So my dad just bought me this old book (1889) and i want to remove this tape that some dumbass put there on the cover front. Back cover was completely detached so i suppose that also the front cover is but i managed to glue it back with no issues.
Any of you has experience in restoring old leather books? Just look for an advice on how to remove the tape without damaging the leather. My father told me to try with steam or rubbing alcohol but i think it'll damage the leather, or worse, the pages.
For anyone interested the book is "Manuale di Filotea" written by Giuseppe Riva in Italian. It's basically a collection of prayers to the Virgin Mary, the saints and how to pray in general. I'll post another picture.
Why are you italian
just use a heat gun or hair dryer
if it's too hot to touch after heating it up then it's too hot
Wd-40. Seriously. Or some other kind of oil, vegetable or mineral.
Jesus Christ what moron fixes antiques with fricking tape?
Every single librarian ever. Standard procedure for detaching covers, glue won’t hold for long, tape reinforces it and prevents further deterioration.
try with vaseline, it's good for leather and being oily it may detach the tape too
>Every single moron ever
ftfy. tape leave yellow stains when the glue dries and it's horrible to see in general. Just reinforce it with a piece of japanese paper glued from the inside ffs
>Every single librarian ever. Standard procedure for detaching covers, glue won’t hold for long, tape reinforces it and prevents further deterioration.
The tape used by decent librarians is thicker than standard tape, and more importantly, acid free, which is not typical of regular clear adhesive tape or packing tape.
Also, the books librarians tape, are typically cheap paperbacks, which are either purchased because the library has no budget, or because crappy paperbacks are all that is readily available for a particular title when the library decided to purchase that book.
Since paperbacks tend to have a crappy lifespan anyway, using “tape” is less of an issue.
The decent sewn hardcover books which used to be standard when a title first got released, where generally not taped, they would have a cover made from a transparent plastic acid free film, that would be discretely attached to the book.
And fully removable.
You like collecting old things don’tcha?
Look up how to make a humidity chamber (two plastic bins) and let that book sit in there for a few hours. Then slowly try to remove the tape with a plastic knife or other small tool. Then use something like alcohol (or alcohol mixed with water) to get the remaining tape glue off. (use a paper towel or something so the water/alcohol does not sit on the surface for too long) The leather is already fricked due to age and poor storage. As long as you don't scratch the leather off or soak it in water, that tape will come off easy. Then you can make a choice on how to rebind the book, use mulberry paper, or use a leather moisturizer or some shit to stabilize the cover.
>humidity chamber (two plastic bins) and let that book sit in there for a few hours.
so moisturize the whole book? that's a problem for the paper
>The leather is already fricked due to age and poor storage.
that leather looks fine, just need a bit of restoration. Why do you suggest to destroy the only valuable asset of that book?
maybe you know what your talking about, but those sound like terrible advices
Heat it up a wee bit (leave it in the sun) and take the tape off carefully, it's leather not paper
It might leave a residue but that's just the way it is, alcohol will absolutely remove any finish from the leather and likely stain the paper so the best you could do to not get your hands sticky after is dust it or something
The tape is already on there, leave it alone and don't frick up the book any further. Done. I can't believe nobody's said this yet.
Anon the tape is so the book doesn't fall apart
Rip that shit off like a beyblade
i wouldn't apply anything on it that did not exist, in the exact form, in the time it was made.
i don't even put rubbing alcohol on antiques and fakes because they add unnecessary shit to alcohol even if it's microscopic.
maybe brush some chalk on the underside little by little to reduce the adhesion. it's relatively non-invasive, doesn't penetrate the leather and you can tell where there's residue of tape gum because it will pick up the chalk.
Not op and not a leather book cover, but would also like advice on how to remove dried sticker glue from hardwood shelves (picrel).
Alcohol if the finish isn't affected by it (test it in a hidden spot), if not just rub it with a wet rag until it's gone
>wet rag
That won't work; it's literally rock hard, been there for decades...
>Isopropyl
Will try that, but have doubts, due to above.
Being hardwood, I'm wondering if just scrapping then sanding and refinishing won't be the best option.
Try wd-40. let it soak for a bit. Might have to work the edges of the tape with a soft plastic scraper to not damage the finish underneath.
Might try, thx, but won't that stain the wood, though?
Everything failing, I'll just turn the shelves around and hide it; out of sight, out of mind...
I have used DeSolv-It with good success on all kinds of tape. Don't know if it will stain leather. You could try it in an inconspicuous place. The key to remove any tape is to do it s-l-o-w-l-y. The viscosity of the glue gives to slow, steady pressure. That tape looks like packing tape. Maybe heat from a hair drier to soften and slow pressure. Residue can be removed by successive applications of Scotch tape which binds to the adhesive and then puls it off. I have never found alcohol effective to remove tape. Good luck, anon
To the guys recommending WD-40. I agree it's good for getting tape off hard surfaces however leather is porous and I would worry about staining it. I have had i stain cloth, for example.
If I recall, tetrachloroethylene is safe on leather and should lift most common packing tape adhesives. Now, where to source that stuff... Your mileage may vary.
Just take it to a conservator .