ArAich Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I have several books that have a slight curl to them from improper storing. Can anyone give give tips as to the proper procedure to press these books flat. Is there a press that you can purchase for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzejunkie Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I have a perfect copy of X-Men#1(60's) except that it has been swimming at the pool at some point in it's long career as a highly collectible comic book. and now it looks like a skatepark over the cover, honestly it sounds weird, but the colors are bright and there is absolutly minimum damage at all to any part of the comic except for well, this wave effect on it.(which brings the grade right down into the poo catagories), If the wave was gone, I swear it would be at least a 9.0... It's killing me. I am dieing to hear from anyone on how I may be able to fix this without ruining the comic. Thanks Bronzejunkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninanina Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I believe you can get a professional to press out the wave. I'm not sure, but I don't think this is considered restoration. It's my understanding they somehow make the cover wet, and then "press out" the wave. Restores it as good as new. Lots of pro's listed in overstreet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninanina Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I purchased a Journey Into Mystery comic on e-bay that had a definite "C" shape to it. This Silver Age comic apparently was jammed into a box barely wide enough for a Modern Book. A lot of bidders stayed away from the book because based on the scan, it didn't look much better than a Good/Very Good. Needless to say, I got it for song. What I did to the comic was place an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white paper on top of the cover and on the inside of the front cover and proceeded to carefully "iron" out the bends with an iron. After the cover was done, I proceeded to do it page by page until the comic transformed into something resembling a VF-. The iron should never touch the pages.Be careful not to get too close to the spine, as it wouldn't take much to create a few stress cracks if the iron gets too close. This will not take out any creasing, just bending as you described. Let me know if your not clear. If this has any long-term damage to the book, I'm not aware of it. A year later, the comic still looks might VF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArAich Posted January 24, 2003 Author Share Posted January 24, 2003 Wow , I never even thought of that. What heat setting did you use? I would imagine a low setting as you would not want to burn the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Man_Of_Steel Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 you would not want to burn the book. ...unless that book were the first issue of X-Men the 2nd Series. We should burn every copy of that book we get our hands on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninanina Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I asked my wife what was the usual setting on her iron, and she said "cotton".I hope this helps. It's really quite hot, so don't leave the iron sitting there. Just a quick few swipes otta do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 ask Hammer/Meth how to do this. Im sure he knows how! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArAich Posted January 24, 2003 Author Share Posted January 24, 2003 I don't wants to cut'em I just wants ta squeeze 'em..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 from what I hear hes a cutter AND a squeezer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PovertyRow Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Ironing with a clothes iron is really not recommended. I bumped the How To Spot Restoration folder. It has a couple of posts that detail some of the processes. The problems with a clothes iron include: danger of too much heat, the potential for smearing some unnoticed types of dirt that may melt with the heat and be spread out by the back and forth motion, too much heat setting in certain stains and the inability to hit the entire cover (which can result in an obvious "end point" to the ironing. There are two types of presses used for pressing: a Dry Mount Press (you often see them in framing shops) and a Book Press. The key to both presses is just that - they are "presses" - they apply even pressure across the surface. The Dry Mount uses heat - I used to set to about 175F for comics - no more than that. The proper press technique requires the book be dismantled. "Wetting" the book is just placing the cover and/or pages, one at a time, between sheets of acid free paper that have been lightly "spritzed" with distilled water - you can read the process in detail on the How To Spot board. The Book Press uses no heat - it just uses time. The book is simply compressed by turning the handle that drives the big screw. Both techniques definitely require practice and preferably good instruciton by someone who's been there. Hope this helps and isn't seen as negative. I just get scared at the thought of ironing a book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer-migration Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I just stand on them with my custom, muskrat-stuffed cinderblock, platform lifting shoes when I'm doing 1000 pound power-shrugs. After THAT, even 80 page giants are pressed as flat as a pancake. THAT'S the secret!