A librarian's note about tape changed the way I fix tears

I used to grab whatever clear tape was around when a page ripped, usually the big dispenser kind from my desk. Last month at the downtown branch, a librarian saw me patching a mystery novel and said my tape would yellow the paper in about 2 months. She showed me how to use a thin strip of rice paper and a little wheat paste, stuff I already had for other crafts. Now I save the clear tape for envelopes only and keep a tiny jar of paste mixed up for book jobs. It takes 5 extra minutes per tear, but the pages stay flexible and don't stick together. Has anyone else switched to paste after a tape fail, or do you have a quicker trick that doesn't need fancy tools?

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jason732mo ago

Oh man, that librarian totally saved you from a slow motion disaster. I had the same thing happen with a favorite cookbook and I thought the yellowed tape was just the paper aging, nope, it was the tape the whole time. Now I feel dumb every time I see those old patches. The paste and rice paper method sounds way more solid, even if it takes a few extra minutes. I get why you'd stick with it now, once you see the tape fail you can't unsee it. Good on you for making the switch before things got worse.

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