Cleaning radio related books.
 

Not sure if this is in the correct place to ask so here goes.

I am looking for some ideas on how to clean some very old Harmsworth's wireless Encyclopaedia. I have three volumes, very interesting reading, to say they are about 100 years old they are in fair condition, Mick.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

What needs cleaning? If it's the outer covers then I'd suggest just a light dusting with a can of dry air [as used for cleaning computers/keyboards] - perhaps also with a bit of brushing with a bristle paintbrush to help dislodge any long-accreted dust.

The pages themselves may well be 'foxed', that being the technical term for the reddish, vaguely-rust-like discolouration that comes from acids within the paper reacting with air - old paper can become embrittled this way. Controlled humidity is important for long-term storage.

And remember that the glues used historically in book-binding often contained either animal-based protein-glue [they boiled-down old horses to make it] or starch - both of which can attract insects - the famed 'book-worms' and equally-nasty book-lice - who see old books as a tasty meal! If you have either of these then freezing, or storage in an atmosphere of pure CO2 are the archivist's favourite cures.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

I have a few 100+ year old books that still smell of tobacco, they are in fine condition probably because of the insectsidal qualities of nicotine. They are a bit grubby from use but I find that a lovely bit of their history and, apart from dusting/wiping, haven't cleaned them.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Thanks for the replies ,I was looking for something to feed the leather ,Mick.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Dubbin is the best.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Or if you are a Repair Shop viewer, it has to be saddle soap.

Des

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

I've not seen a copy of Harmsworth in a leather binding - mine is in blue publisher's cloth - but if it is leather and you're likely to have further uses for the stuff I'd recommend Renapur Balsam:

https://renapur.com/product/renapur-...-balsam-200ml/

I'm about half way down a pot I've had for around 30 years, and was using it just this morning to refresh the half-leather bindings of seven volumes dating from 1831.

Paul

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Probably worth making sure it is actually leather. Many years ago I acquired ( for £5) a complete set of the 1910-11 edition of the Encyclopaedia Brittannica. It is a cheap set, I think published on reduced sized-pages in the early 1920's using very thin paper and with imitation leather covers. The boards are made of a cardboard that is now in an advanced process of disintegration. Having learned how to do bookbinding at evening class a few years ago I am in the process of making new covers, but I have restored and re-covered a number of old books for friends.

One was an Edwardian book with a heavily-embossed bookcloth cover that was rather grubby. For that I cleaned the covers by gently scrubbing with a nail brush dipped into a dilute washing-up liquid solution to clean out the grime from the embossing, positioning a sheet of plastic between the cover being cleaned and the endpapers first to prevent the pages from getting wet. It cleaned up well. No experience with genuine leather.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Yes, around the time of the Harmsworth encyclopedia there were some quite convincing imitations in use - there still are now, though today's would mostly be plastic-based, or the halfway house of "bonded leather" which has ground-up actual leather among its ingredients. Identifying actual leather is made easier with a book that's a little damaged, so there are places where the surface is either abraded or peeling slightly - fraying cloth presents a quite different appearance. Book leathers are various, I've used the Renapur balsam on bindings from the early 1700s to the 1950s, both smooth (typically calfskin) and grained (often goat): just about anything other than suede.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

Having had a closer look ,emeritus is correct they are not leather ,but still need rejuvenating ,I wondered about using leather cream for car seats ,Mick.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

If it is water tolerant, good old foaming cleaner is magic stuff.

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

I just googled 'restoring book leather', here's your answer:

https://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/clea...causing-damage

Re: Cleaning radio related books.
 

But be careful not to drop a volume of Harmsworth in the bath while you're reading it, or the pages will go all crinkly when they dry out...

Paul