Preserving vintage shop manuals?

I have origional factory shop manuals for all my cars. I referance them regularly, and they do spend some time in the garage getting dirty with me. I try to keep them clean and nice, but they're starting to fall apart. Their not super rare or anything, but I don't want to have to replace them. Mostly the pages are starting to fall out, either one at a time, or in big sections of pages. Is there any way to make them more durable? Thanks. -Jeff

 

If you've got money, get them re-bound. With a hardcover binding you are less likely to tear out a page than with a ring-binding, though a hard cover may be more difficult to keep from wanting to close itself while you're trying to use it. Check at the local library, university/college library or the yellow-pages for book binding options. Used book dealers should also be able to point you in the right direction.

If it were me, I'd set my digital camera up on a tripod, put the book on a table, focus the camera down directly over top of the book, then take a picture of each page. Once I was done I'd print each page out in grayscale on my laser printer. It's tedious, but you get a really good copy that you can keep forever and print out as many times as you want.

There's also the photocopy route. It is unlikely that you would be able to hire a copy center to make you a copy since this would probably be in violation of copyright. However, the yellow pages should be full of places where you can make your own copies. Again, universities/colleges tend to have discount-price machines.

Good luck.

 

Aren't most of these manuals old enough that the copyright no loinger applies? The one I have for my Olds has like 2 lines on the copyright page...

 

If they're beat up anyway, do what my Grandpa does and separate the pages, then put them in them clear, plastic/vinyl sheets, then in a 3 ring binder. That way, the grubbiness of your paws will wipe right off. Or if you xerox em, put them back to back and they will be just like the regular manual.

That's the way I'd do all my shop manuals, ifn' I could afford the kinkos bill!

Jay

 

If you are a computer guy, you could scan them and put them on a cd, as jpg's or sdobe pdf files.

 

Wouldn't that be a great hobby for someone without a real life; scanning old shop manuals and turning them into PDF-documents? Then, of course, uploading 'em into an free archive here on HAMB.

Anybody out there with a scanner and nothing else to do?

 

Copyright can be a funny thing. I quoted a piece from a 60 year old magazine in an article I wrote, (without getting permission first) and the owner of the magazine forced me to do a retraction.

If you you make a copy ONLY for your own use; you won't get into trouble. Make multiple copies and "sell", "post" or what ever; NOW your violating copyright.

 

Copyrights, when properly renewed, last forever. Patents, on the other hand, do not. The trick is to figure out whether or not the printed material in question is currently copyrighted.