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Found a pressed four-leaf clover from 1978 in a library copy of 'The Hobbit'
My cheap plastic magnifying glass snapped trying to read the tiny writing on the stem. Anyone know a good way to preserve something this old and fragile?
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jordan_webb7d ago
Man, that's the worst. You finally find something that cool and your tools give out on you. I've had a few old pressed flowers crumble just from looking at them wrong. For something that old, you might want to skip the DIY stuff and ask a museum or a library conservation department. They sometimes give free advice over email. A clear acid-free paper sleeve would probably be the safest first step to stop any more damage.
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joseph_ellis857d ago
The State Library of Pennsylvania has a whole guide online for this. @jordan_webb is right about the acid-free sleeve, but for something that old, you might need a rigid support board inside it too, so the paper doesn't bend. I'd check if your local university has a history department, they often know who to call for a quick consult.
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davis.adam7d ago
Ever try to flatten a really old map? I had a civil war era one that would not stay put, even in a sleeve. Ended up using a piece of mat board cut to size behind it, which sort of worked, but it made the whole thing too thick for my filing box. That rigid board idea is smart, but you gotta think about where you're gonna store the thing after.
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