The New Pressing Project Results Thread

[Comicdey]

He indicated that he would have to take it apart and I agreed to that. He also indicated that he thought the holes wouldn't align, but that is not the case upon my close inspection. That is the only reason that I'm not completely sure if he disassembled the book.....as it looks too good to be true.

 

I believe he took it apart as per our earlier conversation. I have just not spoken or emailed him regarding the book yet. I am very happy with the results regardless.

 

Next is the Planet 21 (which is definately being restored along with pressing). I haven't received that one yet.....of course, i haven't paid for the minor restoration yet either.

[drbanner]

Great results on the 56! I wouldn't normally think of pressing as conservation, but I suspect that book originally didn't sit real comfortably in a board/bag without getting squashed up or distorted even further, which won't happen any longer.

[Comicdey]

The last hurrah....

I got my Planet 21 back today.....very much a nicer book that the warbled, water damaged with tape book I shipped off.

 

Will scan and post a few before and after later tonight.

 

Thanks Matt.

[topofthetotem]

The last hurrah....

I got my Planet 21 back today.....very much a nicer book that the warbled, water damaged with tape book I shipped off.

 

Will scan and post a few before and after later tonight.

 

Thanks Matt.

[Comicdey]

Planet 21.....cleaned, tape removed, tear sealed, pressed

 

This was a warbled book before, now it's nicer apparent and lays flat.....

[topofthetotem]

Seems like those spine stresses stand out more.

[Comicdey]

they are cleaner.....

 

what I never did before sending it off was take a photo at an angle...this book was a warbled wreck compared to now. you can kind of see it in the original photos based upon light and dark shading, but it doen't really give the whole picture.

 

All in all I'm pleased, tape removed, book conserved, no color touch and unnecessary work to pretty it up, just cleaned, sealed and pressed.

 

Probably wouldn't be worth the money based upon going from a raw fair to a restored/conserved VG/FN or FN-...

 

I'm not even really going to try to nail down the grade. The only way to bring the grade above a fine would have been to totally removal the "tide" line and then color touch and fill edges etc.

 

I recall that I paid around $25 for the book about 10 years ago, so with the cost of the work done and $25 I'm still good. Not sure it added $$ value, but I like it better.

 

Thanks for looking.

[tth2]

This comment was posted in a thread in the General forum today, regarding being able to detect a pressed book:

 

It's not hard to tell. Focus on the spine. If it's been pressed the spine is razor sharp. Also hold the comic up vertically so you can see directly into its pages. I pressed comic looks very thin then a normal one. After a few comparisons you'll spot them quicker than you can say magnanimous swinging melons.

Could I take a poll amongst the folks who participated in the pressing project to confirm if this is true, particularly regarding the spine of a pressed book being "razor sharp" and the book looking "thinner"? After seeing your pressed books in person, and knowing what they looked like before, would you be confident in your ability to spot pressed books going forward?

 

I've gone through this thread and the original pressing project thread and couldn't find anyone (including quite a few participants who are no friends of Matt or pressing) who reported finding such telltale signs. (By "thinner", I'm assuming that the poster was not talking about books with spine roll that have been pressed to lie flat).

 

Please limit your response to these question, folks. This is not intended to be a pressing debate.

[FFB]

This comment was posted in a thread in the General forum today, regarding being able to detect a pressed book:

 

It's not hard to tell. Focus on the spine. If it's been pressed the spine is razor sharp. Also hold the comic up vertically so you can see directly into its pages. I pressed comic looks very thin then a normal one. After a few comparisons you'll spot them quicker than you can say magnanimous swinging melons.

Could I take a poll amongst the folks who participated in the pressing project to confirm if this is true, particularly regarding the spine of a pressed book being "razor sharp" and the book looking "thinner"? After seeing your pressed books in person, and knowing what they looked like before, would you be confident in your ability to spot pressed books going forward?

 

I've gone through this thread and the original pressing project thread and couldn't find anyone (including quite a few participants who are no friends of Matt or pressing) who reported finding such telltale signs. (By "thinner", I'm assuming that the poster was not talking about books with spine roll that have been pressed to lie flat).

 

Please limit your response to these question, folks. This is not intended to be a pressing debate.

 

That can be true if someone presses incorrectly. I have seen pressing results (not by Matt) where the book looked totally pancaked after pressing. But for the kind of pressing technique Matt uses, it's completely wrong and you will not see any of these signs. Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility. Conversely, I have seen low grade late 1950s books (such as some of the early reader copies of Brave and the Bold that I've bought in the last year or so) that have completely pancaked appearances simply by virtue of being thin, old books that have lost their natural suppleness and have been stored in a stack for decades. They are flat enough that if you blindly followed Comicdey's advice, you'd think they were pressed -- but they aren't.

