how to "unstuck" pages

Basya

Wed, May 28 2008, 6:28 pm

I have a book/sefer that is worth alot and unfortunately it got ruined in a flood. alot of the pages are stuck together on the bottom- does anyone have any ideas how to unstick the pages without tearing them?

greenfire

Wed, May 28 2008, 6:33 pm

hm - I would think of using some steam ... Idea

cassandra

Wed, May 28 2008, 6:39 pm

Usually what you do with a wet book is put it in the freezer and it helps so that the pages won't stick. Once it has already dried it's much more difficult to unstick and most likely there is mold there too. I think you should take it to a professional book conservationist because only they can tell you if it is salvageable or not, and they can fix it, do mold treatment, etc.

greenfire

Wed, May 28 2008, 6:41 pm

not really sure ...

over a steaming pot of water ... slowly prying one page apart at a time ...

does your iron have a burst of steam ... could be that would help ...

cassandra

Wed, May 28 2008, 6:43 pm

Steam might help if you just want to be able to read the book, but if you want to keep the book in good condition (so that it remains valuable) then steam isn't a good idea to do on your own.