how to "fix" water-damaged paper?

[AmirBagachelles]

did I read here or on the old BNBB that water damaged paper (dried, wavy, pages stuck together) could be soaked and baked between sheets of glass, offering some potential salvage value? If so, can anybody offer a link or pointer? Thanks -

[Brandon Burke]

I can help you with this but I'm out the door to a dinner party. Gimme some time.....

[Brandon Burke]

Hey, I swear I'm working on this but time is tight. We have a a ton of tapes to digitize right now. I can tell you that the LAST thing you want to do is puit anything in the oven. At least as far as paper is concerned. Placing paper in an oven is a method of artificial aging so, by definition, it's not a restoration method.

Roughly speaking, what you're going to want to do is remoisten the paper and press it. DO NOT proceed until you've have more concrete documentation, however. I have been unable to find treatment links online, otherwise I'd have sent you something by now. You will only want to moisten the paper enough to be cold to the touch. I mean, barely noticable. You would achieve this by placing it in a damp environment or in contact with a damp item NOT by spraying it with a spray bottle, etc.

Anyways, I'm working on it. Sorry........

Edited January 12, 2004 by Brandon Burke

[AmirBagachelles]

thanks!! I'm tuned in, waiting for the public svc announcements to end and for the program to return....

[Brandon Burke]

Say.....for the record, what exactly do you have? Is it a loose sheet of paper or an entire volume? When did the damage occur? Did it affect all areas of the sheet/volume? If it is a volume, are the pages indeed stuck together? That kind of stuff......