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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;funkee, post: 1505471, member: 37925&quot;]You are correct. Paper is easily damaged by heat; it reacts with oxygen (combusts) at high temperatures. However, US currency is not made from paper. It is made of cotton and linen. It does not react the same way to heat and can withstand slightly higher temperatures before yellowing or combusting. The steam will wet the note and keep it from reaching combustible temperatures. Using an iron risks evaporating all the moisture and burning it. That is not a possibility with a kettle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Notes were printed wet, and were even washed by the BEP in the past. The steam from a kettle is only slightly above 212F and not as hot as an iron. Steam at this temperature will not affect the DNA of the fibers - like you describe. It will not cost the note much crispness. And if you&#039;re resorting to something like this, the note probably doesn&#039;t have much crispness left anyway. Steam will cause the fibers to relax, so they can expand or be stretched. As it cools down and dries, the fibers contract. By keeping the paper in a certain form while wet, the fibers will tend to hold that shape better when dry.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the OP, as far as restoration goes, check out <a href="http://www.theconservationcenter.com/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.theconservationcenter.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.theconservationcenter.com/</a>. Keep in mind that restoration and preservation can be very costly - sometimes in excess of the value of the notes. It may not be worth pursuing, because it may not increase the value much. In fact it likely earn it an Apparent/Net rating from a grading company. But it may just help prevent it from deteriorating further.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is a good overview of some processes, but I still wouldn&#039;t recommend attempting it yourself. <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5855299_do-paper-restoration.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5855299_do-paper-restoration.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ehow.com/how_5855299_do-paper-restoration.html</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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