Book binding

[sandsnakes]

Charly,
embosing is what bookbinders call 'finishing' as it is the very last task to be done. Every single letter is done by hand and the entire word is worked by 'eye'. So there is no type slug as you would use in mass production and printing. The title running down the spine (American Style) is made up of 22 individual componants each one may have been put in three or four times to ensure an even colour and crisp alignment. Oh yes, the entire thing is done hot and without guides or aids.

The same applies to cover, the pattern is actually made out of gold dots about 1.25mm across so the density of dots gives shading and curvature. There is a couple of thousand dots on it.


Follow this link and you will see my team working on the biggest books in the world, all leather is cut with Dave Budd kinves (plug, plug ).

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/c...ca/the-rebinding-of-audubons-birds-of-america


Sandsnakes

 

[John Fenna]

That great work on a great book!

 

[Emdiesse]

Very nice, I am keen on a tutorial for this also .

 

[mrcharly]

Follow this link and you will see my team working on the biggest books in the world, all leather is cut with Dave Budd kinves (plug, plug ).

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/c...ca/the-rebinding-of-audubons-birds-of-america


Sandsnakes

That is incredible work.

Just turning those pages over must be nerve-wracking - a slip and they'd tear!

Dave makes a good blade; I have a hook blade from him.

 

[sandsnakes]

Very nice, I am keen on a tutorial for this also .

Ulp.... tutorial, that was 16 months work for about 6 people... I could do a tutorial on something simple but the Audubons...I am turning green as I think about! I need a glss of something Scottish now, I am having a fit of the vapours!.
:yikes:

 

[Emdiesse]

Ulp.... tutorial, that was 16 months work for about 6 people... I could do a tutorial on something simple but the Audubons...I am turning green as I think about! I need a glss of something Scottish now, I am having a fit of the vapours!.
:yikes:

Nooo

I've been misinterpretted.

I was referring to the nice looking leather bound you have [edit]sing-teck has[/edit] made... Leuchtturm-esque, Moleskin-esque, etc

My thoughts are it would be nice to start making myself some handle fieldbook-sized journals so I can start taking more notes and drawings when out in the woods.

 

[JohnC]

I do a bit of bookbinding. Often just articles that have caught my eye from various sites and have been printed off, mostly just diaries and notebooks, usually A5 and A6 sizes.


An old notebook....


Great fun to do, I'd be intrested in seeing more techniques

 

[sandsnakes]

Ahhhh capish!

Thong binding with bone clasps do you? Soft style (Limp) so it can fit in a pocket and bend with a edge flap to keep it clean?

I feel a moot class comming on!

S

 

[Dave Budd]

Nice to see more of your work Rod, you and the ladies did a fine job (as always) That would be the sort of thing that the monster press that you have was built for then? I always think of it when I see other presses proudly shown to me, along with the plough that is about 5 times the size of most that I have come across

p.s Not only am I very pleased that you were using the blades that I have made for you, but I spied the backing hammer I made in the pictures

 

[TasMonk]

While not even in the same ballpark as some others here, I too enjoy some hobbyist bookbinding. I can also assure you that it can be a potentially dangerous hobby: I once met a woman in an online forum for bookbinders; it is many years later maw, she is my wife, and I am living on the other side of the planet.

I don't have much of my own work to show, but if you would like to see my wife's bookish creations, follow the "Handbound Books" link on the left margin of her DeviantArt gallery here: http://myceliae.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[DaveBromley]

Here is one i made a couple of years ago. Blue Chieftan Goat with Rose calf onlays, 22crt gold finishing, silk endpapers and hand sewn endbands, sitting in its own drop back box in matching blue, it is about A3 size.

View attachment 18460

Dude this is EPIC

Really nice work there mate

Dave

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dave Budd]

it should be good, he is the head bookbinder to the Queen!

 

[sandsnakes]

Chaps,

As there is some interest I could do an online tutorial of a simple flexible ledger style volume with flap (optional) couple of clasps or buckles.

