etanick Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) I like the result here much better than the Surfer book. p.s. the idea that I had on how to do it without crushing the square spine is exactly what you did so i am glad you figured it out (thumbs u Edited December 5, 2009 by etanick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I like the result here much better than the Surfer book. p.s. the idea that I had on how to do it without crushing the square spine is exactly what you did so i am glad you figured it out (thumbs u Thanks Bud, I am still tweeking how many piece's to insert but I tried Scott's suggestion to use 3 in a regular comic and it still came close to pancaking. When I get a good result I will post ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FFB Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I like the result here much better than the Surfer book. p.s. the idea that I had on how to do it without crushing the square spine is exactly what you did so i am glad you figured it out (thumbs u Thanks Bud, I am still tweeking how many piece's to insert but I tried Scott's suggestion to use 3 in a regular comic and it still came close to pancaking. When I get a good result I will post ASAP. How new is the pad on your dry mount press? Dry mount presses are designed to mount paper on 1/4" thick foam core board without crushing the board. Unless your pad is old and hard, you shouldn't be able to pancake a squarebound with it, and pancaking a saddle-stitched book with a couple of pieces of paper folded at the centerfold shouldn't happen either. You might need to get a new, softer pad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hey Scott I was going to add that I am still experimenting with 3 piece's and was hasty to say it wasn't enough. Here is the long answer to your question. So I started out with a 8"x 12" glass piece for bottom substrate but felt I wasn't getting enough pressure. I also was given advise to use a piece of aluminum instead. This was before I started to experiment with humidity. I purchased a 1/2" thick and the entire width of the felt piece of aluminum. Now I have too much pressure and my model presses from the egde's where as yours presses from the center. I will probably switch to a smaller piece but I am not sure if I want to do that. Truth is I dont have the ideal press. Once I started experimenting with humidty I noticed it require's less pressure to remove defects. This means right not I might be using to much pressure but before I back off I have been focusing on using less humidity. I can adjust the pressure easy with backboard substrate but if the platen gets to close to the full size aluminum substrate it absorbs the heat from the top platen. The hard way to adjust is a pain if I am going to jump back and forth between dry and humid pressing . It's not neccesary to use humidity on every comic so it will be a while before I have a good system in place. So I don't know how old the felt is but now that you know the whole story you can see it's probably not the felt's fault. Everyone's feedback has been most helpful. Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FFB Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I can't picture what you're describing. Can you post a photo of it so I can see what you're talking about? Hey Scott I was going to add that I am still experimenting with 3 piece's and was hasty to say it wasn't enough. Here is the long answer to your question. So I started out with a 8"x 12" glass piece for bottom substrate but felt I wasn't getting enough pressure. I also was given advise to use a piece of aluminum instead. This was before I started to experiment with humidity. I purchased a 1/2" thick and the entire width of the felt piece of aluminum. Now I have too much pressure and my model presses from the egde's where as yours presses from the center. I will probably switch to a smaller piece but I am not sure if I want to do that. Truth is I dont have the ideal press. Once I started experimenting with humidty I noticed it require's less pressure to remove defects. This means right not I might be using to much pressure but before I back off I have been focusing on using less humidity. I can adjust the pressure easy with backboard substrate but if the platen gets to close to the full size aluminum substrate it absorbs the heat from the top platen. The hard way to adjust is a pain if I am going to jump back and forth between dry and humid pressing . It's not neccesary to use humidity on every comic so it will be a while before I have a good system in place. So I don't know how old the felt is but now that you know the whole story you can see it's probably not the felt's fault. Everyone's feedback has been most helpful. Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I can't picture what you're describing. Can you post a photo of it so I can see what you're talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FFB Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 You need to get a pad for that thing. A thick one. (Like an inch thick.) No wonder you're pancaking saddle-stitched books when you press them. I would never press a book in a press like this without a thick pad directly underneath the book (separated only by release paper). It puts way too much pressure on the book if you sandwich it between two hard pieces of metal when you're using a press that can exert that much pressure. P.S. Your dry mount press looks a lot like the money I could be saving if I switched to GEICO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slym2none Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Your dry mount press looks a lot like the money I could be saving if I switched to GEICO. -slym Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 You need to get a pad