Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Douglas Cockerell with Drawings by Noel Rooke and other
Illustrations New York 1902
Bookbinding Chapter IV Part 3
cold water will be found to take out some stains if the paper is left in it for
some hours. Then the paper is removed from the solution, it must be
thoroughly washed in running water. It is important that the hydrochloric
acid used should be pure, as the commercial quality (spirits of salts) often
contains sulphuric acid.
The following recipes are quoted from De l’ organization et de l’
administation des Bibliothèques, par Fules Cusin:-
To remove stains from paper:-“Mud Stains.- To take away these kinds of
stains, spread some soap jelly very evenly over the stained places, and leave it
there for thirty or forty minutes, according to the depth of the stain. Then
dip the sheet in clean water, and then having spread it on a perfectly clean
table, remove the soap lightly with a hog’s hair brush or a fine sponge; all the
mud will disappear at the same time. Put the sheet into the clear water
again, to get rid of the last trace of soap. Let it drain a little, press it lightly
between two sheets of blotting-paper, and finish by letting it dry slowly in a
dry place in the shade.
“Stains of Tallow, Stearine, or Fat.- To take away these stains cover them
with blotting-paper and pass over them a warm flat-iron. When the paper
has soaked up the grease, change it and repeat the operation until the stains
have been sufficiently removed. After that, touch both sides of the sheets
where they have been stained with a brush dipped in essence of turpentine
heated to boiling-point. Then to restore the whiteness of the paper, touch
the places which were stained with a piece of fine linen soaked in purified
spirits of wine warmed in the water-bath. This method may also be
employed to get rid of sealing-wax stains.
“Oil Stains. – Make a mixture of 500 gr. Of soap, 300 gr. Of clay, 60 gr. Of
quick-lime, and sufficient water to make it of the right consistency, spread a
thin layer of this on the stain, and leave it there about a quarter of an hour.
Then dip the sheet in a bath of hot water; take it out, and let it dry slowly.
“You can also use the following method, generally employed for finger-
marks:-
Sheets of very old books are best left with the stains of age upon them,
excepting, perhaps, such as can be removed with hot water or size. Nearly
all stains can be removed, but in the process old paper is apt to lose more in
character than it gains in appearance.
“Finger-marks. – These stains are sometimes very obstinate. Still they can
generally be mastered by the following method: - Spread over them a layer of
white soap jelly (savon blanc en gelée), and leave it there for some hours.
Then remove this with a fine sponge dipped in hot water, and more often
than not all the dirt disappears at the same time. If this treatment is not
sufficient, you might replace the soap jelly by soft soap (savon noir), but you
must be careful not to leave it long on the printing, which might decompose
and run, and that would do more harm than good.”
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