#hand bookbinding

[valentinerose529]

Looking for advice on restorative bookbinding!

I recently learned about fanbinding and custom bookbinding, and I've decided it would be a super neat thing to learn how to do. Since i've never done anything like it before besides like, those little books we'd make in elementary school with folded printer paper and a staple gun, I'm looking for outside advice!

I got a very nice sci-fi book from my dad, but calling it well-loved is an understatement.

It's torn completely in half, but in my (limited) experience it's still salvageable. Like, as a book, it's still usable, i can and do read it i'm just careful with the outermost pages of each chunk.

I'd like to try my hand at rebinding this book, just as a beginner side project, since it's here and I already own it and nobody will read it except me, so who cares if the binding job is sloppy or crooked?

Each half is mostly solid, although the cover pieces and outer pages are only hanging on by threads.

The paper of the spine is pretty cracked, but the two cover pieces are in pretty good condition except for nicks and fraying around the edges.

the second chunk has a hole in the top page, but it only takes out like two words and i'm ninety percent sure i can extrapolate the blanks from the context if/when i patch that page.

It's about 860 pages long not counting the non-story ones like title pages, about the author, etc. I know there's a limit for how many pages certain binding styles can handle.

it's also printed on like, i don't know the name for it but it's that really thin yellowish paper that a ton of those old paperbacks are printed in (is pulp fiction the right word?)

Since it's a paperback, it doesn't have endpapers per se. Whatever cover I made and attached, would I need endpapers to glue to the inner cover? Would it be better to sacrifice the existing first and last pages to be endpapers (which i don't mind doing since the first has a story snippet and the last is blank), or better to glue dedicated endpapers to the text block at the same time I glue the two chunks together?

I don't really have a preference on hardback or paperback cover, I think hardbacks are easier for beginners to make?

I'd like to preserve the cover or at least the design of it somehow, so one of my ideas is to scan the cover and spine and print them out bigger onto a larger piece of paper if I decide to go with a hardback cover.

The second chunk has the paper of the spine on it (also hanging on by a thread). I'm not sure if I should scrape off the leftover spine paper/glue that's on the spines of the text blocks before I glue on a cover, or if it'll be fine to glue a fresh cover on top of it (after separating the graphic paper of the spine).

In terms of materials, I actually own a bottle of acid free archival quality book glue (I bought it ages ago in hopes of patching another book that tore in half from use), I have plenty of scrapbooking paper and cotton fabric left over from other projects, and I think my local makerspace has a dedicated bookbinding press!

It's a neat story, but the physical book itself has no sentimental value to me or my dad, so if I can't fix it I'll just buy a fresh copy and sacrifice this one as material for other paper crafts. I just thought it'd be a fun place to start learning how to bookbind, rather than trying to format and print and shape a fresh text block from scratch.

If you need more info about this project, please ask and I'm happy to share it. Any advice is appreciated, and thank you in advance!

[aethersea]

I've always wanted to learn bookbinding, ever since I was a wee little nerd, but there are a lot of things I've always wanted to learn, and this one has both a daunting upfront materials cost and a daunting upfront research cost. however, my sister is a jewel among siblings and gave me for christmas last year a handy dandy bookbinding manual, a block of good paper, and a little bag of tools.

but I still didn't have a suitable workspace, nor any of the many important tools and materials that she didn't include in her gift. so I just read the manual and pined. until maybe a month ago I got fed up with pining, flattened a cardboard box for a cutting mat, and went to town.

and I'm real proud of myself, so here's me rambling, plus photos!

I went to the thrift store and got glue + some fabric to bind the cover, went to Michaels for a paintbrush (and later went back for a metal ruler lmao it's amazing how useful it is to have a straightedge for cutting the paper), and...could not find material for the cover boards. so I went home and pined some more. but the urges were too strong, so after a couple hours of moping I got a stack of printer paper at the grocery store (I could not bring myself to use the good paper for my first, inevitably weak attempts, I just couldn't do it) and started making a little booklet. which was a great idea, it turned out, since it makes for good practice with cutting the paper, measuring things, punching holes in the signatures, etc.

I have a big box of greeting cards from Michaels, which I used for the covers. it didn't feel like I was making a Real Book, so I got some colored paper from the stationery store and used that for end papers.

so fancy~

galvanized by this success, I ordered a stack of chipboard online to use for cover boards; and once I was confident that I could cut paper without making it look too stupid (getting that straightedge ruler sure helped lol), I made signatures out of the good paper, left them under some heavy books overnight since I don't have a book press, and then punched holes in them! (huzzah for this nice video on getting the holes right)

my sister's gift included good linen thread. it's unwaxed, but after some poking around on r/bookbinding it looks like that just means I'll have to be more careful to avoid tangles and keep good tension. I am fine with this. I can be extra attentive. (I considered just running it over a beeswax candle, but one commenter said if your wax has paraffin in it, it could melt in a hot car, ruining the spine. I can't guarantee my candle is 100% beeswax, I didn't make it, so maybe we just move on.)

