Paper aging

[fontgeek]

I guess it depends upon what you want or need for the final look. Burned edges look great if your stuff is supposed to look like it was rescued from a fire, but it's not the same in appearance as foxing. Foxing is the natural browning or sign of aging in paper, especially acid free paper. There is no charring in foxing.
Most people are more likely to have a teabag or coffee grounds than they are to have a blow torch. I think the torched look works great for things like "pirate's" maps and such, where the item is supposed to look like it's been through a real rough life at sea, but for things like books of spells it looks out of place.
Something I would add into your look for ancient paper would be to have deckled edges on the paper. That, along with the foxing of the edges, and maybe some minor tears, gives the paper the look of being hand made rather than the perfectly smooth and square modern cut edges. I'd also subject my pages to a bit of steam so that they warp. Between that and the other techniques you can produce some great looks.
If you want to have an easier time for the general look, try using a parchment paper to start with, you would still need to do your foxing and the rest, but the variations in color give you a good head start.

If you are going to have text (spells, lists of names, etc.) on the pages that people are supposed to see and maybe read, do some careful research on the typeface to keep it consistent with the age and origin, and also remember that people are supposed to be able to read it. There are tons of typefaces out there (I'm one of the idiots who creates them) to choose from, so consider all of your needs and choose wisely.

[Lord Homicide]

fontgeek, thanks for giving us the term foxing. I had no idea that's what it was called but that is exactly the look I will be going for.

As far as warping the book, I soaked it in pool water (just because it was 110 degrees and I happened to be swimming) then let it air dry in the form I wanted it to end up. Is there a better way?

[fontgeek]

A humidifier or personal steamer (the kind for sinus problems, or the kind for getting rid of wrinkles in clothing) lets you have more control on how your pages turn out. One of the problems with taking stuff into the pool is the chlorine, that will bleach the pages rather than darken them. You can also try putting some pages suspended over a bowl of water in your microwave oven.
If you are going to do pages with print/text or images on them, you need to be careful on how you go about warping the pages and how severely you go. If you are using a water soluble ink, it can run or smear if you get it wet. If this kind of project is going to be a real regular job for you, then it might be worth it to get a printer that uses a solvent based ink that won't be effected by water. Epson, HP, Canon, and many others offer them at various sizes and prices.

[Lord Homicide]

Good to know for the final product. I bought the size book I wanted from the thrift store and dunked it right into the pool so there really wasn't anything that the chlorine would have destroyed that I cared about. I remember a long time ago I left my 2nd grade annual outside and a light shower hit it. A couple of days later I found it and the book was a little fatter with rumpled pages. That was the only reason it went swimming with me . But I will definitely take greater care in working with the final part.

[MacabreRob]

Instead of coffee, you can use tea, or anything with tannic acid in it. I have walnut trees behind my house, and the husks work great for staining. They are a historic dye as well. Just be careful as they can stain your skin as well.

[Headless]

There are a number of products you can buy from scrapbooking (my "other" hobby) suppliers that will age the pages - there are some super spritzing bottles that will even give a slightly shimmering glow. Take a look at "Glimmer Mist" for one - or Tim Holtz inks and dyes. They are made for working with paper.

[fontgeek]

A lot of what you do really depends upon what you are going to do with the final product. If this is going to be an "ancient" book sitting open on a table or a stump, then your only real concerns for the appearance are the two pages that would actually be exposed, and the cover and binding where they are exposed. Keep in mind that our modern binding methods are extremely different than those of centuries past, and that if it is to be a book put together by a witch or something similar, you may want a cruder look to it. Like leather thongs through holes in the paper and the cover.

You should be able to find "Art Deckle" rulers in your crafts supply or art supply store. These are stainless steel rulers with one edge that has a randomly jagged edge that will allow you to tear your paper and get the look of old, hand made paper. These rulers will also allow you to create organic looking tears along the edges of your pages. Handmade paper doesn't tear cleanly and smoothly like the modern, mass manufactured paper does.
It's amazing what the small things like this can do to change peoples perception.

[Aquayne]

I thought I would add my 2cents.
I used accorns in a jar to make the tannic acid water nice and brown. Smelled good too. I took a piece of copy paper and printed what I wanted in BROWN. Old ink had iron in it so most is a brown tint. I tore the edges so that they were nice and uneven then took the sheet and wadded it up nice and tight then gently unfolded it. Remember this is to resemble paper made of pounded cloth and natural fibers. I put the paper on a dinner plate that was smaller than the paper. I then added the brown water to the plate so that the middle was soaked. I set it aside overnight. The water will wick through the paper out to the edge and dry. It gives the edges a neat range of color. The end effect is a gradiation of color from lighter in the center to dark at the edge. Looks very "real".

[Lord Homicide]

Originally Posted by Aquayne

I thought I would add my 2cents.
I used accorns in a jar to make the tannic acid water nice and brown. Smelled good too. I took a piece of copy paper and printed what I wanted in BROWN. Old ink had iron in it so most is a brown tint. I tore the edges so that they were nice and uneven then took the sheet and wadded it up nice and tight then gently unfolded it. Remember this is to resemble paper made of pounded cloth and natural fibers. I put the paper on a dinner plate that was smaller than the paper. I then added the brown water to the plate so that the middle was soaked. I set it aside overnight. The water will wick through the paper out to the edge and dry. It gives the edges a neat range of color. The end effect is a gradiation of color from lighter in the center to dark at the edge. Looks very "real".

can you elaborate on the acorn process - do you steep crushed or whole acorns?

[Aquayne]

I just picked up a handfull of acorns and put them in an empty Pepsi bottle with some water. I left it in my car for several days and shook it often. I guess steeping them would be faster.