If it is kept simple we could use 'bushcraft' type tools and no specialist kit.

If you are up for it I could do it in weekly stages.

So let me know.

S

 

[Mesquite]

Chaps,

As there is some interest I could do an online tutorial of a simple flexible ledger style volume with flap (optional) couple of clasps or buckles.

If it is kept simple we could use 'bushcraft' type tools and no specialist kit.

If you are up for it I could do it in weekly stages.

So let me know.

S

Sounds good, I'd like to see it for sure

 

[Emdiesse]

Sounds good, I'd like to see it for sure

Me also, thank you

It's funny, only a few weeks ago I was drawing up some plans for a leather journal style book for note taking, learning to bind was next on my list.

 

[Rod Paradise]

Me also, thank you

It's funny, only a few weeks ago I was drawing up some plans for a leather journal style book for note taking, learning to bind was next on my list.

I'll third that. Would love to see how it's done.

 

[singteck]

Yup Wonderful idea!

 

[sandsnakes]

Bookbinding tutorial

The BCUK pocket ledger

What we will do is copy aspects of early medieval and Elizabethan binding. This will be a hybrid style to accommodate materials and lack of traditional bookbinding equipment. This kind of volume was originally made of vellum with parchment leaves and sewn on gut. The glue used would have been hot bone glue, hair skin, rabbit skin, hoof and horn, scotch glue etc. All of them being animal gelatine based.

We will make an A5 sized volume about 3cm thick.


A few things you need to master.

Terminology

Books do not have pages, they have leaves. Page(ination)s are the numbered sides of a leaf. You cannot cut out a page (singular) as it has two sides, you cut out a leaf.

The thinning of leather is paring, for this you use a paring knife (see Dave Budds website) or a spoke shave. It is not skiving or scharfing.

Brown paper is called Kraft after the originator of the process.

All paper over about 200gsm is called board. Card board is actually white and made for visiting cards. So we refer to all board however thick or thin as board.

History

Bookbinding is a gentleman’s profession and they were given gentleman status in society when such things mattered. Bookbinders used to wear tail coats and silk hats to work. Lady bookbinders had the same status.

Bookbinders workshops, where they had unions and guilds were called chapels, as bookbinding started off in monasteries. The leader of the chapel was called The Father.

Version:1.10.0.8 Hash:LzY3PEt4F7y6IzCYmkDVyXJ3QHg=

What you will need

A4 sized paper. 30 sheets - plain white/cream or blue of a good quality. Photocopy or ordinary 80gsm will fall apart very quickly. You are better off with a 90/100gsm writing paper like Conqueror . Handmade papers with a high linen/cotton content being the best.

A3 size paper. 2 sheets of paper for the endpapers. This can be coloured, fancy or plain.

Sewing thread. Barbour’s linen thread or any thicker linen thread. You can use a polyester thread but it tends to tear sections during sewing.

Thin card x 4 sheets. Basically the sides of two cornflakes boxes will do.

Leather or material to cover. Leave this to last as you cut your covering material last as you can never be sure of the exact size of the book. Real bookbinding leather is expensive, use an upholstery hide, look out for leather sofas in skips big flat panels for free.

Glue. Craft PVA as it is flexible, not wood working glue as it is too hard

Thin cotton for spine lining- basically a bit of cotton sheet.

Large needle
Steel ruler
Sharp knife
Scissors
Cutting board.
A4 size x 2 MDF/plywood/chip board pressing boards about 15-25mm thick.
Couple of clean house bricks to act as weights. Engineering bricks being best, very heavy, usually very square and flat.

Old newspapers of waste paper to glue on.


Now go hunt and gather!


Let me know when you have gathered and hunted!

 

[sandsnakes]

two images of wallet/flap bindings

These will will be basically what we will use for inspiration. Both 15C using the same concept of edge protection.

 

[Stew]

I'm looking forward to this.