Anyone Know How To Revitalise Bound Album Covers?

Hi. Just looking at an old fast-bound album, with a cover like an old hard-back book (I think it's actually a sort of fabric they used, although when new it looks slightly leatherish, though not really).

They tend o get faded and a little frayed at the corners over the years. Does anyone know any top tips for making them look newer and generally improving the appearance? Shoe polish has crossed my mind, but that could be disastrous!

Here's an example of the type of album I'm talking about, plucked randomly from ebay:

I've tried this in the past, although I can't say it did wonders for my old tat. A lot of these preservation/improvement materials aren't cheap, as they're primarily designed for libraries

http://www.care4books.com/packaging...pid=40&cid=4

I work at a school library as a volunteer, and we do not try to repair and/or make them look better as generally the books are cheaper to replace. As GeoffHa states, the repair items are usually not only very expensive but you have to buy some of it in quantity.

Peter

Unless there is some sentimental attachment to a particular book (notes, etc.) I advise bookbinding customers to go online to find a replacement. It is much cheaper.

For stamp albums, it is more complicated. Unless you are a bookbinder, I wouldn't advise homemade repairs. Reversing homemade repairs is a big headache for the bookbinder.

Ah, but you're forgetting the pleasures of the great British tradition of botched DIY. I''ve used bits and pieces from the company I linked to over the years, with results that pretty much equate to my joinery and plastering efforts. But the books at least are in one piece, rather than the several I found them in.

If you can pick up the right volumes, Ideal albums are great, by the way. The best pre-war, all world albums I've seen.

Thanks everyone. From the comments it sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth trying to spruce them up. That gel product looks quite promising though.

I was once fixing up an old 1960s record player and as a way of making the leather-effect casing look better, someone suggested the spray you can buy for cleaning up car dashboards. It worked pretty well. Doubt it would work with album covers like this, though.

Another problem is when the binding on a bound Scott International begins to split. Is there a library quality tape that can be put over the frayed binding to support it?

More products here - I shoukd ask for a commission

http://www.care4books.com/packaging...&cid=6&gid=1

In the USA, one reliable source is Gaylord Archival. They have all kinds of products which can be applicable to philately. You can "Google" them.

If it's leather, you can use a wax shoe polish -- not liquid. I very-very little dab will do yah on a soft cloth! Wipe off the excess. Test on a small area first, like the bottom edge.

A couple months ago I picked up my first stamp album at a garage sale. It was nothing fancy but after checking out a few videos on youtube, I was able to strengthen the book and recover it with leather from an old coat I had. It was a fair bit of work and the results were pretty decent. If you like those kinds of projects and aren't too attached to the outcome you might be able to find something online.