Talk:Foxing

Hmmm, is this why the soft leather binding of my copy of the 11th edition of the Britannica has brown covers which get my hands dirty when I touch them? If yes we could use it as a quite relevant example of foxing, depending on the type of binding. I am always amazed at the diversity of bindings in which the 11th edition came in. Forgot to sign AlainV 01:59, 2004 Apr 21 (UTC)

• No, that's something else (don't know what...). Foxing affects the paper, not the leather bindings. - Nunh-huh 02:00, 21 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I don't feel confident enough about this topic to make any edit to the article, but this is the very first time that I have ever seen a Ferric OXide explanation. Every other commentary that I have ever seen about foxing has suggested that it was the suspected result of microorganisms/fungi, and have often mentioned that its origin remains mysterious. Never before have I ever seen anything about iron. I do like the etymology, but I have to wonder if it is correct since I have never seen this definition before, and I have often seen waffly comments as I describe above. Can anyone comment further? Moleskiner 02:41, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

This link suggests that the current explanation for the appearance of fox-stains is wrong. Ncik 23:16, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

There seem to be multiple theories of foxing, involving either oxidation or fungi. The page referenced by Ncik makes no firm conclusion; it seems to go with the fungal theory, but also admits some role for iron oxidation. I added a section mentioning both theories. The last section on repairing foxing is preserved from the earlier version, but it seems too specific to me. gorlim 18:50, 11 June 2006 (UTC)