielanie). The term is primarily encountered in professional contexts rather than everyday usage.