In a common drinking glass, place one teaspoonful of egg albumen, to be had at any book bindery, and two teaspoonfuls of vinegar, add half a glass of water and let this stand over night. The next day, add two teaspoonfuls of binders’ paste, stir thoroughly, and it is ready for use. With a sponge give the cleaned books one coat of this mixture and again stand on end to dry. This mixture will not make the covers as shiny as does shellac or varnish, but will cover the surface well and protect it. It will be sticky when first put on.
Leather decay. Leather bindings which show signs of decay may be treated to an application of vaseline or olive oil, or a solution of paraffin wax in twice its weight of castor oil, slightly warmed. Rub in well with fingers or cloth. The progress of decay can in some cases be stopped by this means.
Labels. Take off and replace with fresh ones all torn and badly soiled back labels. To do this, apply to them a mixture of two parts water and one part ammonia. After they are soaked enough to come off very easily, take them off with a dull knife. In most cases let the water remain on the label for several minutes. To scratch off the label without soaking it first will often injure the book. Labels that have been varnished are sometimes very difficult to remove and great care should be exercised with them.
Replacing labels. Follow method used in putting them on when book is new, except that it is not necessary to moisten with ammonia and water the place on which the label is to go. Use Dennison’s round gummed label, of a size small enough to rest entirely on the back of the book. Never let a label extend over and around the edge of the back. For quite small books trim the label. Moisten the gum slightly and press and work it down carefully until it has set all over. This is very essential. Mark the book with indelible ink. Cover label with quite thin white shellac. The shellac should extend a little onto the book beyond the label all around. Let the first coat dry thoroughly and then apply a second.
Labels on the sides of books. If the cover is durabline or keratol, first put a coat of shellac on the place where the label is to be placed. Allow this to dry. Paste and put on the label, rubbing it down thoroughly. Allow it to dry and give it a coat of shellac. If the cover is cloth, use ammonia and water instead of shellac before putting on the label.
Loose leaves. If the loose leaves are illustrations in an ordinary novel, take them out and send them to the picture department. Replace other pictures with a guard of Japanese mending tissue. This tissue takes up less space than bond paper and must always be cut with the grain of the paper or it cannot well be handled. Rub the tissue down, first laying over it a piece of paper.
Single leaves can be inserted in three different ways:
1. Fold half-inch strips of bond paper in the center lengthwise along the grain. With a small brush apply paste to the outside of this strip. Attach half of it to the edge of the loose leaf and the other half to the adjoining leaf, close in by the fold. Cover the strip with paste evenly, but sparingly and quickly, stretching it as little as possible. If it does stretch, and it tends to do so as soon as moistened, it will when dry wrinkle the page to which it is attached. Loose leaves should be attached in this way only in books which are in good condition.
2. Draw a soft piece of twine over a board which has received a thin coat of paste; then pull this cord through the back of the book where the loose leaf is to be inserted. This leaves in the book just enough paste to hold in the loose leaf. Work the loose leaf carefully back into its place, close the back and let it dry. This method is not advised for general use.