Ageing books

[MaddChinaMan]

Hey guys,

I searched and nothing came up. I'm wanting to age a book, like making the book's pages yellow. Anyone have any good tips of doing this? I thought about putting the book in the oven or something or even dying the pages with coffee or tea, but I was wondering if you guys know any other way to do this? Thanks

-Julian

 

[ob1al]

Coffee and water is a great way- put plenty of strong coffee granules in there.

Use a cloth the wipe the coffee over the pages and let each page dry.

It works great - I've made a couple of grail diaries in the past using this method.

 

[MaddChinaMan]

Coffee and water is a great way- put plenty of strong coffee granules in there.

Use a cloth the wipe the coffee over the pages and let each page dry.

It works great - I've made a couple of grail diaries in the past using this method.

how many pages did you do at a time? Is it possible for the pages to stick together? And also does the whole book smell like coffee:lol? Also I want it to be darker around the edges too, maybe go back at the end a use darker color? will it look Natural? Sorry about all the questions Also have anyone ever tried the oven meathod? I'm curious to find out how the results were.

 

[ob1al]

Usually 2 pages at a time for me - 2 sides, let e'm dry, flip them over and do the toher sides. I placed a haevy book on top whilst they were drying to stop them 'crinkling' (is that even a word??)

Yes, the pages can stick together so watch out for that.

You could easily darken the mixture to add detailing at the end, if you want.

 

[MaddChinaMan]

So you just let the pages air dry? My book is like 160 pages long, so that method might drive me crazy:lol. Maybe some others have any other ideas? Before I start with the coffee/tea method. Thanks for all the tips!

 

[Darth Detroit]

Nope, thats the best method I can think of.:thumbsup
The trick is not to crinckle the paper. So you have to take your time, you can use a hairdryer... you'll look like Mr. Incredible in that one scene where he's... nevermind!

 

[The Alethiometrist]

You could try sticking wax paper or something like it between the pages.

 

[Propnomicon]

Hey guys,

I searched and nothing came up. I'm wanting to age a book, like making the book's pages yellow. Anyone have any good tips of doing this? I thought about putting the book in the oven or something or even dying the pages with coffee or tea, but I was wondering if you guys know any other way to do this? Thanks

-Julian

First, and most important, make sure your ink is waterproof. Not water-resistant. Waterproof.

Yeah, it seems obvious, but a lot of folks forget to check and end up ruining a project.

I know others have suggested coffee, but I'd like to put a word in for tea. In particular, Nestea instant tea, Decaf, Unsweetened. The problem with coffee is that it has a noticable odor (that might not dissipate inside a closed book) as well as natural oils that can react with printer inks.

Mix up the tea at double strength with a drop or two of dishwashing detergent, shake vigorously, then filter it through a coffee filter into a plant mister or perfume atomizer. Spritz the pages, sprinkle a few crystals of the dry instant tea powder on the page if you want some mold spots, and let dry. As mentioned previously you may want to use wax paper or cling wrap to protect the pages below the ones you're working on. Once you've aged all the pages you can get a nice edge oxidation effect by closing the book and painting the edges of the paper block with the same tea solution. Then let the book air dry. Use the steam from a pot of boiling water or a tea kettle to help loosten any pages that may be sticking together after the treatment.

If you want a *really* weathered edge treatment you can then fume the book with ammonia for a week or two.

Cordially,
MM

Note: If you want to try aging the whole book at once you can use the ammonia fuming technique, but that will only work on cheap books with wood fiber paper. Just set the book and a cup filled with a strong, ammonia based cleaning solution inside a sealable storage container (Tupperware or Rubbermaid type stuff) and let it soak up the ammonia for 7-14 days. That's normally long enough for the natural acids in the paper to react with the ammonia and kick off the yellowing process.

 

[The Alethiometrist]

http://www.curiousgood.com/aged.htm

 

[MaddChinaMan]

First, and most important, make sure your ink is waterproof. Not water-resistant. Waterproof.

Yeah, it seems obvious, but a lot of folks forget to check and end up ruining a project.

I know others have suggested coffee, but I'd like to put a word in for tea. In particular, Nestea instant tea, Decaf, Unsweetened. The problem with coffee is that it has a noticable odor (that might not dissipate inside a closed book) as well as natural oils that can react with printer inks.

Mix up the tea at double strength with a drop or two of dishwashing detergent, shake vigorously, then filter it through a coffee filter into a plant mister or perfume atomizer. Spritz the pages, sprinkle a few crystals of the dry instant tea powder on the page if you want some mold spots, and let dry. As mentioned previously you may want to use wax paper or cling wrap to protect the pages below the ones you're working on. Once you've aged all the pages you can get a nice edge oxidation effect by closing the book and painting the edges of the paper block with the same tea solution. Then let the book air dry. Use the steam from a pot of boiling water or a tea kettle to help loosten any pages that may be sticking together after the treatment.

If you want a *really* weathered edge treatment you can then fume the book with ammonia for a week or two.

Cordially,
MM

Note: If you want to try aging the whole book at once you can use the ammonia fuming technique, but that will only work on cheap books with wood fiber paper. Just set the book and a cup filled with a strong, ammonia based cleaning solution inside a sealable storage container (Tupperware or Rubbermaid type stuff) and let it soak up the ammonia for 7-14 days. That's normally long enough for the natural acids in the paper to react with the ammonia and kick off the yellowing process.

Thanks Alot, that really helps, the "book/sketchbook" I plan on ageing, says on the label that it is "acid-free and Neutral pH" will ammonia still work? And how good are the results? will the pages wrinkle? and when I set the book in the tupperware, whould the book be opened or closed? Thanks!

 

[patsmear]

We used this to stain tattoo flash pages, to give an old look to them.

http://paint-and-supplies.hardwares...ns/minwax-wood-finish-spray-stain-603332.aspx


It works fine and dries quick. If you want it a little darker in places, just spray a bit more.

You can also, get different colors from home depot and put them in a spray pump turned to mist, for a more uneven look.


Pat

 

[Propnomicon]

Thanks Alot, that really helps, the "book/sketchbook" I plan on ageing, says on the label that it is "acid-free and Neutral pH" will ammonia still work?

Unfortunately, no. Archival quality paper like that won't yellow after fuming. I think you'll have to physically stain it.

Cordially,
MM

 

[MaddChinaMan]

Unfortunately, no. Archival quality paper like that won't yellow after fuming. I think you'll have to physically stain it.

Cordially,
MM

Aww bummer, alright i guess I'll stain the pages with tea or something. But thanks for all the help everyone.