Vent: The library had a book with staples rusting through the pages

I was at the public library in Salem last week just browsing the craft section and I picked up this old bookbinding manual from the 90s. As I flipped through it, I noticed the staples in the spine were all rusty and leaving orange marks on the paper. It got me thinking about how many books out there are probably falling apart because someone used the wrong hardware. I work with a lot of restoration projects and I always tell people to use stainless steel staples or thread, not just whatever is cheap. It's such a small detail but it can ruin a whole book over time. Has anyone else run into this problem with old books that have rust damage from staples or clips?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_price15d ago

My friend found a vintage cookbook at a thrift store and when she opened it, rust flakes from the staples fell all over her counter. She was so mad because the pages near the spine were completely stained orange and some were even tearing where the metal had corroded through. She still has the book but now she's super careful every time she flips through it, and she always checks staples before buying anything old now lol.

jamienguyen15d ago

Woah wait, rust flakes actually falling out? That's wild, I've never seen it get that bad before.