Talk to me about cardborad box repairs...

[harvey_s]

I've now got a couple of nice old guns with complete original cardboard boxes with split edges that I'd like to repair sympathetically...
Should I be thinking about a support lining of some kind - if so, are some papers better than others for this?
Should I apply glue to the split edges - if so, what sort of glue is best?
Any good websites with tutorials you would recommend?
Any advice gratefully received...

[Unframed Dave]

I have plenty of board offcuts in 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, and 3.0 thicknesses if you need any.

Dave

[Garvin]

I've now got a couple of nice old guns with complete original cardboard boxes with split edges that I'd like to repair sympathetically...
Should I be thinking about a support lining of some kind - if so, are some papers better than others for this?
Should I apply glue to the split edges - if so, what sort of glue is best?
Any good websites with tutorials you would recommend?
Any advice gratefully received...

This is a good thread, Harvey:


http://www.network54.com/Forum/405945/thread/1395344660

[harvey_s]

I have plenty of board offcuts in 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, and 3.0 thicknesses if you need any.

Dave

Hi Dave
Thanks for the kind offer - I'll try to glean some advice first before diving in...

[harvey_s]

This is a good thread, Harvey:


http://www.network54.com/Forum/405945/thread/1395344660

Thanks for the head-up on that, most interesting and I've PM'd Leonard to see if he's any recommendations re. glue.
It's a sticky business to get into to....

[lodmoor]

Unless you are cleaning masking (etc) tape off of them leave 'em alone.

Collectors like original, not refurbished. :)

[harvey_s]

Unless you are cleaning masking (etc) tape off of them leave 'em alone.

Collectors like original, not refurbished.

Not doing it for them...doing it for me and I did say a sympathetic repair.

[Muskett]

Lodmoor is right.
The most collectable then leave alone. Box the box and store the pistol separately, but together!

However, sometimes boxes get is such a state that they can self destruct being so fragile. Then, for lesser examples, more common, you could use some judicious stiffening to hold it all together. In art shops there might be found brown paper tape. Its not masking tape. Think its framing or backing tape. That would strengthen the inside joints. The neater the job the better. Nothing on printed surfaces.
At the end of the day they are yours. Try and be sympathetic. Gorilla tape is a no no.

[Leonardj]

Unless you are cleaning masking (etc) tape off of them leave 'em alone.

Collectors like original, not refurbished.

A very old, damaged box will only continue to deteriorate further every time it is handled.
I see no detriment to halting that deterioration process with a very careful application of a dab of glue.
JMO, of course.

[Airsporterman]

White PVA resin glue is good I believe for repairing cardboard boxes. (cardboard is a product of wood fibres/pulp) This is the type of glue you use for general woodwork repairs - it can also be thinned with water without greatly reducing it's strength.
You could use cardboard sections to reinforce any repairs with the glue - if you are careful - the repairs could be considered 'sypathetic' to the original box, although, as has already been pointed out, may reduce it's value to the collector.
Good luck!

Airsporterman

[Airsporterman]

I have thought a little more about this.
If I was doing it, I would source some cardboard that matched the colour etc of the original box.
Where the box has torn (usually in the corners/edges etc) I would cut a piece of the cardboard folded into a L shape to fit inside the box - on the corners, this can be cut along the fold to the corner then glued to itself. The L shape is then bonded to the inside using PVA then left to set.
A sharp trimming knife (stanley blade) can be then used to trim the edge down to the size of the original. Using this technique - an almost invisible repair on the inside would be achievable.
Now comes the difficult bit.
Using the same printless cardboard, I would make a 'pulp' using the cardboard cut into small pieces and mixed with the pva glue (harmless to skin as far as I am aware) to form a pulp/paste. On the outside of the box - the tear will be apparent.
Using a putty/filling knife and or your fingers, work the pva putty paste into the tear - the cardboard you have fittted to reinforce the inside should stop it falling through.
Work the paste into the tear, trying not to soften the surrounding cardboard too much or it will distort and look unsightly. The paste needs to be the right consistency - neither too runny, nor too firm. The edges of the tear can be wetted with water and a fine paintbrush.
If you are careful enough, you should be able to work the paste into the 'tear' and bond with the original and the reinforcing cardboard - this is a 'less is more' situation - only use as much as you need to form the 'repair'.
Any excess wiped off with a damp cloth (not paper which will try to attach) or your finger.
Do not over wet or you will end up with an unsightly 'wavey' edge/corner.
The repair is then left to set!
Once set, the repair will be very strong, if you have bonded the new/old cardboard and 'putty' successfully.
The repair will be obvious, but if you are careful - it should look okay, you can even try 'blending' in the repair using some suitable staining medium. (I have used tea 'paint' from a used teabag to some good effect at an 'aging' process in the past - making wild west type wanted posters with friends/work mates pictures imposed for keepsakes etc)
Like any type of repair, the more care and time you dedicate - the better the results will be.

The thing to watch out for is that the repair sections do not reduce the effective size inside the box, so that the box doesn't close! (You can use thinner/stiffer card for the inside repair)
Some seeds of thought perhaps?
May be better trying out on a box you are not so bothered about to see what results are achievable?

Well that's what I would try!

Airsporterman

[harvey_s]

I'm with Leonard on this one.
I wasn't thinking of any kind of tape bodgery...more along the lines of PVA judiciously applied along the break and possibly relined with 100+ gsm Kraft paper or something similar.

The paste idea might well work to tidy up any rough edges, trouble is one of the boxes has a printed wood effect so I might leave that alone and confine my work to maintaing its structural integrity for the future.

[coldweld]

I'm not 100% sure But PVA will make the box shiny? would think wall paper paste and compression would work better as that is more like how the cardboard was made.

[Leonardj]

This is another box repair I did that some may find of interest.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/40594...g+a+cardboard+