water damage

[paulfinney2]

OK, this may not be exactly mechanical in nature, but it happened on my airhead, so that's why I'm asking here. In addition to tools, permanent fixtures on my bike include my gazetteer, Bob's BMW Parts Catalog, and Rick Jones "Classic Boxer Charging", all kept in plastic. They got wet, and while the other two are ok, Rick Jones booklet is printed on thicker, shinier paper, and has stuck together really hard. I've tried a couple of ways to separate the pages, bending, flexing, prying with a spatula, but to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions for loosening the pages while keeping the print and diagrams in tact?

[James.A]

Heat. Put it in the oven at 375F

[20774]

Maybe start with a hair dryer first...

[Bill Burke]

Or stick it in a confined space with a dehumidifier for a couple hours or more.

If Rick's book doesn't have metal wire spines, a microwave approach might be worth a shot.

[PAULBACH]

A couple of useful links:

Freeze it as soon as possible.

From the University of Delaware:

When a Book is Saturated -

* Stand the book on its head with absorbent paper beneath it
* Open only the covers slightly to allow the book to stand. If the book cannot stand alone, support it with bookends.
* Place absorbent paper inside the front and back covers (between the text block and covers)
* Do not try to separate the pages while they are very wet. Wet paper is very weak and is likely to tear at this stage.
* Change the absorbent paper undeneath the book, and inside the covers, as soon as it becomes wet
* Turn the book alternately to rest on its head and tail each time paper is changed
* When most of the water has drained, follow the procedure for a partially wet book

[paulfinney2]

I wasn't clear in my description. The book was wet, but now is dried solid.
I am taking a 4 day ride tomorrow morning, to the Finger Lakes region in NY, and will try out the suggestions when I get back.
I may have to re-moisten the pages to soften them, then dry them.