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Archive for the ‘Bookbinding’ Category

Bookbinding Links Roundup

Posted in Bookbinding, Craft on March 20, 2007 | 21 Comments »

When I find great bookbinding resources online, I tag them in del.icio.us, but I thought it would be useful to others if I put the best ones in one place here, just this once, since I tagged most of them before setting up my automated blog posts from del.icio.us to this site. Here’s a roundup [...]

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A Tour of My Local Book Manufacturer

Posted in Bookbinding on March 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment »

Last week, I was given a real treat. I got to tour the factory for the book manufacturer that prints many of the titles I edit for my day job. (For those of you chuckling, yes, I considered this a treat. What can I say?) It just so happens that I got to do this [...]

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Don’t Care for a Book? Alter It!

Posted in Bookbinding on June 4, 2006 | 9 Comments »

Yesterday, I ventured into the craft of altered books with baby steps: a workshop at a local stamp and craft store.
A longtime bibliophile at heart, I knew it would be tough for me to begin defacing a book, even if it were in the name of art, so I decided to rip that band aid [...]

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Finish Up

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 8 Comments »

Your book should now look like a book. The last remaining step is to cover the unsightly interior of the front and back cover. In addition to finishing off the book and making it look more attractive, pasting endsheets also increases the strength of your book, because it acts as a final reinforcement to draw [...]

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Cover the Cover

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment »

To cover the unsightly skeleton you’ve created so far, you’ll now cover the exterior of the boards with a single piece of decorative paper, which will wrap around the front cover, back cover, and spine. To accommodate this wrap, use your utility knife slit the mull by 1/2″ where the covers meet the spine at [...]

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Attach the Cover Boards

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 4 Comments »

With your book block of signatures lying face up, place a piece of scrap paper (wax paper actually works better, if you have it) between the mull and the tapes and another piece of scrap paper beneath the tapes. Brush the mull with glue.

Remove the top piece of scrap paper. Press the front cover board [...]

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Build Cover Boards

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 7 Comments »

You’ll need to cut three boards for your hardback case: the front cover, the back cover, and the spine. Your local craft store should stock binder’s board (a durable, yet flexible board, about 1/8″ thick) for this specific purpose, but in a pinch, chipboard or illustration board should also work.
Using your carpenter’s square and utility [...]

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Glue the Spine

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 4 Comments »

We now need to attach the mull (a strip of cloth) to the spine and tapes. Connecting cover boards to the mull, rather than directly to the signatures themselves, allows for a strong but flexible backbone (hint: this is the key to creating our lay-flat binding), reinforcing the spine and giving you something to connect [...]

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Stitch the Signatures

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 2 Comments »

Using a binder’s needle (or similarly heavy needle, such as a tapestry needle) draw about 30″ of binder’s thread (a thick, durable, acid-free linen) through the kettlestitch at the foot of the last signature.

Exit the spine at the next hole and then enter the spine again, stitching around the first tape.

Keep stitching in [...]

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Prepare Signatures for Stitching

Posted in Bookbinding, Uncategorized on May 25, 2006 | 1 Comment »

Before actually binding your F&Gs, you now must sew them all together around strong, 1/4″-width linen tapes (ask for bookbinding tape at your local craft store) at the spine. This process creates the added durability offered by a hand-bound book.
Using three tapes, running perpendicular with the folds of the signatures, provides for the strongest spine. [...]

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