Posted by Owen Roberts on December 28, 2010 at 17:54:02 user OwenRoberts.
In Reply to: Spines (was Winter Holiday Again) posted by Robert Hill on December 28, 2010 at 14:18:54:
Spines, when they are no longer protected by a dust jacket, will fade more - both from use and the action of daylight.
The colour of these spines can be restored by a mixture of green & black watercolour ink. Even a cheap paint box from a 99p shop will suffice.
The brush provided will easily cover most of the faded spine but may be too thick for colouring carefully round the gold blocked lettering. You may need to cover the main area two or three times to obtain the correct depth of colour. Then cut down the number of bristles on the brush with a craft knife or sharp scissors to provide a smaller brush to colour round the lettering.
However if you have access to some Windsor & Newton or Rowney watercolours and some sable brushes, then the work is easier. Usually a mixture of Hookers green dark plus a little ivory black will make a good match and use a 00 sable for work round the lettering.
If the gold block lettering is worn, this is difficult to restore, unless you have some spare gold leaf and size to hand. However just painting round the lettering in the dark green mixture will provide more contrast than against the faded spine.
You may want to protect the lettering and spine by spraying with matt varnish.