FossilDAWG Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 A couple of days ago I discovered that a water leak had soaked a stack of reprints in my basement. After drying, I was able to tease some pages apart, they are wrinkled and a bit discolored but readable. However some of the reprints are quite stuck together. In particular, the cover pages (which are a heavier/glossier paper) are stuck, almost like they are glued, so the cover of one reprint is firmly attached to the next. I tried to use a butter knife to get them separated but the paper is too attached so one side or the other rips. Does anyone know how to unstick paper like this without too much damage? Maybe steam? Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Bummer. I bet there is good info for this one online...google it. I hope it is even possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 if it is a cheap pulp paper probably not "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I am told with postage stamp sheets sticking together - put them in the freezer. That may be worth a try. Good luck. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Well there is a lot on google, and it's all very discouraging. It turns out glossy paper is sealed with a binder, and when that gets wet it turns into glue. Once the pages have dried, they are a solid block of glue and nothing will separate them. The only hope is, if the pages are not too stuck, they might be separated using a teflon blade. A few of the reprints seem not too stuck so that might be worth a try, but others are a solid block that I can't even bend and they are likely a total loss. I'll try the freezer trick but I'm not too hopeful. That sometimes works for stamps because the moisture in the freezer penetrates and solublizes the glue, but for pages with printed text or photos the ink will transfer to the opposite page. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I would also try the steam on those that look like a total loss. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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