🎙️Chatter Central

c/bookbinders

21

lucasjackson•18h ago

Was always against using a bone folder until my mentor made me try one at a workshop in Austin

I've been doing basic bookbinding for about 5 years now, mostly just repairing old paperbacks and making simple journals for friends. I always thought bone folders were just some fancy tool that old timers used to feel important. But last month I went to a workshop in Austin and the instructor handed me one and said, "Just try it on one spine." I did one book with my usual plastic folder and one with the bone folder. The difference was crazy. The bone folder gave me way crisper creases and it actually smoothed out the paper without leaving those little scratch marks I always get. I looked it up later and apparently bone folders are naturally antistatic and don't damage the paper fibers like plastic can. Has anyone else had a similar experience with a tool they thought was overrated?

16

val949•18h ago

Switched from glue sticks to PVA for my book repairs and I'm never going back

I've been binding books for about 3 years now, mostly fixing old paperbacks and rebacking library discards. Last month I did a full rebind on a 1920s encyclopedia volume that my neighbor found at a yard sale. Used my usual glue sticks for the spine because they were cheap and easy. The whole thing fell apart inside 2 weeks, pages just dropping out like leaves in October. Picked up a bottle of PVA from a local art supply store in Minneapolis for 12 bucks. Night and day difference. The PVA soaks into the fibers way better and dries flexible instead of rigid and brittle. Plus it doesn't glob up and leave those hard lumps that make the book not close flat. Anyone else deal with glue failures on older books? What adhesive do you use for really fragile paper?

16

felix_williams71•2d ago

My old guillotine cutter finally gave out on a Tuesday

I've been using the same guillotine paper cutter since I started binding in 2008. It was a heavy cast iron model my dad picked up at an estate sale for $40. Last week it just stopped cutting clean on a stack of 50 sheets for a client job. The blade edge had a visible chip and it tore the top two pages instead of slicing through. I ended up hand-trimming the rest with a straight edge and X-Acto knife, which took me about 45 minutes longer. Has anyone else had luck replacing blades on an old cutter or is it time to just get a new one?

15

joseph_ellis85•2d ago

That binder at the Boston Public Library show who refused to use PVA

I was at the Boston Bookbinding Fair back in 2019, watching this older guy restore a 1800s atlas. He was using nothing but wheat paste and linen thread, no synthetic glue at all. Said PVA would 'rot the soul' out of old paper. I argued with him for 20 minutes about how modern adhesives are fine. But then he showed me a book he did 30 years ago with paste. Still held perfect, no yellowing. My PVA jobs from 10 years back? Some are already cracking. Been mixing my own paste ever since. Any of you run into a purist who actually proved their point with old work?

22

scott.jana•5d ago

That arts and crafts fair bashing on perfect bindings was way off base

I went to that big bookbinder meetup in Portland last spring and a guy giving a demo trash talked perfect bound books for like 20 minutes straight. Said they fall apart and aren't real binding. I've been doing this 8 years and I bind a ton of journals with perfect binding using EVA glue and they hold up just fine. He quoted some 70 year old book from his mentor about how it's lazy work. I've heard from 12 different customers that their perfect bound notebooks I made are still tight after 3 years of daily use. Has anyone else dealt with old school purists acting like perfect binding is garbage?

29

sethhernandez•8d ago

Hit 500 hand-stitched books last week and it hit me different

I've been binding books for about 4 years now, mostly as a side gig. Last Thursday I finished my 500th book, a little leather journal with a Coptic stitch. I didn't think the number would matter, but seeing that pile of spines in the corner of my workshop made me realize how much time I've spent perfecting my technique. Has anyone else hit a milestone that surprised them more than they expected?

17

the_emery•10d ago

A broken book at the flea market showed me something

I was at the flea market in Raleigh last Saturday and saw this old paperback that had completely separated from its cover. Looking at how the glue had failed gave me a new idea for how I could rebind some of my customer's books that have the same issue. Has anyone else gotten random ideas from seeing beat up old books in weird places?

8

lucasw82•12d ago

Pro tip: A binder told me to stop using so much glue on spines

I used to lay down a thick layer of PVA on every spine, thinking more glue meant a stronger book. At a workshop in Portland last month, a guy named Mike watched me for two minutes and said, 'You're making it harder on yourself, not better.' He showed me to use a thin, even coat and let it tack up for 30 seconds before closing. My last three case bindings came out way flatter with no warping. Anyone else have a simple habit change that fixed a big issue?

