• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Cover cleaned......What exactly does that mean?

Started by Senormac,

26 posts in this topic

Senormac

Senormac

Posted
Posted

I have ZERO experience with restored books, but have noticed one of the things listed on them is "Cover Cleaned". Anyone have any before and after examples.....and is it an expensive process?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted

To try and answer your initial question without writing a novel.

 

The term "cover cleaned" typically involves either a submersion bath in solvents, or water, or both separately. Depending on what era comic it is and what type of soil or stains it has will dictate what is done. And even though CGC does not consider dry cleaning restoration almost any cover that is going to be cleaned, is dry cleaned first. Especially the white areas, because once you wash a cover it can set in the dirt even worse then it was before.

 

SA covers needing to be cleaned are almost always heavily tanned from migrated oils reacting with the interior cover. A solvent bath easily washes out this tanning as seen in the photo Mike posted. But one must be careful when washing SA covers in a water based bath because you can wash off the clay or even float off cover inks due to the fragile and thin nature of SA covers.

 

Most GA covers are much more forgiving due to the thicker nature of the materials used. Some more then others. Early DC's were built like tanks, but some off title pre codes can be worse then SA covers in regards to cheap materials used.

 

Covers like your heavily read, and heavily soiled Sparkler 3 are always dry cleaned(erasure) first and then given a water based bath. The dry cleaning removes as much surface dirt as possible, and the water bath floats away residual dirt while deacidifying the page. If other stains are present you might also need to pull solvents through the area, but it all depends on what the stain was made from and how it reacts to previous treatment.

 

Ultimately you have to decide if the cost for work done vs book value vs your goals for the book are something you can live with.

 

Your Sparkler could be cleaned very nicely, but it looks like it would also need some minor structural work at the staples. And the spine looks really flaky which means a weak spine needing reinforcement. So you have to decide if it is better to try and spit shine your present copy, or take the money you would spend cleaning it and put that towards a copy that presents better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Senormac

Senormac

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks guys. I'll keep all this in mind, and be able to make a better decision when its actually in hand. I can't imagine the value would go up that much since its not all that valuable even in the VF range. No sense paying for work that will cost more than the book is worth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Racer-X

Racer-X

Posted
Posted

Hi - I am also debating whether to clean the cover of my newly purchased All-American 19 (1st Atom). It is CGC-graded Blue 3.0. It looks to be a pretty solid book, but has tremendously unappealing mud or coffee splattered all over the front cover. (see link below) I'm wondering whether you all think it may have increased or reduced value if I just clean the cover - no other work done? Thanks, Rich

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220603928032&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1662wt_1058

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DiceX

DiceX

Posted
Posted
Are the spots on the back cover also? It almost looks like a bad case of foxing.

 

DRX

 

Agreed. I'd wear protection before touching that. :eek:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
Hi - I am also debating whether to clean the cover of my newly purchased All-American 19 (1st Atom). It is CGC-graded Blue 3.0. It looks to be a pretty solid book, but has tremendously unappealing mud or coffee splattered all over the front cover. (see link below) I'm wondering whether you all think it may have increased or reduced value if I just clean the cover - no other work done? Thanks, Rich

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220603928032&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_1662wt_1058

 

 

 

it would probably be worth about the same, though the apparent grade would be much higher if the stains came out completely. (Which is questionable.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted
(Which is questionable.)

 

+1

 

You just never know how the mold/foxing (whatever it is) will wash out. So even though it is distracting, I would leave it as is because it would be a shame to have it cleaned and still not be happy with how it looks. Not to mention be worth less because it would be restored.

 

That said, I can appreciate why you would want it cleaned, it is a nice copy otherwise. Got a BC scan?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
Not on the back cover (why oh why isn't it the other way around??) I don't think it's foxing - it looks like mud or something...

 

It's hard to say from a scan exactly what is what, but to me, it looks like the book has a dust shadow, some water staining tidelines, and some foxing. The dust shadow can probably be reduced if that is what it is. Same for the water staining tidelines. Removal of foxing is very questionable. You could have no improvement, slight improvement, dramatic improvement, or if you send the book to Kenny, he can just color touch over all of the stains and give you a minty fresh book. :kidaround:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
Well, they do paint restored cars, why not funny books.

 

(:

 

Are you bucking to be the Earl Scheib of the comic restoration world? Nahhhhhhhhh. lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
towards2112

towards2112

Posted
Posted
Well, they do paint restored cars, why not funny books.

 

(:

 

Are you bucking to be the Earl Scheib of the comic restoration world? Nahhhhhhhhh. lol

 

Have Kenny's daughter doing the tv commercials, waving a fine paint

brush and announcing loudly - "My daddy will paint your comic for $49.99 !!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted

Actually Scotts teasing was based in reality. Recently we had been discussing CT application, and how one can now effectively paint large areas of a cover to mimic the original color as opposed to just CT'ing an isolated stain, piecefill or sealed tear.

 

This of course is only done on lower grade restored books that would already be pegged as Extensive, not to mention be cost effective to take the time to do this.

 

Because unlike restored antique cars that get totally repainted after major structural work. Comic CT has almost always been limited to just CT'ing the repaired area and trying to blend it in. And this I believe was mainly due to massive CT application standing out, even if matched well.

 

I have typically preffered minimal work done to a book, but when one is trying for as high an apparent grade as possible one must set aside personal preference and try and make the book look as nice, and as natural as possible.

 

For example, here is the BC of a Bat 1, the infilled and stained areas could have been CT'ed, matched to the discolored white border. But in this case the entire BC white border was CT'ed making it appear seamless and closer to the day it was printed. Is it highly extensive?, yes. Is it more appealing? I think so.

 

bcfinalct.jpg

 

But I wonder how others feel about extensive work like this. Does the term "extensive" turn you off because typically the book never looks, or feels right afterwards? And if so, would you feel diferently if the work done was more seamless and harder to detect? Or would it not matter how well the work was done, the fact that it is extensive is the main turn off?

 

Because raising the apparent grade is the name of the game with Extensive Resto, but at what point does the apparent grade not matter because the book is soo far past original it is no longer appealing to you as a collector?

 

I guess it depends on if you knew what the previous condition was when looking to buy a Ext. book. But even if you did, hopefully the amount of work done would not matter, just the results.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Green

Green

Posted
Posted

Im probably in the minority, but if a book is to be restored i say do as much as possible to take it back to mint.

 

That Batman1 back cover looks absolutely stunning.

 

As someone on the outside looking in (meaning i dont collect books that are rare enough to restore) I hardly differentiate between slight/moderate/extensive. Im more focused on pro vs amateur and how the book looks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing