A few weeks ago I started a thread showing the long process of making a perfect replica of a john wilkes booth diary.
The diary was made in "new condition" with no aging. I knew when it came time to age it, I wanted to be the one to personally do it so I could match it as close as possible without compromising the book itself.
After few members said they would love to see it aged, I started the slow process of aging it so it can match the original.
I started by slowly distressing and aging the gold foil stamping so it would look aged and worn. Next was to make the postage and ticket pockets tattered. This was actually really hard and took a few days to complete in stages. The only slight difference with the way I aged my pockets compared to the original is, the right "postage" pocket, the cardstock is worn all the way down to the red leather which can be seen. I personally didn't want to destroy that much of the pocket because then I couldn't use it daily. So it's a fine line between "aging" and or "destroying" something, you can age it all the way if you were to display it and not use it or handle it very much.. But I chose to keep the integrity of the diary intact. Which is why aging and distressing is such a slow process. Once you do it, you cant go back. Every little mark or crack or stain is thought out.
Then I moved onto the book pages and cover page. I copied even all the visible and faded pencil notes made to the inside of the hard cover.
There is still some work to do on other pages, but I wanted to post a picture to give everyone an update and get some feedback.
cheers.
picture of original for your reference
picture of my copy
The diary was made in "new condition" with no aging. I knew when it came time to age it, I wanted to be the one to personally do it so I could match it as close as possible without compromising the book itself.
After few members said they would love to see it aged, I started the slow process of aging it so it can match the original.
I started by slowly distressing and aging the gold foil stamping so it would look aged and worn. Next was to make the postage and ticket pockets tattered. This was actually really hard and took a few days to complete in stages. The only slight difference with the way I aged my pockets compared to the original is, the right "postage" pocket, the cardstock is worn all the way down to the red leather which can be seen. I personally didn't want to destroy that much of the pocket because then I couldn't use it daily. So it's a fine line between "aging" and or "destroying" something, you can age it all the way if you were to display it and not use it or handle it very much.. But I chose to keep the integrity of the diary intact. Which is why aging and distressing is such a slow process. Once you do it, you cant go back. Every little mark or crack or stain is thought out.
Then I moved onto the book pages and cover page. I copied even all the visible and faded pencil notes made to the inside of the hard cover.
There is still some work to do on other pages, but I wanted to post a picture to give everyone an update and get some feedback.
cheers.
picture of original for your reference
picture of my copy