I don't have good linen fabric to use for the tapes, but the important part there is that the fabric be thin, sturdy, and not stretchy. the probably-cotton I got from the thrift store fits the bill, so it'll do!

this is a french link stitch, which I got from this exceedingly good tutorial. apparently it's strong enough on its own that for a book of this size, I don't actually need tapes, but I'd already cut the things so eh here we are. and tapes plus french link will make it a stronger binding still (according to a friendly redditor on r/bookbinding), so we carry on.

specifically we carry on to the gluing step. now as I mentioned, I do not have a book press, and you....kinda need one for this step. you need to hold the book block in place with the signatures facing upwards, pressed together hard enough that the glue won't run down between them and stick the pages together (though you do want the glue to get between them just a little, just for like a 16th of an inch). you at least need some clamps and a couple boards to sandwich the book block with.

but you know what? I'm not a professional, this is my first ever book, if it's a little bit off it'll be fine. so we grab all the heaviest books off the bookshelf and improvise.

it's fine! I'm sure it's fine! and just in case it's not, I've tucked a bit of cardboard underneath to catch any glue that drips down so it won't land on the floor. see? I'm prepared! I'm acing this.

and actually, it really was fine. I used clear elmer's glue, applied with a flat paintbrush from the art supplies aisle at Michael's, and frankly I liked the way the flat paintbrush let me slip glue in between the signatures. I did poke around on a couple bookbinding sites to see what kind of glue I should use, and the gist is that although there are better options than this, elmer's glue is perfectly serviceable, and the main downside is it's not archival grade. but I don't need my first bookbinding attempts to last 200 years, that's fine.

the next step is to add the mull. mull is a specific type of fabric – extremely loose-weave linen – and the idea is to paste it down over the spine to essentially hold the tapes and signatures all in place in relation to each other.

but I don't have mull! so I'm using more of the thrift store probably-cotton, because it's thin enough and not really stretchy at all. I'm sure this will be fine too. I painted a layer of glue onto the spine, then left it to dry a bit while I measured and cut the fabric, then painted a generous stripe of glue down the center, where it'll affix onto the spine. then I added a bit more glue to the spine, just to be sure, and pressed the mull into place, rubbing it thoroughly to make sure it's firmly affixed to every signature, with no creases in the fabric or air bubbles beneath it.

honestly I might have overdone it on the glue. I've never done this before, I don't know! I think it's okay, though – I tried not to ever let it become a thick layer, just a slight coating, since the danger of too much glue is that it might crack once dry and weaken the spine.

and now we leave it in the press overnight to dry, and pick up the next step in the morning!

[etherati]

I'm so proud of this bind!

So this is What Light Tastes Like by AshesAndHoney, and it's just such an endearing, sincere, and sexy execution of the "they wander around the countryside dealing with ever increasing levels of sexual tension and accidental feelings, while figuring out how to put it all together" trope. Which, I gotta say, I love being in a fandom where that's a common trope because ❤️💛🩵

The cover is done entirely by sunprinting with cyanotype treated fabric-- no augmentation or editing whatsoever, entirely printed with the power of the sun. I've included some process pics for this one because I really wanted to show that off. It's also my first typeset using Affinity, which allowed me to do some really fun things with the chapter header pages.

Legal quarto with patterned endpapers from French. The titling font is Swingset BB, the window icons are from the font Nature Boho, sun dingbats from the font Cute Sun, full page spread graphic is a stock photo that was heavily edited, and headbands are sewn on.

Done in advance for Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day 2024, will be shipping second copy to the author as part of this event.

[mister-a-z-fell]

You might already have seen this videograph elsewhere, but I was rather excited to add this particular book to my collection! One of only twenty-four copies, I feel deeply privileged to be able to share it with you all.

Not only is the story itself very special to me (and worryingly accurate in many respects), it is most gloriously and skilfully bound, and contained in a burr oak box with brass fittings, lined with hand-marbled paper of celestial blue, and illustrated by that marvel of portraiture, Mister Paul Kidby.

Within the box are an assortment of ephemera, some of which are pictured below.

(And yes, I can read the alien ‘penalty notice’.)

[towns-end-bindery]

Songs of Love and Death ♥️☠️🗡️

Edited by George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois

Features stories by Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Jacqueline Carey, Diana Gabaldon, Majorie M. Liu, Carrie Vaughn, and many more.

My first process video - PART 1

Here is PART 2 on Instagram

Here is PART 2 on tumblr

📚📖

This is my most ambitious rebind so far. I’ve printed on bookcloth before, but this time it was particularly challenging. I printed a much larger pattern for the covers and spine than I’d ever previously attempted. I ran into some issues with printer jamming for the first time since I started the regular practice of printing directly onto bookcloth. It was immensely stressful, because any damage to the printer as a result would have voided the warranty, since book cloth is not one of the accepted printing mediums for the machine.

