Wednesday, August 9, 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.

If you don't have time to take the volume to the restorer's shop, you can send clear photos of the exterior and interior. A good restorer will research the work, evaluate its current condition and give you an estimate of its value and what it would be worth if you went to the expense of having it restored. The restorer should be honest with you if the volume's value is primarily sentimental.

Sometimes books come into shops in such bad shape that not much can be done with them. This is true in the case of a volume with a leather cover suffering from dry rot. If the fabric falls off at the touch, it can't realistically be salvaged. There are some restorers who suggest a chemical substance that may harden the leather temporarily, but others prefer not to do that much. No reputable restorer will alter markings or recondition a work in such a way that it actually reduces the value.

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.

Displaying treasured family volumes is a great way to start a conversation with your children about their ancestors and the history of your family. It can be especially interesting if they are past editions of books your children are familiar with. Restoring editions to their original condition helps ensure they will be saved for future generation.




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