[Comicdey]

This comment was posted in a thread in the General forum today, regarding being able to detect a pressed book:

 

It's not hard to tell. Focus on the spine. If it's been pressed the spine is razor sharp. Also hold the comic up vertically so you can see directly into its pages. I pressed comic looks very thin then a normal one. After a few comparisons you'll spot them quicker than you can say magnanimous swinging melons.

Could I take a poll amongst the folks who participated in the pressing project to confirm if this is true, particularly regarding the spine of a pressed book being "razor sharp" and the book looking "thinner"? After seeing your pressed books in person, and knowing what they looked like before, would you be confident in your ability to spot pressed books going forward?

 

I've gone through this thread and the original pressing project thread and couldn't find anyone (including quite a few participants who are no friends of Matt or pressing) who reported finding such telltale signs. (By "thinner", I'm assuming that the poster was not talking about books with spine roll that have been pressed to lie flat).

 

Please limit your response to these question, folks. This is not intended to be a pressing debate.

 

That can be true if someone presses incorrectly. I have seen pressing results (not by Matt) where the book looked totally pancaked after pressing. But for the kind of pressing technique Matt uses, it's completely wrong and you will not see any of these signs. Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility. Conversely, I have seen low grade late 1950s books (such as some of the early reader copies of Brave and the Bold that I've bought in the last year or so) that have completely pancaked appearances simply by virtue of being thin, old books that have lost their natural suppleness and have been stored in a stack for decades. They are flat enough that if you blindly followed Comicdey's advice, you'd think they were pressed -- but they aren't.

 

Please direct me to the "advice" that I've been providing regarding pressing. I thought I was just giving opinions on the three books that I had pressed in the experiment. If I gave any advice....I have since lost it in this lengthy or other lengthy threads. I don't think I ignored the fact that you can provide localized pressing to get rid of problems......

 

Are you confusing me with someone else

[tth2]

Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility.

It wasn`t Comicdey that made the post I was quoting.

 

And since the poster was talking about a 9.8 book, I assume that if there was pressing, it was a quality job.

[greggy]

Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility.

It wasn`t Comicdey that made the post I was quoting.

 

And since the poster was talking about a 9.8 book, I assume that if there was pressing, it was a quality job.

You quoted jediknight for Christ's sakes!

[tth2]

Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility.

It wasn`t Comicdey that made the post I was quoting.

 

And since the poster was talking about a 9.8 book, I assume that if there was pressing, it was a quality job.

You quoted jediknight for Christ's sakes!

Not everyone reads every single freakin` thread like you do. I was trying to keep names out of it because I wasn`t trying to start a flame war, just trying to settle once and for all whether this whole flat as a pancake thing is myth or reality.

[Comicdey]

 

 

At least I'm not losing my mind......

 

This week

[FFB]

This comment was posted in a thread in the General forum today, regarding being able to detect a pressed book:

 

It's not hard to tell. Focus on the spine. If it's been pressed the spine is razor sharp. Also hold the comic up vertically so you can see directly into its pages. I pressed comic looks very thin then a normal one. After a few comparisons you'll spot them quicker than you can say magnanimous swinging melons.

Could I take a poll amongst the folks who participated in the pressing project to confirm if this is true, particularly regarding the spine of a pressed book being "razor sharp" and the book looking "thinner"? After seeing your pressed books in person, and knowing what they looked like before, would you be confident in your ability to spot pressed books going forward?

 

I've gone through this thread and the original pressing project thread and couldn't find anyone (including quite a few participants who are no friends of Matt or pressing) who reported finding such telltale signs. (By "thinner", I'm assuming that the poster was not talking about books with spine roll that have been pressed to lie flat).

 

Please limit your response to these question, folks. This is not intended to be a pressing debate.

 

That can be true if someone presses incorrectly. I have seen pressing results (not by Matt) where the book looked totally pancaked after pressing. But for the kind of pressing technique Matt uses, it's completely wrong and you will not see any of these signs. Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility. Conversely, I have seen low grade late 1950s books (such as some of the early reader copies of Brave and the Bold that I've bought in the last year or so) that have completely pancaked appearances simply by virtue of being thin, old books that have lost their natural suppleness and have been stored in a stack for decades. They are flat enough that if you blindly followed Comicdey's advice, you'd think they were pressed -- but they aren't.

 

Please direct me to the "advice" that I've been providing regarding pressing. I thought I was just giving opinions on the three books that I had pressed in the experiment. If I gave any advice....I have since lost it in this lengthy or other lengthy threads. I don't think I ignored the fact that you can provide localized pressing to get rid of problems......

