I have an old book from the 60s with a paper slip cover that’s a bit torn. I’d like to repair it do the tears don’t get worse.
Is there a special tape I could get? I know Scotch tape yellows and cracks and can mark paper.
Is there a flexible, non-acidic tape for this type of repair?
Not an expert (though I did work in a library when I was in high school and did repair books there - though I wasn’t the one to buy the tape), but I would assume that these are good options:
If you want something that’s archive-quality, I’d recommend calling your local library, or someone who does antique restorations. Otherwise, the suggested made in the last post are probably adequate.
The Scotch Book Tape should work fine. Besides the 2" tape there is also 3" and 4" wide:
Archival tapes:
Lineco makes a wide array of book-specific tapes, just pick out the right one for you. They’re really nice products.
I’m not an archivist nor any form of professional. I’ve been using Scotch 845 Book Tape since 1992 for certain pages and volumes of material I maintain for reference purposes. None show any sign of failure or discoloration.
Strangely, Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Tape is acid free, but 845 Book Tape is not.
A follow up comment. I use 845 tape as a permanent reinforcement to page edges that will be comb bound into books. Thus in my application it not usually applied to a printed part of paper. I’ll stand by it’s durability and lack of discoloration but gotpasswords comment made me realize my application does not care about your acid-free preference.
Thanks for all the replies, everyone. Sorry for not checking in; that pesky real-life thing!
Thanks for all the suggestions. Will start doing some on-line hunting.
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