How to reinforce staple areas? 0

[Heavy-ish Metal]

Note: This is not a question about grading, label colors, etc. This is just a little DIY project for cheap books that I like but have straining/tearing at the staples.

I have some bronze/modern books and magazines that I'd like to keep around for decades to come, but am worried (and annoyed) about the stress on some of the covers around the staples.

I've tried doing some googling on the topic of reinforcing the staples and get a lot of (less than helpful or applicable) results, most of which are debates around restoration and how it affects grading. 

I'd love some straight forward suggestions on how to do the reinforcement myself! My thinking is there are two major options:

1. Archival clear tape. This would entail removing the staples, applying a thin strip of the tape over the holes (both on the cover and on the interior centerfold), then reinserting the staples through the tape. This would, presumably, prevent any more tearing or pulling on the cover as the tape gives the staples something to hold onto. Lineco tape seems to be the most readily available and well reviewed product to use.
    
2. Glue around/near the staples (?) This is much less clear to me as I know there are many kinds of adhesives and glues, so if this is a better option than tape, some product suggestions would be very appreciated. In my mind I picture a paper restoration glue that gets applied over the staple, forming a "clear coat" that strengthens the area and prevents further tearing, but I have no specific info on this.
    
3. Something else I can do myself that I haven't considered??

Thank you very much in advance! Hope this serves for a modern jumping on point for discussions on staple reinforcement techniques (and please, no debates around grading!) 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Heavy-ish Metal
Removing my sample image so as not to distract from the topic

[James J Johnson]

14 hours ago, Heavy-ish Metal said:

 

1. Something else I can do myself that I haven't considered??

Going by the 1 pic here I couldn't say that there is something to do that wouldn't be classified as restoration. Although my view of the staple area is very limited, I don't see the staple falling out or pulling through the paper under it, so reinforcing it, thereby making it restored, would be needless, IMO. I see stresses that will not press out out because they fracture the surface and break color. 

[Heavy-ish Metal]

56 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

Going by the 1 pic here I couldn't say that there is something to do that wouldn't be classified as restoration. Although my view of the staple area is very limited, I don't see the staple falling out or pulling through the paper under it, so reinforcing it, thereby making it restored, would be needless, IMO. I see stresses that will not press out out because they fracture the surface and break color. 

I'm not bothered by whether it's restoration or not, just asking for the most practically useful advice on how to do it

This was just one pic of the book I had on hand, I have others where there's more tearing around the staple, cover starting to feel loose, etc.

What method would you recommend? What have you seen on restored books that worked well?

[James J Johnson]

14 hours ago, Heavy-ish Metal said:

I'm not bothered by whether it's restoration or not, just asking for the most practically useful advice on how to do it

This was just one pic of the book I had on hand, I have others where there's more tearing around the staple, cover starting to feel loose, etc.

What method would you recommend? What have you seen on restored books that worked well?

Without seeing the paper under the staple, the cover from the inside, going by one exterior image, from a single perspective, it's all guesswork. 

[Heavy-ish Metal]

10 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

Without seeing the paper under the staple, the cover from the inside, going by one exterior image, from a single perspective, it's all guesswork. 

James, I am not asking about how to repair a specific book. I am asking a broad question of what techniques are recommended for reinforcing staple areas.

I don't mean to be rude (I appreciate you replying at all!) but this is the kind of problem I've seen with this topic over, honestly, the past 15 years of web history as far as I can tell. Someone raises the question, and the discussion devolves into pedantic debates.

I was hoping this would be the right forum to ask about the how, and discuss specific techniques. If this isn't the right place then... I honestly don't know where else to ask. You guys probably know more than anyone what kind of reinforcement approaches have been used over the decades, and I'd love to see you all sharing that information here so others can benefit from it.

Edit: I've removed the image from my post so it doesn't distract from the conversation

Edited May 6, 2021 by Heavy-ish Metal

[comicdonna]

People that are professional restoration experts are not going to give away their trade secrets so, most of the info you will receive will be from amateurs. 

[Phill the Governor]

1 hour ago, comicdonna said:

People that are professional restoration experts are not going to give away their trade secrets so, most of the info you will receive will be from amateurs. 

This.

 

I work on books as a profession. The question at hand is too specific without going into trade secrets. There is no simple "how" because people make a living (myself included) on those techniques.

I will say that archival or not, tape is never ever the answer because it ultimately causes more problems. Tape is evil. Same with glue.

The best option available is having reinforcement at the staples done using conservation, which if done properly is completely archival and reversible.

Unfortunately, if you want it done properly, there is no cheap do-it-yourself option for this type of stuff.

[Heavy-ish Metal]

6 minutes ago, Phill the Governor said:

This.

 

I work on books as a profession. The question at hand is too specific without going into trade secrets. There is no simple "how" because people make a living (myself included) on those techniques.

I will say that archival or not, tape is never ever the answer because it ultimately causes more problems. Tape is evil. Same with glue.

The best option available is having reinforcement at the staples done using conservation, which if done properly is completely archival and reversible.

Unfortunately, if you want it done properly, there is no cheap do-it-yourself option for this type of stuff.

I see. Well the books I want to do this to are honestly barely worth $20, so I don't see myself bringing them to a shop (though I certainly would for more valuable books!). I suppose in my case I'm looking for a "good enough" solution that gives me a few hours of something to do and can be done with off-the-shelf products. Maybe it's worth asking on a hobbyist bookbinding forum instead?

 

[Phill the Governor]

12 minutes ago, Heavy-ish Metal said:

I see. Well the books I want to do this to are honestly barely worth $20, so I don't see myself bringing them to a shop (though I certainly would for more valuable books!). I suppose in my case I'm looking for a "good enough" solution that gives me a few hours of something to do and can be done with off-the-shelf products. Maybe it's worth asking on a hobbyist bookbinding forum instead?

