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Repairing Frayed Cover Edges - Handling Dos and Don'ts
- Memoirs and Notable Quotations -
Repairing Frayed Cover Edges
A book's cover is slightly larger than its pages so it can protect its contents. The edges of a book take a lot of abuse through handling and being slid in and out of shelves, especially along the bottom and fore edges.
This repair procedure is almost like finger painting. The basic material you'll use is the pH-neutral adhesive, which is water soluble and easily washes off your hands.
Materials Needed
From the Kit:
- pH-neutral adhesive
- artist brush, #4
- bone folder
At Home:
- clean brown wrapping paper or white shelf-lining paper
- wax paper
- paper-towel tube
- small container of water
- dampened paper towels
- dry paper towels
- masking tape or transparent tape
- plastic lid
- scissors
Before Proceeding:
- Lay down a piece of clean brown wrapping or shelf-lining paper larger than the book you are repairing.
- Cut a piece of brown wrapping or shelf-lining paper so that it is two and a half to three times the height of your book. Then cut the paper to the width of the textblock (pages). Open your book, and wrap the paper around the textblock vertically, securing it with a piece of masking or transparent tape. The fore edge will be exposed.
- Cut some strips of wax paper about 3 inches wide and longer than the book, to be used for the bonding procedure. Cut two pieces of wax paper that are larger than the book, for the drying process.
Repair Procedure:
- Lay the book on its front cover. (It's preferable to start with the back of the book.)
- Open the back cover and put the paper-towel tube under the cover to hold it away from the wrapped textblock.
- Squeeze a small amount of pH-neutral adhesive onto the plastic lid.
- Start with the bottom cover edge first. Using the artist brush, take some of the adhesive and apply it along the edge of the frayed book cloth or cover board.
- Place the brush in the small container of water. Be sure the container is placed away from your work area. When you are ready to use it again, remove the brush from the water and dry it with a paper towel.
- With your fingers, gently push any threads of cloth or frayed board toward the center of the cover edge and smooth them out. If there is excess adhesive, wipe it off with a dampened paper towel.
- Proceed to the next edge that needs repair. You may want to turn the book as you work on it, but always keep the paper-towel tube under the cover to keep it away from the textblock.
- When you are finished with all the back-cover edges, remove the paper-towel tube. Place a piece of wax paper larger than the book between the cover and the textblock. Turn the book over and proceed with the same instructions as for the front cover.
- When the edges of the front cover have been repaired, put another piece of wax paper between the cover and the textblock. Close the cover and leave the book to dry for an hour or so.
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