This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1ateolf
well, i've pretty much already summed up my post...i have a couple old paperbacks where the cover has broken off (not the binding, etc...spine's still attached to pages, just the cover...) what's the best way to reattach it? should i use contact paper or is there a better way? thanks for any advice...
2lilithcat
Assuming that these are basic, not particularly valuable, reading copies, I'd just use clear packing tape to reattach them.
3papyri
Your repairs depend on the value of the book itself and your intended goals and uses for it.
I would avoid scotch or masking or packing tape, or contact paper if possible. Good for a quick fix, but they create major issues for the long (or not so long, in some cases) term life of your book.
You have a number of other options.
If it is something potentially of value I would recommend not re-attaching the cover at all or doing as little as possible to it.
Keep the book together tied up with ribbon or string (less obvious - if it is just going to sit on a shelf). Not fully user-friendly, but works well for leather bindings in which the covers are detached or fragile.
For things of not great value, but you plan on using and keeping for a while. I would suggest archival cloth tape (Lineco is one manufacturer).
Archival cloth (linen) tape is perfect for minor repairs. It is durable and it has a longer life than packing tape (will not yellow or get sticky-oozy or dry out over time). It is a bit pricey, but a little bit goes a long way. It can be found on-line or in art/craft stores (often near the paint supplies - it is the type they use to mount prints and is self-adhesive). You don't actually need that much.
You can use it like you were going to use the contact paper or packing tape. It is not fully see-through, though. So, it will hide/cover anything you tape over with it.
There are less obtrusive ways to use it. Simply, cut two or three thin strips and place them across the spine (top, middle and bottom) and onto the cover to hold it in place. The tape itself can be colored with markers (before applying it to the book) to a similar color of the books spine (will be less noticeable) if you want.
You can also cut a single long strip to run the tape vertically the entire length of the book and join the cover to the spine (only partially covers the spine - depending on how thick the tape strip and book spine are). This can be done both externally and internally (depends on paperback type).
Similarly, you can do re-attachments using paper and glue. I would use a 100 % cotton paper (like the kind for resumes). Not as user friendly or as durable as the cloth tape, but a better alternative than something like scotch tape.
Just a few other alternatives to think about.
Hope it helps.
I would avoid scotch or masking or packing tape, or contact paper if possible. Good for a quick fix, but they create major issues for the long (or not so long, in some cases) term life of your book.
You have a number of other options.
If it is something potentially of value I would recommend not re-attaching the cover at all or doing as little as possible to it.
Keep the book together tied up with ribbon or string (less obvious - if it is just going to sit on a shelf). Not fully user-friendly, but works well for leather bindings in which the covers are detached or fragile.
For things of not great value, but you plan on using and keeping for a while. I would suggest archival cloth tape (Lineco is one manufacturer).
Archival cloth (linen) tape is perfect for minor repairs. It is durable and it has a longer life than packing tape (will not yellow or get sticky-oozy or dry out over time). It is a bit pricey, but a little bit goes a long way. It can be found on-line or in art/craft stores (often near the paint supplies - it is the type they use to mount prints and is self-adhesive). You don't actually need that much.
You can use it like you were going to use the contact paper or packing tape. It is not fully see-through, though. So, it will hide/cover anything you tape over with it.
There are less obtrusive ways to use it. Simply, cut two or three thin strips and place them across the spine (top, middle and bottom) and onto the cover to hold it in place. The tape itself can be colored with markers (before applying it to the book) to a similar color of the books spine (will be less noticeable) if you want.
You can also cut a single long strip to run the tape vertically the entire length of the book and join the cover to the spine (only partially covers the spine - depending on how thick the tape strip and book spine are). This can be done both externally and internally (depends on paperback type).
Similarly, you can do re-attachments using paper and glue. I would use a 100 % cotton paper (like the kind for resumes). Not as user friendly or as durable as the cloth tape, but a better alternative than something like scotch tape.
Just a few other alternatives to think about.
Hope it helps.
4Bestine
OK, here's a dumb question. Being the type that wonders frantically if "anal-compulsive" really needs that hyphen, I order the "cut-'em-yourself" rolls of "archival" covers from Brodart for my hc/dj/1/1 treasures. I save the leftover paper shards (acid free) and use them, plus colorless, water-soluable glue stick, instead of the linen tape, to do repairs on vintage favorites.
Am I going straight to 'conservationist hell' as a result?
P.S. Going right to the source (i.e. Brodart) is actually a whole lot cheaper than buying small lots off e-Bay or elsewhere. They're great. They're more than happy to deal with the smaller orders of individual collectors.
Am I going straight to 'conservationist hell' as a result?
P.S. Going right to the source (i.e. Brodart) is actually a whole lot cheaper than buying small lots off e-Bay or elsewhere. They're great. They're more than happy to deal with the smaller orders of individual collectors.
5IaaS
Maybee I comitted a sin, but on old, not valuable paperback I have totally droppet tape and instead use gluesticks, waterbased. I take a good amount on the books back and just a little on the the edge of the front and back sides towards the back. Then I take glue altso on the cover on similar places, let it dry just a moment and glue it together. Hold it for a while, and voilá the book is whole again and the repair is invisible.
