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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Buttercup" data-source="post: 1266766" data-attributes="member: 990">Or, you can ask Buttercup, Eric Noah or Cthulu's Librarian. We're your friendly EN World Librarian posse. The best way to restore a water damaged book or magazine is to freeze-dry it.  Now, most of us don't happen to have a freeze-drying chamber in our garage, so we have to fake it. If you think about how paper is made, and also about what you want the book or magazine to look like when you're done, the suggestions below will make sense.  Keep in mind that magazine paper and ink is not meant to be permanent, so your results will be marginal at best.  Sad but true.  Books, especially hardbacks printed on acid-free paper, stand a much better chance of being salvaged. 1.When a book or magazine gets water damaged, immediately work to separate the pages and intersperse them with paper towels.  You want to wick away some of the moisture, and also keep the pages from drying into one solid mass.  Paper is manufactured by creating a pulp of old paper, wood fibers, rags and so forth mixed with water.  Your wet magazine wants to go back to its original pulpy state. 2. Stick the magazine/paper towel sandwich into a frost free freezer on a piece of wax paper, put another piece of wax paper on top, and then put something heavy on it  The freezer's fan will work to suck the moisture out while the weight will keep the pages relatively flat.  Leave the wet item alone for a few days.  Resist the temptation to keep checking it!  After about three days, check (carefully!) your magazine/paper towel sandwich.  If you see lots of ice crystals, put it back.  This can take a really long time--weeks even.   Unfortunately, as I said above, magazines are not manufactured out of materials meant to be long lasting, so the best you will end up with is a mostly readable magazine.  The pages will always be brittle and warped, and the ink might very well run.  However, it's about the only thing you can do without special equipment. Good luck.</blockquote>

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