Flattening Rolled Up 1898 Instruction Manual
I literally stumbled onto a very nice 1909 handcrank 28K in a coffin-style portable case today. When I looked in the wood compartment in the lid I found not only a black cardboard accessories box, but an instruction manual printed in Great Britain in 1898 that had been rolled up and stuffed in the smaller of the two sections in the storage compartment for who knows how long.
So, I now have the challenge of deciding whether to attempt to unroll and flatten the booklet, or just leave it as it is. I've seen videos online, even from the Smithsonian, about using humidity in a closed container to slowly rehydrate and soften the old paper, allowing it to be opened and eventually flattened. But all the information I found was pointed towards single sheets of paper. I'm not sure how to handle this booklet that seems to have 15-20 pages. The booklet looks like it is about 6 inches wide and maybe as much as 10 inches tall (see photo).
Does anyone have any experience with flattening paper like this?
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