 

Are you confusing me with someone else

 

Whoops! I mixed up your name with someone else's. Sorry.

[FFB]

Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility.

It wasn`t Comicdey that made the post I was quoting.

 

And since the poster was talking about a 9.8 book, I assume that if there was pressing, it was a quality job.

You quoted jediknight for Christ's sakes!

Not everyone reads every single freakin` thread like you do. I was trying to keep names out of it because I wasn`t trying to start a flame war, just trying to settle once and for all whether this whole flat as a pancake thing is myth or reality.

 

Buy a book to be pressed and send it in. That way you can see the results for yourself.

[Comicdey]

This comment was posted in a thread in the General forum today, regarding being able to detect a pressed book:

 

It's not hard to tell. Focus on the spine. If it's been pressed the spine is razor sharp. Also hold the comic up vertically so you can see directly into its pages. I pressed comic looks very thin then a normal one. After a few comparisons you'll spot them quicker than you can say magnanimous swinging melons.

Could I take a poll amongst the folks who participated in the pressing project to confirm if this is true, particularly regarding the spine of a pressed book being "razor sharp" and the book looking "thinner"? After seeing your pressed books in person, and knowing what they looked like before, would you be confident in your ability to spot pressed books going forward?

 

I've gone through this thread and the original pressing project thread and couldn't find anyone (including quite a few participants who are no friends of Matt or pressing) who reported finding such telltale signs. (By "thinner", I'm assuming that the poster was not talking about books with spine roll that have been pressed to lie flat).

 

Please limit your response to these question, folks. This is not intended to be a pressing debate.

 

That can be true if someone presses incorrectly. I have seen pressing results (not by Matt) where the book looked totally pancaked after pressing. But for the kind of pressing technique Matt uses, it's completely wrong and you will not see any of these signs. Plus, Comicdey's post completely ignores the fact that you can use localized pressing to remove edge bends and the spine and the other 99% of the book will never be under any kind of pressure, so a flattened spine is not a possibility. Conversely, I have seen low grade late 1950s books (such as some of the early reader copies of Brave and the Bold that I've bought in the last year or so) that have completely pancaked appearances simply by virtue of being thin, old books that have lost their natural suppleness and have been stored in a stack for decades. They are flat enough that if you blindly followed Comicdey's advice, you'd think they were pressed -- but they aren't.

 

Please direct me to the "advice" that I've been providing regarding pressing. I thought I was just giving opinions on the three books that I had pressed in the experiment. If I gave any advice....I have since lost it in this lengthy or other lengthy threads. I don't think I ignored the fact that you can provide localized pressing to get rid of problems......

 

Are you confusing me with someone else

 

Whoops! I mixed up your name with someone else's. Sorry.

 

 

It's ok, we've all done it.

 

I can say that none of the three that I sent have a knife edge spine or look squished, and if you didn't know any better, most collectors if not all collectors would not be able to tell if they'd been pressed, except for the fact that they look so darn nice.....unusually so.

 

Other defects like on my planet #21 would be a telltale sign the book had to be pressed to look as flat as it does now, because no book will have a tide line without some additional warbling from water.

 

I say if you want to know if a books been pressed, you have to look at the overall characteristics of the book, and make a judgement call. If it's a tough call and you're not sure, then 95% of all collectors would not be sure as well.

 

I was pleased with my three experiement books...

 

would I get another book pressed, probably....

 

would I disclose the pressing, definately...

 

My 2 cents.

 

Comicdey.....

[tth2]

Buy a book to be pressed and send it in. That way you can see the results for yourself.

I didn't participate in Matt's free deal.

 

I figured with something like 20 participants in the project that we had a pretty good database here to put this issue to bed once and for all, but so far only Comicdey has responded.

[Red Hook]

Can I go look at my books on Monday? I wanted to take the weekend off......

 

Besides, in the examples that Matt worked on, I believe he only did spot pressing of covers.......I know for sure that's what he did with my three examples. He didn't do any disassemble-first-pressing as far as I know.

[batman_fan]

I had Matt work on two books for me, a Star Spangled 7 and a Daredevil Battles Hitler 1. Both books were pressed and you can't tell by looking at the spines. On the Star Spangled, you can tell the pressing becasue it had a spine roll and pressing can leave tell-tell signs which is the case for this book. The Daredevil Battles Hitler is real hard to tell, but you still can because a crease on the cover shows the signs of pressing, but very subtile. I did not expect the work to be invisible after the work so I was very pleased with his work. If there is some interest, I could bring the books to Wondercon this next year ...

 

I have also seen books pressed poorly and the spine does give it away. These books will end up in blue label holders the same as an unpressed book will with no notes and I suspect no downgrade on the condition.