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Re: Book snakes
- To: BOOK_ARTS-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
- Subject: Re: Book snakes
- From: Terry Belanger <belanger@VIRGINIA.EDU>
- Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 00:50:14 -0600
- In-Reply-To: <200009260428.AAA75140@unix.mail.Virginia.EDU>
- Message-Id: <200009260451.VAA10348@palimpsest.Stanford.EDU>
- Sender: "Book_Arts-L: READ THE FAQ at http://www.philobiblon.com" <BOOK_ARTS-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
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At 09:28 PM 9/25/00 -0700, Betty Storz wrote:
>I had never heard of a "book snake" until today, but a few years ago I
>filled a 10" long, one-inch tube with BBs, closed the end and had a dandy
>weight to keep my books open.
We went into the book snake business with just this sort of carefree
attitude. But:
Even well-made book snakes are eventually going to wear out, and the
thought of loose BBs is unappealing.
If you put enough BBs into the tube to make it sufficiently heavy, they'll
all run down to one end of the tube or the other, so you'll need to
compartmentalize your tube into several leak-proof compartments. Like the
Titanic. If you pack the the tube tightly, you have a cosh, but not a book
snake: for the latter, you need something flexible, so it will drape over
the open book and restrain it without flat-ironing it.
>The drapery departments in fabric stores sell (or used to) little lead
>balls encased in cotton to slip into the hems of curtains of draperies so
>they would hang better.
We thought of this one, but we couldn't find an American source for
cotton-encased lead balls (or cotton-encased any other sort of metal, for
that matter). Let me know if you do find one.
> A few rows sewn into a narrow case ought to make a
>nice snake, probably heavier than the same length of ball chain.
>
>Betty
>Betty Storz storz@mcn.org
>Mendocino, CA
Terry Belanger : University Professor : University of Virginia
Book Arts Press : 114 Alderman Library : Charlottesville, VA 22903
Tel: 804/924-8851 FAX: 804/924-8824 email: belanger@virginia.edu
URL: http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/
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<html>
<font size=3>At 09:28 PM 9/25/00 -0700, Betty Storz wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>I had never heard of a "book snake"
until today, but a few years ago I<br>
filled a 10" long, one-inch tube with BBs, closed the end and had a
dandy<br>
weight to keep my books open.</font></blockquote><br>
We went into the book snake business with just this sort of carefree
attitude. But: <br>
<br>
Even well-made book snakes are eventually going to wear out, and the
thought of loose BBs is unappealing. <br>
<br>
If you put enough BBs into the tube to make it sufficiently heavy,
they'll all run down to one end of the tube or the other, so you'll need
to compartmentalize your tube into several leak-proof compartments. Like
the <i>Titanic. </i>If you pack the the tube tightly, you have a cosh,
but not a book snake: for the latter, you need something flexible, so it
will drape over the open book and restrain it without flat-ironing
it. <br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite><font size=3>The drapery departments in fabric
stores sell (or used to) little lead<br>
balls encased in cotton to slip into the hems of curtains of draperies
so<br>
they would hang better.</font></blockquote><br>
We thought of this one, but we couldn't find an American source for
cotton-encased lead balls (or cotton-encased any other sort of metal, for
that matter). Let me know if you do find one.<br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite><font size=3> A few rows sewn into a
narrow case ought to make a<br>
nice snake, probably heavier than the same length of ball chain.<br>
<br>
Betty<br>
Betty Storz storz@mcn.org<br>
Mendocino, CA</font></blockquote><br>
<br>
<div>Terry Belanger : University Professor
: University of Virginia</div>
<div>Book Arts Press : 114 Alderman Library : Charlottesville, VA
22903</div>
<div>Tel: 804/924-8851 FAX: 804/924-8824 email:
belanger@virginia.edu</div>
<div>
URL:
<a href="http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/</a></div>
</html>
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