Thanks for that tip. I have plenty of corn starch and even Rice
Flour (Goya
makes it and it can be found in the Latino section of the
Supermarket.) But
somehow someone's recipe for cooking your own calls for "2 drops of
formaldehyde" I guess to prolong its life and preserve it. But
where on
earth, besides a mortuary are you going to obtain the Formaldehyde?
Distilled water I can see, but Formaldehyde? Won't the fridge
suffice to
hold it for a couple of weeks?
The stuff printed in antiquarian books on our beloved craft, though
time
tested and rarely changed, do tend to come up with the oddest of
things to
use in making paste.
But I like the idea of the double boiler wither self-stirrer, let's
see if
ABC or someone on the wholesale side sells them. I will report.
Best,
John
-----Original Message-----
From: Book_Arts-L [mailto:BOOK_ARTS-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Scott
Coutts
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 6:27 PM
To: BOOK_ARTS-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [BKARTS] repairing torn pages
R John Miller wrote:
Would either the pre-gel Wheat Starch or Jin Shofu suffice for the
needs
in
the US? Bookmakers sells both as described below and can be found
at the
link: http://www.bookmakerscatalog.com/catalog/adhesives/
adhesives.htm
Pre-gel Wheat Starch
Pre-cooked wheat starch in powder form without any additives.
Simply mix
with cold water to desired consistency. Popular for use as a
poultice for
removing adhesives on broken spines. A-PREGEL 1-pound jar $6.25
Zen Shofu (aka "Jin Shofu")
A highly refined wheat starch adhesive which must be mixed with
water and
cooked. Wheat starch paste is very strong, even when diluted. It
forms a
much more flexible adhesive layer than rice starch making it more
desirable
for many book conservation needs. Zen Shofu provides the
strongest and
most
pure of the wheat starch pastes
One typical recipe: Mix 20 grams of wheat starch to 200 ml of
distilled
water; cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, and then cool for
another
15 minutes, also stirring constantly. After straining, it can be
diluted
to
the desired consistency and kept refrigerated.
Microwave recipe: In a deep container, mix 1 tablespoon of wheat
starch
with 5 tablespoons of distilled water. Place in a microwave on high
setting
for 20-30 seconds. Remove the paste and stir, place back in the
microwave
another 20-30 seconds. Remove and stir again. Continue to a
cumulative
time of 3 to 4 minutes until you get the desired consistency which
will
depend upon your needs and individual microwave appliance. When
done, let
the paste rest a few minutes before using. A-ZEN 1/2 pound $11.50
A-ZEN-1
pound $20.36
Neither are Rice based, but I would thing the Jin Shofu comes
closest.
An easy way is to simply go to the local supermarket and buy a box of
'corn flour' or 'corn starch' from the baking section. Sometimes it's
made of corn, sometimes wheat, but in the end, it all works the
same. I
use 'Kream' brand.
Scott.
***********************************************
Please note that attachments to listserv messages are not permitted,
and are automatically removed by the listserver.
For all your subscription questions, go to the Book_Arts-L FAQ and
Archive.
See <http://www.philobiblon.com> for full information.
***********************************************
***********************************************
Please note that attachments to listserv messages are not permitted,
and are automatically removed by the listserver.
For all your subscription questions, go to the Book_Arts-L FAQ and
Archive.
See <http://www.philobiblon.com> for full information.
***********************************************