Roadsmith
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posted on July 9, 2003 06:22:18 PM
Going through all a deceased relative's things, we came upon some very old prints of photos of towns in Italy, Sicily, and Spain, on plain paper. They've been rolled up tight for 70 to 100 years and I'm thinking they may have some value on ebay.
Is there a method to flatten the sheets that's easier than just unrolling them and putting heavy things on top for a while? I suppose I could try a steam iron on the wrong side. . . . Maybe someone here has a better idea.
[ edited by Roadsmith on Jul 9, 2003 06:23 PM ]
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drcomm
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posted on July 9, 2003 08:14:37 PM
I don't think I'd do the steam iron on them if they are that old, they might just up and disintegrate on you. At the very least I think it would damage the integrity of the paper and cause problems down the road for it.
You can try rolling them gently the opposite direction and leaving them like that for a little while, but other than that I don't know of anything other than laying them flat with heavy objects.
Deana
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Libra63
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posted on July 9, 2003 08:18:52 PM
You can lay them flat then put the free record albums on top of them. That might straighten them out and also put the record albums to good use. BTW how are you coming with them?
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jensmome
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:18:36 PM
Try calling your state university library and ask to speak with the archival librarian. They deal with fragile documents like old rolled maps and architectural drawings and would have some suggestions on how to do this best.
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sparkz
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:27:33 PM
Carefully unroll them in the driveway on a cool day and back your car over them a few times. Sorry, that's the best alternative I could come up with on short notice. Jensmom beat me to it. She's correct, consult with a pro at the Cal State library. You won't get a second chance if you blow it by using the wrong method.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
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kiara
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:30:17 PM
This site has some ideas.
http://loricase.com/faq.html
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ohmslucy
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:35:06 PM
Libra... Touche! Good one!
Hi Adele - Bedlam & chaos reign here... How are you doing?
LOL!
Lucy
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Roadsmith
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:47:48 PM
Lucy: I've been thinking of you with your riot of darlings there.
The records have sold--the ones I put up for auction, anyway. Now I'm wading through old Uncle Ben's 9 big cartons of stuff.
Sparkz--I do like your idea of running over them with the car.
Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. I just realized I have discarded a whole pile of those pictures which are just of art work in museums over there. I could experiment with them a bit.
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ohmslucy
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:51:21 PM
Thrill a minute...
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Roadsmith
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posted on July 9, 2003 09:54:35 PM
OKAY! Here's what I picked up from Kiara's link (and it's a good one; you all might want to take a look too). (The fun part will be trying to "place in humid environment"; we live at 6,000 feet where the humidity hovers around 10%! I might run hot water in the bathtub and set the papers in the closed room near the tub.)
7. I have an old wedding certificate that has been stored rolled up for many years. It is quite brittle.
How can I safely unroll and flatten it?
Often when paper objects have been stored rolled for many years, they become quite brittle. In order to
safely unroll your certificate, moisture needs to be restored to the document (known as humidification).
Placing your document in a humid environment for several hours should make it more flexible, allowing
you to carefully unroll and flatten it. Watch out for ink on the document that migh bleed (don't humidify
it if the ink will run). You may have to experiment with the level of humidity and the amount of time
you leave the document exposed; monitor to make sure it does not get saturated. Attempt to carefully
unroll the document while it is still humid; do not proceed if it resists or begins to crack or tear. You
could then flatten it by placing the document between two pieces of blotting paper, and then place a
heavy object on top for a few days.
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ohmslucy
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posted on July 9, 2003 11:23:22 PM
Adele,
Go to the thrift and pick up a vaporizer. Get it steaming and direct the steam at the papers. Maybe enclose in a box or something??
I'm pretty clueless at the moment but this does come to mind as a possible solution.
Wouldn't tie up the bathroom, either.
Phewww........LOL!
Lucy
Edited because I don't know how to spell "OR"
[ edited by ohmslucy on Jul 9, 2003 11:24 PM ]
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rossperot
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posted on July 10, 2003 06:34:18 AM
I have had good luck by taking the item in the bathroom and then taking a long steaming hot shower. (no exhaust fan) Then flatten. It works for me.
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