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Man_Of_Steel Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Wow!! Those presses look impressive!! If you don't mind, I have a few pressing questions to ask. 1.) How much damage would those babies do to a person's wallet? 2.) Which would be less expensive or in poorman's terms...cheaper? 3.) Is one more effective than the other? or are there advantages and disadvantages to for of them? 4.) and finally...Where would a person purchase one of these presses? Thanks in advance for you infromative answers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArAich Posted January 25, 2003 Author Share Posted January 25, 2003 Thanks for the info pov...I noticed that you had bumped the "How to spot restoration" thread but did not take the time to read it (I will now).Although I am not about to dismantle my comics in order to use the Dry Mount method I will look into the standard Book Press technique. The scan you sent really helped and, since I am a machinest, I think I will just design and build one to my own specifications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArAich Posted January 25, 2003 Author Share Posted January 25, 2003 Hey MoS...after reading your post I searched ebay (book press) and found these: Home made press... Antique press... This is the one that Pov had in his post.... I think that I can come up with a better design.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 ....you kill me Hammer....keep em coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninanina Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Had a feeling there were some dangers involved in using an iron, thanks for pointing them out. Guess I just got lucky with the comic I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PovertyRow Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 1.) How much damage would those babies do to a person's wallet? They can be had used (got the pics on ebay). I used to have a Seal Jumbo 160 for a dry mount press. A cross between a Mack Truck and a Sherman Tank. VERY tough. With luck you can find a used one in the $200 or so range. And maybe $50-75 for a book press. Been a while since I priced them though. 2.) Which would be less expensive or in poorman's terms...cheaper? The book press. And for two reasons: first it costs less. Second, there is less chance of damaging your books by trying fancy dry mount press techniques! 3.) Is one more effective than the other? or are there advantages and disadvantages to for of them? For helping remove bends waves etc. a book press is great. It can take time. A week or two or three. Check it every once in a while and gradually apply more pressure. But we do NOT want to apply so much pressure that the staples start piercing the paper! Actually, you could even get two very flat wood boards and with proper buffering (acid free artist board/thick paper (can be bought in pads at art supply stores) protecting the top and bottom of the comic), you could simply lay some bricks on it. But that is harder to control and I would not suggest many bricks! You should also use the acid free artist board/paper in the book press. For the fancier restoration work, the dry mount is a must. 4.) and finally...Where would a person purchase one of these presses? Best source for a dry mount press is a good photographic store or art supply store. Preferably one that sells used equipment. For the book press, a bookbinder supply company (they also supply restoration products like japan paper, methyl cellulose, archival white glues etc.) And ebay, of course. Keep in mind these are not light items, especially the dry mount press which is very heavy, so buying online or ebay can result in some high shipping charges. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer-migration Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Pov, In your estimation, could a press like the cast iron one (which I assume you can REALLY torque up without breaking) be used to press photos?? I have hundreds of photos taken by my grandfather's brother, of ball players between the period of approx. 1946 to 1956 at Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds, and Ebbets Field. They are Kodak B&W snapshots with very glossy stock and the fluted/scalloped decorative edges of approx. 4" by 6" in size. They're in beautiful condition but VERY curled, most actually rolling up. Whenever I've tried putting them in a photo album, they just eventually curl their way out of the "magnetic" pages. They were kept in a large hat box for YEARS, where they now are still stored. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PovertyRow Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I have hundreds of photos taken by my grandfather's brother, of ball players between the period of approx. 1946 to 1956 at Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds, and Ebbets Field. They are Kodak B&W snapshots with very glossy stock and the fluted/scalloped decorative edges of approx. 4" by 6" in size. Hmmmm....I really am not sure. I know exactly what you mean. I was born in 1950 and have seen a lot of that scalloped edge photo in the family photo albums. What you have going against you is their size. A lot less flexible than a comic book size - stiffer curl so to speak. It COULD work. Let me peruse. I used to be a photographer in the 70's - 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 and 4x5. I may come across some info and if I do will post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
