Stuck-together paper.

[Nick Odell]

There's lots of contradictory advice on t'internet about how to separate sheets of paper stuck together by damp. The advice ranges from freezing (to turn the moisture to ice crystals) to heating it up, ironing it, even soaking in water. Have you done this before? What actually worked for you?

I have a 1940s instruction manual printed on glossy paper that I'd like to make usable again. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Nick

[Alan J. Wylie]

I once left a book next to an ornamental indoor water fountain. It leaked. I put the book straight away in a plastic bag in a freezer, once a week I took it out and shook the ice crystals out. After a couple of months it was fine.

It sounds as if your manual may already have been dried. Not sure if anything can be done now. Perhaps soaking it again before freezing?

[newshound]

I wonder if freezing actually works by drying the paper out (with the moisture condensing as frost on the walls).

With glossy paper, it's possibly all become glued together into a solid mass. I think I would start by comprehensive soaking, and then trying to separate pages individually.

[Martin Brown]

Glossy paper spells trouble.

You could try freezing it inside a plastic bag but prayer may be your only realistic option if they have glued themselves together. The surface of glossy paper makes a very fine glue once it gets wet.

Worth looking on the internet. I found a manual for my inherited 1940's Atlas lathe that way as a scan to PDF CD that way.

[Nick Odell]

I tried an internet tip of freezing in a plastic bag. They said for an hour - I left it overnight without success but maybe if I leave it there for a long haul it might freeze-dry it out?

I've put it back in the freezer this afternoon as it is the least-potentially-destructive suggestion so far. I'd really love to hear from someone who says "I had the same problem, I tried this and this worked for me,"

I might do that for the sake of interest but I don't really need a manual. I worked out for myself how to put it all together and use it. It's just that I now have a working piece of kit and it would be quite nice to have it accompanied by a working user manual rather than just these stuck-together bits of paper.

Thanks,

Nick

[Vir Campestris]

You want an archivist. Your local library, or even better a university history/archaeology department's library.

Andy