 

Possibly!

Unfortunately I do not think you'll find the answer you are looking for if you are just looking for a few hours of something to do. Not the right hobby to get into, lol.

I do not recommend it, but this is why people just revert to using archival tape- because it is the cheapest and really only option for people in your position.

[Heavy-ish Metal]

28 minutes ago, Phill the Governor said:

Possibly!

Unfortunately I do not think you'll find the answer you are looking for if you are just looking for a few hours of something to do. Not the right hobby to get into, lol.

I do not recommend it, but this is why people just revert to using archival tape- because it is the cheapest and really only option for people in your position.

This actually sounds like a great hobby to get into, I could use something new that takes a lot of time and attention and isn't entirely spent at a computer screen. I had an idea to try to make my own slipcases to hold some of my books  

[B2D327]

Get some mending tissue, lay the cover face down and reinforce the spine where needed (no need to use more than what’s needed); do the same for a loose centerfold. Remove the staples, line up the cover and pages and pop the staples back in the existing holes. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy. If they’re not high value books that you’re looking to flip for a profit and just want to keep them from falling apart, this is probably your best option.

[aardvark88]

On 5/6/2021 at 7:49 AM, Heavy-ish Metal said:

 I'm looking for a "good enough" solution that gives me a few hours of something to do and can be done with off-the-shelf products. Maybe it's worth asking on a hobbyist bookbinding forum instead?

 

Or google how to use Japan paper to reinforce vintage paper tears.

[stormflora]

On 5/24/2021 at 3:13 PM, aardvark88 said:

Or google how to use Japan paper to reinforce vintage paper tears.

Apologies for the necro, but I was here looking for this sort of reply as well, for my own collection of old comics.

Your advice and answer to OP's plight led me to finding this. There are numerous other YouTube video guides you can find by simply searching for "How to repair with Japanese paper", such as this simplified one. It seems to use the exact same technique that a professional comic repair service like this one uses. I figured I'd leave this tidbit here in case anyone else is searching for a solution to this problem without needing to resort to paying lots of money to enlist third-party services.

Do note, the Japanese paper necessary for the repairs can be expensive. They are large sheets, and you'd only need a tiny bit of each, but it does imply that the investment would only be worthwhile if you have many repairs to make, not just one or two. However, I did find a solution for this (and it addresses another issue as well): Japanese paper samplers (1) (2). Not only can you acquire a small sheet this way, you can also compare the different kinds of paper with your comic to see which texture finish would fit it best. And you would have a much more versatile selection for more than one kind of comic as opposed to buying one or two kinds of paper and choosing wrong or encountering some foreign paper you are not used to from a different publisher. Note that tengu (and its various weights) are excellent for interior paper rips/tears because of how invisible it is, but definitely not staple holes as they would be too light and cannot handle any pressure.

The only other thing you'd need would be the wheat starch paste, which is made of wheat starch (some supermarkets will have this for cheap) and distilled water (which you'd probably have if you do heat pressing; it's cheap at Walmart). Instructions to prepare the paste are here. Tools, at the minimum, would be small paintbrushes ranging from fine to thin (dollar store) and tweezers (also dollar store). Any sort of paper repair should probably be done after heat pressing, as moisturization and/or heat may loosen the bond with the Japanese paper.

For people who just want an easy solution and don't mind using tape, this is probably the best (and most economical) solution available. It's the most transparent tape that I could find and is more readily available as well as newbie friendly. Here is a demonstration of how it looks on actual paper. It is probably made with Japanese paper as well, or something similar. Obviously, both this and actual Japanese paper are not solutions for tears on artwork. They are strictly for blank parts of the comic, like the spine or edges. If you must attach tears of artwork together, maybe a controlled drop of transparent Elmer's glue could do the trick.

Edited November 21, 2023 by stormflora

[stormflora]

So, as a side question, if I were to use some archival tape (as mentioned) for tears, should it be before or after a heat press? Has anyone tried heat pressing comics with tape on it before?

[LowGradeBronze]

Instinctively I'd have to say that pressing would come first but there could be good reasons in certain situations to mend first and press after. I'm curious too now that you've mentioned it. 

[stormflora]

On 11/27/2023 at 12:57 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Instinctively I'd have to say that pressing would come first but there could be good reasons in certain situations to mend first and press after. I'm curious too now that you've mentioned it. 

Yeah, there isn't much documentation or experience shared online regarding the order of things, since most people who heat press presumably avoid restoration, and vice versa. I'm not sure how tape interacts with a heat press, and how sensitive tears/rips are to the heat as well. One video I watched explained that some spine splits, when stressed by a heat press, could be split even larger. But what if tape were involved?

[LowGradeBronze]

Where spine is concerned, the tape won't stop the paper from splitting if it's at all brittle and gets pressed. A good press avoids putting pressure on the spine for that reason. You don't want a sharp V created there. 

[stormflora]

On 11/27/2023 at 1:16 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Where spine is concerned, the tape won't stop the paper from splitting if it's at all brittle and gets pressed. A good press avoids putting pressure on the spine for that reason. You don't want a sharp V created there. 

So if a comic has a spine split or other damage on the spine, it's advisable to use less pressure with the press?

[LowGradeBronze]

Keep the spine out of the press altogether. Which is good practice anyway, regardless how supple/brittle. Others may come along and disagree!

[stormflora]

On 11/27/2023 at 1:53 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Keep the spine out of the press altogether. Which is good practice anyway, regardless how supple/brittle. Others may come along and disagree!

Ah, I didn't even think of that! Now I feel stupid, lol. Will definitely consider that option for really roughed up comics.