Pressing Comics

Sure, I will. I've pressed several thousand books over the last 7 years, and have gotten results that has pleased most of my customers. I'm firmly of the opinion, through experience, that good pressing is far more than just having the right equipment and the right "recipes"...it takes the proper temperament, talent, wisdom, and discipline to do it well. Any can toss a book into a press...that's not hard. But gently coaxing a book into doing what you want it to, while simultaneously avoiding additional damage, is a skill that not many people have, or, more importantly, can develop.

A lot of people don't know what they're doing, and many don't know what they're talking about. For example: a poster on the CBCS board, who does not press, and, to my knowledge, has never pressed, attempted to call me out because I stated that usually some form of moisture is used in the process.

However, as paper conservationists have known for decades, if not centuries, moisture, some form of humidity, is necessary to relax the cellulose fibers which makes up paper.

In this book, for example, they discuss techniques for flattening rolled paper:

books.google.com/books/about/Preservation_and_Conservation_for_Librar.html?id=IXRDD2npRboC

And here, the National Park Service (oddly enough) discusses different methods of humidification:

www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/13-02.pdf

And, here, a conservator discusses bathing fine art (yes, BATHING!):

hammer.ucla.edu/blog/2016/09/learning-from-our-paper-conservator/

And, of course, the gut-bending saga of how to flatten painted paper...including (GASP!) watercolors:

www.strathmoreartist.com/blog-reader/how-to-flatten-a-buckled-painting.html

And, of course, moisture is used in the process to MAKE paper in the first place.

What was frustrating, to a small degree, is that in that conservation, no one else...not even the supposed "professional" presser...said anything to this person, withholding information out of a combination of personal animus and professional jealousy (that is, jealously guarding "how to" information), instead of acknowledging that, yes, this is indeed part of the process. That attitude is what does the most damage, because erroneous information not challenged spreads and becomes entrenched in the minds of some.

In that specific case, how many people will say "oh, well, so and so replied to such and such that you never introduce moisture to a book, and I don't like such and such, so so and so must be right"...even subconsciously? And, someone who may, in fact, have become a quality presser is severely hampered by the ignorant assertions of someone, which assertions aren't challenged by anyone else, even the so-called "professionals", and bad or inferior results are inevitable.

But I'm willing to share a good deal of information, because...again...a great presser is born, not made.

And pressing is just barely scratching the surface of paper conservation, which is a rich and deep field of study. People spend their whole lives learning and improving techniques for paper conservation. It is, in my opinion, a fascinating and rewarding field.

This is a good discussion.

I'm probably going to remain silent on the subject for various reasons, but I encourage you all to flesh this out as much as you want. At the very least, I think there's a need for some basic guidance to avoid damaging comic books - especially given the rise in the use of pressing over the last few years. In the past, I've seen novices and so-called 'experts' alike make serious mistakes due to a lack of education and experience, so I think it's a great topic of discussion.


Note:
I was going to spend a little time reorganizing this forum today. I intend to break out 'Grading & Restoration' from the general section to give it more emphasis, so I will probably move this thread to that section when I get done.

What damage do you speak of? Damage to the presser's wallet? If you mean damage to the institution of pressing, then I'm all for it.



Then in this case misinformation is a good thing. I hope more potentially good pressers initially mess up so bad they leave the hobby entirely. The less pressers the better (which is true even if you're pro-pressing).



I love the spin here. Yeah, all those guys on the slab company boards are worried about long-term paper conservation Is the Library of Congress pressing comic books now?

Cool, I'm never sure what's secret and what's not with you. Is there somewhere I can read about your feelings on pressing? Is there a Cliff's Notes version?

I'm a firm believer this book would CPR to a 9.2- The right side looks like edge tears, but it's just uneven because it needs a press.  Lousy pic- I really need a slab friendly, legal size printer.

I thought I explained it pretty well...it's the part that follows "because"...here, I'll paste it: "because erroneous information not challenged spreads and becomes entrenched in the minds of some."

...and the damage is damaged books, and people who might otherwise be high quality pressers being held back.



That's a stupid argument. If you don't like restoration, you'd better find a new hobby, which only consists of you buying new things straight off the shelf.





You can call it "spin" all you want; paper conservation was a "thing" for a hundred years prior to slabbing, and will be a thing for hundreds of years after the last comic has disintegrated into dust. I don't give two s about other people on slab company boards and their motives; I only care about MY motives.

You can continue to on pressing; the reality is, however, that restoration of all kinds, including pressing, is just as valid and legitimate an endeavor as restoring cars, houses, paintings, tapestries, and the like. Is there financial motive for doing so? Of course. There's also financial motive to get up and go to work in the morning. That doesn't mean you can't love your work, too, or that you're a sellout if you don't and are just doing it for the money.

This thread was seriously going Off-Topic so I moved the OT posts to The Off-Topic Thread in the moderation area.

You guys can continue to fight in there if you want...knock yourselves out...just don't do it in here.

Help make America great again...keep it neat and tidy...one thread at a time.