Drying out. Re: Water damaged computer books available

At 10:06 AM 1/26/04 -0800, Dwight wrote: Hmmm. I'll bet you could send them to Ethan and all he's have to do is set them outside! Has anyone ever tried to make their own freeze drier using something like a pressure cooker and vacuum pump? I've been thinking about it but never tried it. FWIW I've had good look recovering wet books and such by opening EVERY page and sprinking them liberally with baking soda. (I use a large salt shaker.) If possible I leave them in a warm spot with a fan blowing on them. I leave them a few days and then shake it out. If it's still damp I repeat until it's bone dry. The baking soda absorbs moisture and helps prevent mold and mildew and also de-oderize the book. It also spreads the pages apart and helps prevent them from sticking together. The trick is that you have to do it before the pages start to dry out and stick together. This is where freezing comes in, if you have more books than you can handle, freeze them till you can get around to drying them. Joe