Max Marbles Bookbinder

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Ruby Coleman, a professional genealogist, from North Platte, Nebraska has offered some great pros and cons for joining a local genealogical society. With the phenomenon of the internet some think there isn’t a great need for genealogical societies, but Coleman suggests, “if you feed them, they will come”. In her compelling post she cites the pros and cons of joining a genealogy society. Please visit Ruby Coleman’s Genealogy Lines and read, “Joining A Genealogy Society”.

The Family Bible is typically 12 x10 by 4 inches. The Bible was most likely published between 1840 and 1900. In the beginning of this Family Bible period the covers were flat with little embossment if any. Later Family Bibles from 1870 are most often deeply embossed and have panels stamped in gold. More often than not the later Bibles paper can be more embrittled than earlier Bibles. Paper was mass-produced with more harsh chemicals after the beginning of the industrial revolution. Earlier Bibles tend to be single columned content where newer ones of the late Victorian will be double columned. These later Bibles often have glossaries, maps and illustrated sections in the front of the Bible.
Why is this family relic in poor condition? Family Bibles like everything else suffer the passage of time, but the biggest threats to the Bible are heat, humidity and light. That is not to say that some of these venerable giants have simply been worn-out by use. There are usually many forensic signs of heavy usage such as, food and debris in the gutters, ear-marked pages from heavy use, hair braids to corsages stuffed between pages, torn and bumped covers and finally the general rubs and abrasions of prolonged use. But suffering all this, again a Bibles great enemies are heat, humidity and light.
The effects of these three conditions do more to age and breakdown the substance of Bibles than anything else. From what materials are a Bible made? First, the papers in earlier Bibles are a cotton, linen or a mix of the two. These fibers are very long lived and as an example a pure linen paper can easily last over 500 years. Later, the pages were pulped using tree fibers and harsh chemicals. Thats why I said older paper is likely to be in better condition because of the quality of materials. Older Bibles may have one or two different papers, typically one kind for illustrations and the other for text. Later Bibles have a change of papers like a model in a fashion show. For example the illustrations, the title page and interleafing tissue, the text paper, the Family Record pages, more text paper and at the back heavy paper lined board where photographs are inserted.
Family Bibles are made with leather. Again owing to radical changes in the production techniques, earlier Bibles tend to have longer lasting leather and newer ones can become powdery and tattered. For the most part all Bibles were covered in calf. There are examples of cloth bindings for Bibles, too. These were the poor families option. In late Victorian clothbound Bibles there is a likelihood of poor paper, too.
Hide glue was used to along with linen thread to bind the Bibles. Hide glue is only good for about a hundred years before it becomes brittle. Hide glue also can be acidic. It is not unusual to see the spine of the Bible parting from the glue having shrunk and separated from the paper. Because of the shear weight of the Family Bible, all these materials bound together properly can last for centuries, if one fails the whole Bible will soon fall apart.
With the ingredients of leather, cotton, hide glue and linen we see in its composition that this is a rather organic system. In some ways it is miraculous they dont get eaten by vermin and pets! Take any of these materials and nail them to an outside post and youll witness a rather quick degradation to dust! So then, what can we do to prolong these precious heirlooms?

Nothing lasts forever, at least in a physical form. Family Bibles after 100 years generally can use the services of a professional bookbinder. With the proper restoration and conservation, this heirloom can reasonably last another 100 years. Use caution in selecting a good conservator and your family will enjoy and treasure your Family Bible for many more generations.

Posted in Uncategorized, bible, conservation, embrittle paper, family bible, mylar, paper, paper mending, wedding certificate | Leave a comment

If you have an old wedding certificate it may have been kept rolled and could have become quite brittle. What is the best method of unrolling the document?
To simply force the document open can cause weak folds and creases to break. In order to safely treat the document its a good idea to rehydrate and raise the moisture content of the paper. How do you do this?
The dry embrittled fibers of old paper documents can be relaxed by slowly raising the amount of moisture in the paper. The size of the document will dictate how large a container is needed. A plastic ice chest will serve for most purposes. The basic idea is to place the paper into a moist environment without it actually getting it wet. In a plastic ice chest fill with about 2 inches of distilled water. Find something that will serve as a rack on which to place the rolled document. You want to place the paper on the rack and close the ice chest. Don’t choose a rack that might rust and stain the paper. Use great caution in not allowing the paper to get wet. Use great caution in not allowing the paper to get wet.
Once enclosed the moisture of the paper will raise its water content over a few hours to a few days. Check the paper for a feel as to its flexibility and how relaxed it has become. Remove from the chest and with care start to unroll the certificate, place some non-abrasive weights on the ends where you start to unroll. Stop this process if the paper has not yet become hydrated enough and return to the ice chest for more time. If it is responding without damage continue until it is flat and place weighted objects on the four corners. Blotting paper is an excellent material to sandwich the document. With adequate sized boards you can then sandwich the document and blotting paper. With this laying nice and flat add weight to the top. As the document dries in the blotting paper it will also dry flat with little or no warping.
A word of caution: This process can cause much greater damage if rushed and forcibly opened. Take your time. If you get to a point where it doesn’t seem to be working…STOP. Call a conservator.
With the document flattened and dry, you may now want to look to its mending and encapsulation. Handling a document in this weakened state can also cause irreparable damage. Mylar or polyester sheets can encase the document and then careful handling will give you the chance to study the contents of the document.

Posted in blotting paper, embrittle paper, encapsulation, hydration, mylar, paper, paper mending, rolled document, wedding certificate | Leave a comment

Based in Salem, Oregon, Max Marbles/Bookbinder offers book, paper and fine art restoration to clients throughout the USA and abroad.
We concentrate on a comprehensive, high quality service at competitive rates and provide a full range of conservation and restoration services. These include work for individuals and institutions and may be an individual project or numerous and varied as might be the case in disaster recovery from fire or flood.
We would be pleased to assist you with any restoration and conservation question you might like to discuss.
Max Marbles/Bookbinder was established in 1977 and has been in its present location at Mission Mill Museum for 22 years. Our site is spacious, well-lit and equipped with the tools and materials necessary to complete restorations in proper order. Our site is alarmed and our security is excellent, including a large fire and waterproof safe.
For more information on our services please contact us from this website or from the information at the bottom of the page.