But with some patience and realignment, I managed and the cloth printed successfully. But the next problem I ran into was smearing. I’d never had this problem before either. I had changed up my settings out of caution for the machine’s acceptance of the cloth, but the result was probably a heavier and denser layering of ink than usual. This is becuase the machine believed it was printing onto matte brochure paper, not regular paper.

So as I was making the case, the design was smearing heavily on my fingers. I had to be extremely careful where I touched the book to make sure I wasn’t destroying the design as I wrapped the cover boards and spine, but it was still an absolute mess.

In the end though, I got through it. I’m pretty pleased with the overall design. I’ve been told by some that the pattern reminds them of azulejo ceramic tiles, or delftware porcelain. Hopefully my gift recipient likes it as well.

My original cover designs can be seen HERE.

[anatolej]

Carnet aux couleurs du drapeau trans 🏳️‍⚧️

Ko-Fi : https://ko-fi.com/anatolejolly

[bamsara]

ok IM SORRY it took me so long but the listings and details I think are good to go for the watercolor/acrylic paintings so theres that. pay-what-you-want is enabled so NOBODY come for me slkdghskd

there's an option for tracked/insured shipping btw thats $10 extra because thats how much the shipping would cost, but it is not required (shipping is north american only rn because costs, sorry)

I'll open the KoFi shop at Noon CST so like an hour from now

[sosnastudios]

Folklore Fish

Three miniature books inspired by folktales involving fish.  Full semi-limp bindings in salmon parchment made by the binder (me), sewn on salmon parchment tapes, red-orange Lynweave tipped endsheets.

Dragon Gate (Chinese): Rough edge gilding on three sides, surface gilding

Salmon Boy (Haida-Tlingit-Tsimshian): Marbled top edge, extra tapes woven across the cover, copper tooling

Salmon of Wisdom (Irish): Nine salmon parchment sewing tapes tanned in hazelnut shells and plaited into the covers

[fallingsunbindery]

The Interrogation by magdaliny 51,263 words | 280 pages Completed August 20, 2023

This story is sweet and haunting and cathartic and so many moments have stayed with me since I first read it. It was a joy to typeset and bind <3 Even when the HTV fought me and had to be applied twice.

[onestellarghost]

A Handbook on Intimacy

a riso printed stab bound book capturing the hands of me and my girlfriend

[queenlucythevaliant]

My second proper bind: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.

[a-gay-old-time]

The July Tree and Eager for the Sky by @oknowkiss

Including gorgeous art from @short666bread and @upthehillart and art for the endpapers from @babooshkart

One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to mix things up and try new things with my bindings this year. I’ve been intrigued with dos-a-dos bindings since I started making books, but I only recently felt like I had enough knowledge and experience to try it out. As soon as I finished reading The July Tree and Eager for the Sky, I knew that these two incredible works were perfect for this type of binding. Dos-a-dos means back-to-back, and I read these stories for the first time back-to-back in the span of a couple of days. They were two of my favorite reads from last year, and they complement each other brilliantly. And I was thrilled to get to make something for E, and even more thrilled to learn that this week was their fandom anniversary so the timing of this binding ended up being really special!

As always, a massive thank you to the incredible artists who were kind enough to let me include their amazing art in this binding! And the biggest shout-out to the lovely Boo who helped me out with some art for the endpapers as a quick fix-it for when I discovered that the glue had bled through and discolored them near the hinges. The art on the endpapers ended up being one of my favorite parts of the binding, and it’s always really special to get to make things together with her.

I’ll make a separate post with some WIP pics--this binding was a challenge (though in different ways than I had first imagined) but I am so proud of the final result and very happy to have tried something new. Happy fandom anniversary, E! Thanks for sharing your words with the world!

[etherati]

My first REALLY tiny book, a bind of Four of Swords. A sextodecimo! This lil guy is about 3" x 2 1/4" and is bound with actual cards from the miniature edition RWS deck. Because of the fun tarot imagery I'd been wanting to bind this one, but it's so short, just about 5000 words, so it had to go really little :3

Printed on pop-tone white from French, spine and sword detail done with HTV. I printed the main narrative in black and the flashbacks in blue, for visual separation, and the endpapers are of artwork done for this fic by the incredible @sandwichartistdatzu !!

[emillysstudio]

My new 'Book of Lilith'. This has been an enormous undertaking, nearly a year to complete.

[towns-end-bindery]

The Little Prince

Showing a little of my gold foiling process, which is all done by hand 🖐️!

I use a memory keeper’s foil quill, which came with a roll of gold foil when I bought it. It’s a wonderfully affordable option for those who don’t have the budget for machines like cricut or silhouette, and HTV.

[anatolej]

Grimoire des Sirènes 🧜‍♀️

Ko-Fi : https://ko-fi.com/anatolejolly