What to do to fix and repair a damage old comic book?
Restoring comics is a crafty art that involves the use of non-original materials in attempt to return a comic book to its known state.
With the use of chemicals and physical alterations, it aims to repair the damages caused by time, dirt & dust, and other results of keen reading to make it look as new as possible.
Easy steps on how to restore your comic books
Comic book restoration often requires the expertise and skills of comic restoration experts and professionals. Especially when dealing with collectible and rare ones.
However, if you intend to restore your comics to keep an intact and readable collection, here are easy to follow tips on how you can handle minimal damages.
- Wipe your comics. Dust and grime build up damages the gloss and color of your comic book pages. Gently remove the dirt with the use of a soft brush, soft cloth, or cotton.
- Carefully remove damaged and rusty staples using a staple remover or a straight pin. Make sure not to rip off connected pages then staple them back together.
- Using a soft white eraser gently rid of the smudges from the pages of your comic book. Do not forget to brush off the excess eraser dust.
- Repair tears and holes with a rice paper. Fill in the holes and tears on opposite sides. Cover the rice paper with wax paper before turning the pages. This will prevent them to stick together.
After fixing all the pages, weigh down your comic book with something heavy, like a phonebook or an encyclopedia to keep the pages smooth and even while it dries.
- When done with your comic book repair, properly store your comic books. Place them away from direct light sources, heat, and humidity to preserve its now improved condition.
Comic book restoration online
- Repair tears and holes with a rice paper. Fill in the holes and tears on opposite sides. Cover the rice paper with wax paper before turning the pages. This will prevent them to stick together.
After fixing all the pages, weigh down your comic book with something heavy, like a phonebook or an encyclopedia to keep the pages smooth and even while it dries.
- When done with your comic book repair, properly store your comic books. Place them away from direct light sources, heat, and humidity to preserve its now improved condition.
Comic book restoration online
• Comic book infilling – also known as comic book piece replacement. This is a process of adding pieces to areas with missing paper. A piece replacement material may be in a form of non original paper such as wood, cotton, fiber papers, paper from a donor comic book, or color copied pieces.
• Comic book re glossing – the process of enhancing the comic’s cover gloss by applying art fixodent spray.
• Comic book spine reinforcement & spine split sealing – uses reinforcement paper (usually cotton fiber papers or wood) and adhesive to reinforce or seal a weak page on the comics or the comic’s spine.
• Comic book tear sealing – the process of sealing tears and dents a comic book with the use of an adhesive; it could be a cellulose, chemical, or protein based glue.
Make sure to check of the online comic book restoration site’s feedbacks and reputation before entrusting your comic collections to them.
