mardi 8 août 2017

The Book Restoration New Jersey Professionals Offer Gives Old Volumes New Life

By Donald Morris


It's always fun to decorate your home with items that are important to you and reflect your taste. Old books, previously owned by earlier generations and proudly displayed on shelves or in curio cabinets, are reminders of loved ones who have passed on. Old editions are not always in great shape after being handed down, handled, and put in open areas where dust, pollution, and sunlight can wreak havoc. In this case, it may be time to look into the book restoration New Jersey professionals offer.

Owners can either physically bring the work to the restorer's shop or send in good photographs that show all sides of the volume. The restorer will examine the exterior and interior and do whatever research is necessary to come up with an opinion of value. After that this professional will give the owner options for restoring the work or suggest that there is not enough value to warrant an expensive restoration.

A reliable restorer should also be honest about books that are so damaged it would be impossible to recondition them and restore them to their original state. Dry rot can damage leather covers to the point they crumble when they are touched. Most restorers agree that this is permanent damage. Others will attempt to harden the fabric using a chemical solution, but that may be temporary at best.

Leather covers in better shape can often be reconditioned and given new life. Paper pages in old books are often very fragile, and they frequently sustain significant damage, especially if they were well used. Torn pages and missing corners can be restored using paper taken from discarded volumes similar in type and time period.

Books that have been used over the years often have stained and soiled pages. Restorers can actually clean the paper using specialized techniques. Unless the paper is very high quality, it is not cleaned with water. This is an extremely costly process that involves removing the pages from sewn binding.

Restorers can mend old cloth covers and touch up the colors with special dyes. They may put matching cloth under the original material to repair it. Depending on the extent of its damage, the results can be very impressive. Many restorers do not recommend that the old techniques of gluing and sewing bindings be used. These professionals prefer to use newer methods to give the pages more flexibility.

Occasionally restorers see truly rare editions they do not have the expertise to repair themselves. In this case, they usually recommend that the owner contact a university or private library with rare book collections. The department heads have resources and names of experts they can pass on.

Old books are a source of pleasure and pride for those who own them. Many are treasured reminders of loved ones who have passed on. Restoring them to their former glory is a fitting tribute to the original owners.




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