Archival Tape 0

[The Professor]

Quick question?

 

I have a book with a complete spine split. Looking at possibly using 1 inch Archival tape to mend the book. Any pointers or things I should look out for never as I have never used it before.

This is not a high dollar or key book. Just want to be able to read it and keep the front and back from getting anymore destroyed. 

[comicjack]

I know some will kill me for this but we did that back then to save books.I would cut three small pieces just enough to go around the spine one at the top.middle and bottom.I would only do this just to save it and be able to read it should work as it has for me .

[The Professor]

Thank you!

[Point Five]

I've done it with many lower-value reader/beater books. This is probably obvious, but it will look much better if you apply tape inside the spine rather than outside. Put the two split covers together flat on a table and gently seal them, then wrap around the book itself and seal more firmly. If done carefully it can look surprisingly nice.

 

[AJD]

A few comments, not so much for your low value book but in general for taping. (Caveat: I'm an interested amateur in paper conservation, not a pro.)

As a general principle, anything you do a document should be as reversible as possible. Not all archival tapes are created equal and there's a reason that the price varies so widely. The cheap ones in Officeworks are likely to give poorer outcomes.

If you are going to tape a completely split cover, tape it lengthwise alone the spine, the way Point Five suggests. The reason it split is that it's brittle, and trying to do 'less harm' by using smaller pieces at odd points could lead to more tearing during handling where the strong tape meets the weak paper.

Any form of adhesive tape, archival or otherwise, bonds the adhesive to the paper, which complicates removal later and would probably require solvents other than water. (See the detailed explanation here.) Even good archival tapes can be a pain to remove. Archive quality Japan paper and paste is always water soluble and is a preferable approach to sealing tears and reinforcing spines.

[The Professor]

Thanks for the all the feedback.  I have attached a picture of the book in question. I just purchased it. Once I have it in hand I will lay it out to show more of what I am dealing with. I have become recently addicted to EC books. This was a no brainer at $15 dollars shipped. 

I truly appreciate all the suggestions. 

[The Professor]

Additionally I picked this book up for very cheap. Not sure how I am gonna try to fix this one. I do not have the book yet. Will wait till I have it in hand. Paid 35 with shipping. Figured I couldn't go wrong. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by The Professor

[The Professor]

So both comics arrived yesterday. The Aces High cover was more brittle than I expected. I used the recommended techniques but found since so much of the cover had flaked off already I had to reinforce the spin more than expected. I now have a nice reader copy that should not lose too much more of the cover. I did very little to the Haunt of Fear other than to reinforce some very large tears on the back cover. Thanks again for all the suggestions. 

 

[cousin itt]

What is cgc's policy on archival tape now?  Is it conserved, restored, or just tape?  I have a book with a large tear that I'd like to have graded, but I'm concerned that, once slabbed, any SCS will cause the tear to split the cover in half, so I want to secure it somehow before sending it off for grading.

[AJD]

As I understand it, CGC never pinged archival tape as restoration, as long as it wasn't accompanied by other forms of work. At least that's what they said when they changed the rules on tape a few years ago. These days I think it would get a conserved label.

[The Professor]

6 hours ago, cousin itt said:

What is cgc's policy on archival tape now?  Is it conserved, restored, or just tape?  I have a book with a large tear that I'd like to have graded, but I'm concerned that, once slabbed, any SCS will cause the tear to split the cover in half, so I want to secure it somehow before sending it off for grading.

 

[path4play]

10 hours ago, cousin itt said:

What is cgc's policy on archival tape now?  Is it conserved, restored, or just tape?  I have a book with a large tear that I'd like to have graded, but I'm concerned that, once slabbed, any SCS will cause the tear to split the cover in half, so I want to secure it somehow before sending it off for grading.

Archival tape ("professional materials") is Conversation.  Regular ole' tape is Universal as mentioned in video (assuming not present with different restoration issues).