I acquired, second-hand, some software educational material the other day. Its 8-1/2" x 11" pages and 2" thickness apparently make an excellent storage device for the odiferous leavings of cigarette smoke.

In an attempt to exorcise the smoke demon, I figured a good airing out would be in order. Being a big floppy paperback book, I couldn't stand it up on edge, fanned out, as I could with a hardbound book. I propose a method of suspending the book and using a fan to blow the stink out.

I envision a rubber padded clamp that would run the length of the book's spine, clamping against the front and back covers. The clamp jaws might be a cm or so wide.

The air from a fan, probably a squirrel-cage blower, would be ducted out a long narrow duct, as long as the spine of the book.

The clamp, now firmly attached, permits hanging the book by the spine while still allowing the pages to open. The fan-duct assembly is fixed to an arm that pivots about a point that approximates the spine of the book. The duct is oriented such that it blows air from the unbound side of the book toward the spine, between the pages of the book. The duct then oscillates back and forth in an arc, opening up pages across the thickness of the book as it moves back and forth forcing air between the pages.

Initially, I envisioned the book hanging down from it's bound edge with the spine parallel to the ground. Some observation leads me to believe that the angle of the spine should be nearly vertical. Probably an adjustable angle would be the way to go.

(Not intended for books of any real monetary or sentimental value, just cheap-crap-stinky-useful ones.)
-- half, Feb 06 2005

Book deodorizer ~bz [bristolz, Feb 07 2005, last modified Jun 27 2005]

I like it that your blower blows a 'sheet' of air, to get between the sheets of paper.
-- robinism, Feb 07 2005


good one. Not being around any smokers anymore, I am sensitive to the smell. I would use something like this too. +
-- dentworth, Feb 07 2005


``A side note: If you ever get a book wet -- especially with something that smells bad -- do not attempt to dry it out in the microwave.
-- tiromancer, Feb 07 2005


Mostly my objections about new books come from ink smells....
-- normzone, Feb 07 2005


I love the smell of freshly printed books, and I love the smell of very old books. I like to collect antique science and engineering books, and my favourite is a textbook from the 1880's, which smells like history.
-- Detly, Feb 07 2005


Really nice idea and (another) great illustration from [bz]
-- Klaatu, Feb 07 2005


Definitely a good idea. Would also be supremely useful for books picked up at used book stores . . . they always smell "off."
-- contracts, Feb 07 2005


Re: [Bristolz]'s art: Designer colors? Where can I get one?
-- shapu, Feb 07 2005


I'd like a conveniently loadable loose leaf version, for airing out the stench of decrepitude peculiar to Old People's Scrip.
-- calum, Feb 07 2005


What do you mean by the term "Old People's Scrip?" Is that relating to the practice of law?
-- bristolz, Feb 07 2005


That illustration is remarkably similar to what I was thinking. Thank you, Bristol; an artist and a mind reader.
-- half, Feb 08 2005


hey you got to be careful if the book is old. the pages are delicate. you have to calculate and vary the amount and force of the air from the duct for each book individually (different books have different kinds of pages too) so that the pages dont get torn out. you would make a mess of the book if you blow out its pages; the clamps still hold on to the end covers and the pages all over.
-- sridhar236, Feb 08 2005


Just blow gently.
-- david_scothern, Feb 08 2005


Sorry for the confusion, folks. To clarify, I am not aware of any definition of "scrip" other than the one given by UnaBubba. The securities of the elderly and the freshly dead have a revolting smell of dust, damp and what I can only assume is liniment.
-- calum, Feb 08 2005


Actually, I think that last additive is a combination of wisdom and experience.
-- shapu, Feb 08 2005


You could just take up smoking. It desensitizes you to all sorts of offensive smells in addition to the smell of cigarette smoke itself.
-- Wisconsin, Feb 09 2005


No, thank you. Second-hand smoking for my first 18 years was sufficient experience in that area. There seems to have been some sort of rebound effect that made me more sensitive to the smoke.
-- half, Feb 09 2005


You wonder if you hate cigarette smoke because my dad smoked 2 - 3 packs per day? Weird.
-- half, Feb 09 2005


Semi-global sympathetic reaction.
-- bristolz, Feb 09 2005


Maybe it works both ways. [half], do you have an unexplained fear of kangaroos or love of Vegemite?
-- Worldgineer, Feb 09 2005


Does ANYONE have a love of Vegemite?
-- shapu, Feb 09 2005


My daughter adores it. The one bad habit she returned from Oz with last summer.
-- bristolz, Feb 09 2005


Over-engineered.
-- Blumster, Feb 09 2005


Not sure what that means exactly, but I guess you're welcome. I only intended to be humorous.

"Over-engineered": soooowhat's your point?
-- half, Feb 10 2005


"Nearly plausible" is usually what I shoot for. You ought to see some of the crap that gets rejected.
-- half, Feb 10 2005


Implausibly over-engineered feces.
-- bristolz, Feb 10 2005


Why, yes, it is. And you ought to see some of the crap that gets rejected.
-- half, Feb 10 2005


Implausibly over-engin...Hey!
-- bristolz, Feb 10 2005



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