Is there a recipe and process for re-sizing washed book pages?

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I washed some badly stained pages of a book I’m working to restore. However, after washing the pages seem limp and thin.  What is the process for re-sizing washed book pages or prints?  Is there a recipe for either Methyl Cellulose or Gelatin sizing?

John Flynn

 

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Asked on January 8, 2020 5:23 pm
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A simple recipe is to mix a half teaspoon of Methyl Cellulose powder into 2 cups of very hot water and stir like crazy. (the water should be clean obviously) 
Maybe add a bit more of the powder if you double or triple this recipe. The actual recipe calls for .527 teaspoons per 2 cups.
Keep it in a sealed container after it cools down. Pour out a bit into a separate container instead of dipping directly into it.
 
Fortuitously, I just started carrying Methyl Cellulose powder on this website. It is 2.5 Tablespoons for $4.99
To really take care of your pages you could get fancy and add calcium hydroxide to change the pH but then you should really get exact and figure what is needed precisely through chemical analysis. This is what Conservators are for!

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Answered on January 12, 2020 2:44 pm
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