[ Bob Oppenheim wrote in 160325 MMDigest:

> How does one make reliable repairs to hinges or broken out sections,
> for example?  What materials and techniques are acceptable?

As the former owner and operator of an 82-key Wilhelm Bruder Söhne
fair organ, I have made hundreds of meters of book music and have
repaired a number of old books.  The first thing to know about large
organ books is that they are constructed of _two_ layers of cardboard.

To repair a hinge, lay the book out on a flat surface with the hinge
side facing up, get the edges aligned and put weights on the cardboard
on each side of the hinge.  Then, using an X-Acto knife, slice through
ONE layer of cardboard and peel it back.  Cut a piece of cardstock for
the repair to fit the piece(s) that were removed.  Glue in the single
layer patch.  Then turn the book over and punch through the holes
visible to restore the music.

If there is a lot of rotten cardboard, it may be necessary to make the
patch much larger but always overlap the new cardboard with the old
remaining piece.

If this is for a keyless organ, usually a hinge reinforcement is glued
in place.  This is done to the patch before gluing it to the book.
Linen basting tape can be used for the reinforcement.

Cheers,
Bob Conant
Bradenton, Florida