9/9/2019 How to Repair Split Boxes

The Games Journal | A Magazine About Boardgames

How to Repair Split

Boxes

O ne of the most annoying problems I run

into when purchasing games in thrift
stores is the frequency with which the boxes
have split corners—very aggravating. There
are a couple of ways to fix this; the most
Greg common method is simply to tape it up.
Aleknevicus Hardly an attractive solution and it tends not
September, to be very solid in any case. There are also
2000 "corner repair" stickers available. These are
thin, stiff pieces of cardboard with glue on
one side that you can apply to the inside
corner of a split. I've only tried them a few
times and wasn't entirely pleased with the
results. Eventually I came up with the
following procedure which works very well in
my opinion and doesn't require any exotic
materials.

(You can click on the pictures to get a much

larger view.)

Our "patient".

The tools
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we'll require:

White
glue
Angle
bracket
2
binder
clips
Q-Tips

Apply a very
thin line of
glue along a
single edge
of the split.
Be careful
not to apply
too much as
this is
somewhat
visible from
the outside.

If you apply
too much
(and it's easy
to do) you
can use your
finger to
spread it
around and
wipe off the
excess.

Place the
angle bracket
behind the
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split.
(Another
reason you
want to make
sure not to
apply too
much glue is
so that none
gets on the
bracket.)

Attach one of
the binder
clips to one
side, clipping
it on the
angle
bracket. You
can then
make final
adjustments
to the actual
join, making
sure that
everything is
lined up
perfectly.

Once the join

is lined up,
attach the
other binder
clip.

The properly
positioned
bracket and
binder clips.
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Apply a line
of glue into
the corner of
the box.
Neatness
isn't that big
of a concern
but you don't
need very
much at all.
(In fact, most
of what you
apply here
will be wiped
up later
anyway.)

The applied
glue. (The
amount
shown is
actually quite
a bit, much
more than
you'll actually
need.)

Using a Q-
Tip, wipe up
the excess
glue. Use
light pressure
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9/9/2019 How to Repair Split Boxes

going over
the join
several
times. You
may need to
use several
Q-Tips if you
used a lot of
glue. Note
that for the
box top you
need to be
careful that
the
remaining
bead of glue
is quite
small. If you
leave too
large a bead
it can
interfere with
the closing of
the top
(depending
on how tight
the two
halves fit
together).

There should
be very little
glue left once
you're done
—just a small
little line in
the very
corner of the
split. Let it sit
for several
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hours (or
overnight)
and you're
almost done.

Remove the
bracket and
clips.
Depending
on the
condition of
the split
there's likely
to be loose
bits of paper
and
cardboard
flapping
about. Apply
a tiny (and I
do mean
tiny) drop of
glue to the
backside of
these bits...

...and then
use your
thumb to
spread it
around.
Preferably,
you want to
make sure
that you only
get glue on
the
underside of
the loose
bits. White
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9/9/2019 How to Repair Split Boxes

glue can
leave a dull
finish which
can detract
from the
repair.

The finished
product.
While not
perfect, it's a
lot better
than what it
was and
much more
functional.

One of the main reasons why boxes split in

the first place is because of the way they're
constructed. The actual cardboard sides
aren't attached to each other at all, it's the
covering paper that holds everything
together. This paper is usually quite thin and
subject to wear. If the paper gets rubbed
enough it can become quite brittle or tear
outright. Once a small tear starts, a complete
split is likely to occur. One way of lessening
this likelihood is to perform the above
procedure on a non-split corner. Obviously
you won't need the bracket or clips and can
just run a small bead of glue down each
corner and then wipe the excess off with the
Q-Tips. This will result in a corner much
stronger than the original.

- Greg Aleknevicus

For further notes on repairing splits, please

see How to Repair Split Boxes 2.0.

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