Serious Restoration Tips

[LT-migration]

I'm bored at work today and found this article in Google's news groups. I hope you folks find this cheerful.

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Steve's Guide to Home Comic Book Restoration

A Beginner's Tutorial

Version 1.0

Copyright 1998 Steve Derby (sderby@sdeco.com)

 

Let's face it: comic books are a very unstable medium. They wrinkle,

they tear, they crease, and their pages become brown and brittle

with time. Unfortunately, each new defect a book develops lowers its

overall appeal, grade, and value. With professional comic book

restoration services charging upwards of $60-$100 per HOUR, it's time

that someone outlined restoration procedures that you and I, the

common (and poor) collectors, can perform at home in our spare time

with items that can be found around the house.

 

Thanks to the secrets revealed in this tutorial, now you too can

restore your own comic books cheaply and quickly using equipment which

you can probably find in your kitchen. The professional will deny

it, but comic book restoration is easy and doesn't need to be

expensive. This tutorial takes various defects one by one and

describes

simple procedures for dealing with the defect.

 

1) MARKS ON COVER OR INTERIOR PAGES

 

For reasons unknown, writing on comic book covers in grease pencil

was a very popular pasttime in the 1950's and 1960's. By the 1970's,

this behavior had died out but drug store owners, realizing that

comics weren't being marked up any more, began applying store stamps

(sometimes MULTIPLE store stamps) to the front covers, back covers,

and/or interior pages of the books they sold. Some time ago, I bought

a large lot of Donald Duck comics. The bottom of page 1 in each of

these books proudly announced that the book had been originally

purchased at "Bill's Bait and Tackle Shop." I really needed to know

that.

 

Although neatly-printed arrival dates, names, store stamps, etc. don't

affect the grade of most comics much, these markings are an

imperfection which can easily be reversed. As I always say: No defect

is too small for restoration! Here's how to deal with the offending

markings: Take a fresh "El Marko" permanent ink pen (preferably black

in color) and scribble over the grease pencil, store stamp, or other

marks. Voila! The offending marks are gone and your book has been

restored to its original pristine condition. As a side note, you can

also use this method for removing the ending of a book if you don't

like the way the story ends. If you don't have a permanent marker,

white-out will do in a pinch.

 

2) TEARS IN COVER OR INTERIOR PAGES

 

Many neophyte comic collectors have unwittingly attempted to fix

tears in their books by using scotch tape or other adhesives. This is

EXACTLY the wrong thing to do. Tape leaves a sticky residue behind, is

difficult or impossible to remove, and can brown with time.

Experienced

collectors know that you should never use tape to fix tears. You

should use staples instead.

 

For small (less than 1/2-inch) tears, a single staple may be enough

to close the rift. For longer tears, you should apply multiple staples

along the length of the tear. When in doubt, thrown on a few more

staples: Your comic book cover can never have too many staples holding

it together.

 

Traveller's alert: Do not attempt to take comic books restored in this

manner through airport metal detectors.

 

3) BRITTLE PAGES

 

Probably the most devastating defect which a comic book can develop

is brittle pages. This condition can reduce an otherwise nice book

to poor condition and render it worthless. Pages become brittle when

the the natural oils from newsprint's wood pulp dry out. Fortunately,

these oils can be replaced, reversing the brittleness, using a quick

and easy procedure:

 

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet

over medium heat. Add 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 2 cloves

garlic, minced. Sauté garlic and onion about 3 minutes. Add comic

book. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove

from pan and drain on paper towels. Serves 2.

 

4) BROWN PAGES

 

Brown pages aren't nearly as serious a defect as brittle pages, but

this problem is just as easy to remedy. To return brown pages to their

previous white state, fill a sink or basin with warm water and pour

in two capfuls of household bleach. Drop the comic book into the

sink and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Remove it from the water,

wring it out, rinse it off, wring it out again, and hang it up to dry

with 2 (not 3!) clothes pins.

 

5) DETACHED COVER

 

If a comic book is not handled properly, its cover can become

detached. This isn't as big a deal as it seems because the damage is

remarkably easy to repair. Simply apply a thin coating of glue (or

glue stick, paste, etc.) all over the now-exposed first and last pages

of the comic and press the cover onto these pages, making sure it is

firmly attached. Your book is now essentially as good as new, but it

has fewer pages. To counter this side-effect, you might consider

stapling in a page or two from some other comic (perhaps a worthless

comic that you don't care much about anyway).

 

6) WRINKLED COVER OR PAGES

 

When your clothes become wrinkled, you iron them. When your comics

become wrinkled, (you guessed it!) you iron them. Be sure to use

the high heat setting and lots of steam to guarantee that you get out

ALL the wrinkles.

 

 

In the next version of this tutorial, I'll include addition secrets,

such as how to eliminate spine roll with a curling-iron and removing

corner creases by removing the corners. If you've found the

information

in this tutorial useful, let me know. You can drop me a line at

sderby@sdeco.com

 

[Aces]

And all this time I thought it took an expert to do this.

[kryptonitecomics]

I followed the directions for #3 and now find that my comic books smells like Garlic and Onions. I am afraid that CGC may detect this and give the book the PLOD.

 

I have since dipped the book in a bucket of Pine Sol and the Garlic Smell is completly gone and has been replaced with a refreshing pine sent, just like the smell of the trees used to make the original paper. I can now submit the book and garner the .5 grade and blue holder that a book of this magnitude so richly deserves

 

Thank you for the great tips!!!!!

[garthgantu]

Who is this Steve Derby fellow, and how do we arrange to have him deported?

[nochips]

I followed the directions for #3 and now find that my comic books smells like Garlic and Onions. I am afraid that CGC may detect this and give the book the PLOD.

 

I have since dipped the book in a bucket of Pine Sol and the Garlic Smell is completly gone and has been replaced with a refreshing pine sent, just like the smell of the trees used to make the original paper. I can now submit the book and garner the .5 grade and blue holder that a book of this magnitude so richly deserves

 

Thank you for the great tips!!!!!

 

Are you sure it's a pine smell?? It may be a new pedigree collection. Remember the mile highs smelled like cedar.

[kryptonitecomics]

I could be in poession of the next Mile High collection!!!!

 

We can call it krypto's clean collection....let the bidding begin!!!