To dry books that were soaked in a flood or from hosing (as in a
fire) the best known method is to expose them to a vacuum. This
works well in removing the water, I don't know what to do about mold.
Alex
On Jul 1, 2006, at 11:58 AM, David Lennick wrote:
> Tom Fine wrote:
>
>> This is a little OT, but I figure with a list of preservation
>> experts, someone might know the
>> answer. Is it OK to bake a damp/musty-smelling hardcover book to
>> dry it out? If so, is the "warm"
>> (about 130-150 degrees) setting in a conventional oven OK? If not,
>> what's the recommended what to
>> dry it out. I bought some used books that had obviously been in
>> the kind of basement that invites
>> sticky-shed with tapes. I can read 'em as is, but I'd sure like to
>> be rid of that musty smell and
>> damp feeling to the pages. These books are non-valuable ($1 each),
>> so I don't care if they get a
>> little warped, just want them intact to read (ie don't want to
>> ruin the binding).
>>
>> -- Tom Fine
>
> Thought this was going to be a similar situation to the episode of
> "Cheers" where Sam dropped Diane's
> rare book in the bathtub and when dried, it looked like a chia pet.
> Actually if anyone has an answer
> to this or to the related problem of musty record jackets and
> labels (a problem I'm facing with
> records I've been buying from an estate, where there was a flooded
> basement), let us know.
>
> dl
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