# Any way to restore water damaged comic books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803 "2004-09-09T17:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/1 "2004-09-09T17:52:01Z")
Some of my comics were damaged in the recent hurricane. Is there any way to repair them? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/2 "2004-09-09T18:05:50Z")
[Here](http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/primer/waters.html) is a somewhat lengthy article on the restoration of water-damaged library materials. Most of the processes will likely be beyond the scope of your abilities or budget, but there might be some information you can use to effect at least a partial restoration, depending on the nature and extent of the damage. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/3 "2004-09-09T18:49:43Z")
H E Y ! ! Maybe you can get together with this guy!! > **[The practical aspects of making money with time travel](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=275070)** > > Let us imagine that I have $10,000 in seed money and a machine that will transport me (and a small amount of luggage) back in time 50 years. After spending six months in the past, the machine automatically whisks me back to the instant after I first... :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/4 "2004-09-09T22:35:58Z")
When you write that they were damaged, do you mean that the colors ran and they were torn and dirty, or just that they got wet? If they are only wet you may be able to dry them out by placing blotter paper or nonprinted newspapers (if you can get them) between every other sheet. Sit them up and fan out the pages if you can. Mold growth is your biggest risk here. It can be a health hazard as well as damaging the materials. Be certain to turn on a fan and dry them out in a somewhat cool environment with low humidity. If you dry them yourself they will still be crinkly and warped, though you can keep them instead of throwing them out. Be careful turning the wet pages. They may stick together. Don’t use tape to repair torn pages. It will become brittle and make a mess in time. If you want to invest money and get them to dry in better shape than you colud dry them, you could send them to a professional paper conservator. I recommed freezing them while they are still wet if you plan to send them off for treatment. Freezing will halt mold growth and any additional damage. If they got wet and have dried they could still be treated by a paper conservator. It would cost ya though. ---
**Author:** ![Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Never\_to\_be\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_to_be_Queen)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/5 "2004-09-10T00:59:32Z")
I forgot to add that you will need to change the blotter paper in between the pages, as needed. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/6 "2004-09-10T03:27:20Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Some of my comics were damaged in the recent hurricane. Is there any way to repair them? I would first follow **Never to be Queen** ’s advice about freezing them (assuming you’ve got electricity). Then I’d start trying to contact the conservators on the staffs of major university libraries near you. Especially if you hafta run from Ivan, if the comix are frozen (and you can get hold of some dry ice, to keep 'em that way), you can halt further damage until you’ve worked out exactly how you’re going to go about trying to restore them. Even if you decide to attempt it yourself, waiting until you feel sure you completely understand the advice/directions you’re given is a Good Idea. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-restore-water-damaged-comic-books/263803/7 "2004-09-10T12:31:00Z")
Mostly, a water-damaged comic loses all collectors value. If the comic is Golden Age or Silver Age, a preservator _might_ be worth your time. But huge numbers of Modern Age comics have been boarded, bagged & boxed, & **none of them** will **ever** have any collector’s value, because none of them will ever be scarce. If it’s recent, get online & hunt to buy a new one. It’s cheaper in the long run. If it’s an Anthro title, Ed Zolna may be able to help you find a new copy. E-mail him & ask.