for that thing. A thick one. (Like an inch thick.) No wonder you're pancaking saddle-stitched books when you press them. I would never press a book in a press like this without a thick pad directly underneath the book (separated only by release paper). It puts way too much pressure on the book if you sandwich it between two hard pieces of metal when you're using a press that can exert that much pressure. Sorry you cant see it in the photos but the 1 inch pad is under the aluminum, but I do hear what your saying Scott and I am going to play with that. P.S. Your dry mount press looks a lot like the money I could be saving if I switched to GEICO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FFB Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 You need to get a pad for that thing. A thick one. (Like an inch thick.) No wonder you're pancaking saddle-stitched books when you press them. I would never press a book in a press like this without a thick pad directly underneath the book (separated only by release paper). It puts way too much pressure on the book if you sandwich it between two hard pieces of metal when you're using a press that can exert that much pressure. Sorry you cant see it in the photos but the 1 inch pad is under the aluminum, but I do hear what your saying Scott and I am going to play with that. Just get rid of the aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze-man Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 Get rid of the press. If you are going to use a heat press get a model that allows you to dial the pressure up, or down to suit what you are pressing. There is a decent amount of touch involved in knowing how much is too much, or not enough when closing the press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Get rid of the press. If you are going to use a heat press get a model that allows you to dial the pressure up, or down to suit what you are pressing. There is a decent amount of touch involved in knowing how much is too much, or not enough when closing the press. Thanks for the advise. It will have to do for now but it's on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I have new data to share. I adjusted my press to use way way less pressure and that has helped allot. This next comic was pressed dry. I plan on taking a break from humidity pressing and most likely will save it as a last resort. The reason I have abandoned using it all the time is I can't get it to not warp some comics and I don't want to do it if it's going to ruin a valuable book. I didn't put any paper inside this book to see if the reduction in pressure was enough. It looks like I might be able to lower the pressure a little more. Tomorrow's book should give me more clue's. Also for people reading this for the 1st time I am not encouraging you to get a press and start squishing your books in your mom's basement. I am learning pressing because I am serious about becoming a professional comic book restorer and pressing is an integral part of that. This is the angle where you would compare thickness's. The corner is flat now but may be a little squished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asteroid-comix Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Looks good. (thumbs u Have you thought about trying release paper between the front and back covers and first and last pages? Looks like it could help with preventing further damage around the staples and help to keep your edges sharp (oversize the release paper about an inch). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etanick Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 looking good. By the way, I hear the word "release paper" used quite often on this thread? what the heck is that? love the square bounded annuals . I am starting to have a fetish for these square bounded books . I might be going after square bound books just for the fun of it after I complete my X-men and ASM runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 looking good. By the way, I hear the word "release paper" used quite often on this thread? what the heck is that? love the square bounded annuals . I am starting to have a fetish for these square bounded books . I might be going after square bound books just for the fun of it after I complete my X-men and ASM runs. Silicone release paper is a general term that can be used to identify hundreds of different types of silicone coated materials. It is parchment like paper that can withstand heat applications without damaging or sticking to other materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Looks good. (thumbs u Have you thought about trying release paper between the front and back covers and first and last pages? Looks like it could help with preventing further damage around the staples and help to keep your edges sharp (oversize the release paper about an inch). In hindsite I think I should have inserted something and will be doing that on the next square bound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 looking good. By the way, I hear the word "release paper" used quite often on this thread? what the heck is that? love the square bounded annuals . I am starting to have a fetish for these square bounded books . I might be going after square bound books just for the fun of it after I complete my X-men and ASM runs. I have been interested on all the #1 SA square bounds and full run of FF anuals and working on full run of ASM annuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmakt Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 wow! That Avengers press is pretty amazing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hero Restoration Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 wow! That Avengers press is pretty amazing... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
