Cracked hinges

I recently bought a Peter Pauper Press copy of The Discourses of Epictetus from a thrift store. Only when I came home did I discover that both the front and back hinges were broken.

Does a book lose value once repaired? This item only cost $3, but I hate to devalue a good book.

Also, the pages are a creamy color. I've taken a look at Talas but not seen any cream-colored tape, and I think white tape would be an eyesore. Would something like Lineco Archival Self Adhesive, Transparent Document Repair Tape be strong enough?

Any advice would be welcome.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about devaluing a $3 book.

I use Lineco's mending tissue a lot. It is quite strong, and is reversible as well.

>2 lilithcat: Ha, right, the item was only $3. More important is that I'm afraid to turn my nice-looking book into something that makes me wince every time I open it!

Thanks for the input on Lineco mending tissue. There is Lineco transparent mending tissue and Lineco document repair tape on Amazon. Is width the only difference (1/2 inch for the former, 1-inch for the latter)?

The reviews mention mending pages. Would you say this product is strong enough for hinges?

If you check the Lineco website, it appears that the document repair tape and the transparent mending tissue are the same thing, with the only difference being the width and available lengths.

https://www.lineco.com/pressure-sensitive-mending-tissue.html
https://www.lineco.com/document-repair-tape.html

I think it should be strong enough for the hinges, unless it's a heavy book (although my experience of PPP is that their books are pretty slim an lightweight).

>3 maisiedotes: For an inexpensive book such as your PPP, this method is fine, but for a book of any value, broken hinges should be repaired by a hand binder, either a skilled amateur or a pro.

Sigh. I taped my PPP Epictetus and I'm happy with the back hinge, but as I feared, the front hinge makes me cringe. I'll have to buy some throwaway books to practice on.

>5 Glacierman: Agreed!
I’m feeling the urge to dabble in book repair. I’ll probably ruin a few books along the way, so I’ll restrict my attempts to copies I can bear to part with.

Not the same topic as "cracked hinges" but along the lines of newbie-I-really-want-to-tinker-with-my-books DIM fixes (DIM for do-it-myself, but hopefully not DIM-witted): is it sacrilegious to cut off dusty or foxed deckle page tops and sides?

>8 maisiedotes:

Yes.

>9 lilithcat: Okay. I'll keep my fidgety fingers away from those page ends.

>8 maisiedotes: It is also extremely difficult without a book press and the right kind of shaving blade.

I once returned from holiday to find that a snail had climbed up a paperback edition of The Faber Book of Aphorisms and, for want of anything tastier, had eaten into the top edge of the book. I squashed it (book, not snail) in a woodwork vice and carved away with a Stanley knife.

The snail’s effort was much nicer looking than mine.

>11 abbottthomas: Ah! This shows me what I'm missing.

Woodworking vise I don't have, but will look around (suggestions welcome).

Stanley knife I don't have; will an Xacto knife be a satisfactory substitute?

>12 maisiedotes:. My story was meant to be a deterrent! My book looked horrid! Don’t do it! 😀

>13 abbottthomas: (Forehead smack!) I guess I should have picked up on "carved away with."

Still, you might have unleashed the mini-monster in me.

>14 maisiedotes: Get a copy of Aldren Watson's book, Hand Bookbinding, A Manual of Instruction.

It will teach you much and save you some pain. Dover has it in paperback.

>15 Glacierman: Thank you for the suggestion. I've just ordered it!

>16 maisiedotes: You are most welcome. That was my beginner's text over 40 years ago. Best beginner's book on the subject ever written.

>17 Glacierman: MMmmm .. . I will buy it also... the reviews are good... Aldren Watson's book, Hand Bookbinding, A Manual of Instruction. . . thank you

This video would probably fix your issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZE9sN_hTVc&ab_channel=Demco%7CLibrary%26Sch...

>19 RickFlair: Now to get some of that single-stitch binder tape and a book to practice on!

>20 maisiedotes: I currently have a cracked end paper too. But my problem is that I do not want to partially cover the existing end papers because they are extremely decorative and unique. So that video I posted won't work for me but I think would work just fine on a book like you are describing.