12

uma_martinez•13d ago

That $40 bookbinding glue I bought off Etsy ruined my entire leather cover project

I tried that fancy wheat paste mix from a seller in Portland and it turned my leather all sticky and weird after 48 hours. The pH was way off or something because the spine cracked when I opened it. Anyone else have a bad run with specialty glues from small shops?

19

the_anthony•16d ago

Vent: That $80 book press I bought was a total waste of money

Everyone says you need a proper book press for good results but I grabbed a cheap one from a craft store and all it did was leave weird uneven marks on my covers. Has anyone had luck making a simple press from plywood and clamps instead?

15

mary_foster92•16d ago

Noticed a weird shift in leather grain patterns at our guild meetup last month

At the Toronto bookbinders guild meeting last month, like 6 people brought in projects where the leather had this super tight, almost plastic-like grain. I figured it was just a bad batch from one supplier, but everyone got theirs from different places. One guy said he's been seeing it more since COVID hit when tanning processes changed. My own 3-year-old hide from the same shop still has that soft, natural look. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just the stuff coming through now?

21

laura_allen•17d ago

Guy at a craft fair asked me why I bother with traditional binding

I was set up at the Portland Craft Market last September, selling some leather journals I had sewn. A guy in his 40s walks up, picks one up, and says flat out, "why do you still do this by hand when a machine can do it in 5 minutes?" I told him I like the feel of it, the control over every stitch. He just shrugged and walked off, but it got me wondering - how many of you have gotten this kind of question from people who just don't get it?

14

rowanharris•17d ago

Was using way too much glue on my book spines for like 2 years

I used to spread PVA all over the spine like it was going out of style. Then I watched a video from a bookbinder in Portland who only uses a thin line of glue down the center of each signature. Tried it on a rebind of a 400 page novel last month and it actually lays flatter and opens better. Has anyone else noticed a difference switching to less glue?

24

susanm56•17d ago

Chat with a retired bookbinder at the library cafe made me rethink my hinge technique

He said my spine joints were too tight and showed me his old copy of "Bindery Tips from the 1950s" and now I'm wondering if I've been overworking my leather hinges this whole time, anyone else ever get a reality check from an old timer like that?

18

cameronn62•18d ago

Switched from PVA to wheat paste for my cloth cases and I'm never going back

I was always a PVA guy for spine linings and covering. Read a blog post from a bookbinder in Vermont who said wheat paste gives you way more working time. I tried it on a set of 3 cloth-bound journals last weekend. The difference was night and day - I could slide the cloth around and adjust without it sticking instantly. PVA is still good for hinges and tight spots, but for covering, wheat paste is my new go to. Anyone else use paste for specific parts of their binding?

13

the_nathan•19d ago

That clamp trick for pressing books I learned from a woodworker

I was having trouble getting my spines to form right on larger books, like the 10x12 inch ones I do for a local artist in Austin. No matter how long I left them in my press, the spine edges would come out rounded and uneven. Last month I stopped by a custom furniture shop to pick up some scrap hardwood for backing boards, and the guy there showed me how he uses three clamps instead of one on a glue-up. I tried it on my next project, putting one clamp at the top, one at the bottom, and one right in the middle of the pressing boards. The difference was night and day, the spine came out perfectly flat and square after just 6 hours instead of needing overnight. It distributed the pressure way more even across the whole book block. Has anyone else tried using multiple clamps for pressing or am I overthinking this?

28

wendy391•19d ago

Talked to an old bookbinder at the flea market who said I was pressing my books too hard

He showed me his own press marks from the 80s and said a lighter touch gives the spine room to breathe, and now I'm wondering if I've been squishing all my work for the past 5 years.

6

rileyb61•20d ago

Had a client tell me my headbands were too tight

A regular customer brought back a journal I bound for her and said the headbands were pulling on the pages. I switched from cotton cord to linen thread and loosened my tension by about 20% and noticed a huge difference in how flat the spine sits now. Has anyone else had to rework their headband technique after feedback?

22

johnson.paul•21d ago

Vent: Overusing PVA on spine linings is driving me nuts

Three times this month I've seen people's rebinds where the spine lining is stiff as a board because they slathered on way too much PVA. How do you get good flexibility in the joint if you drown the thing in glue before it even sees a cover?

19

cole994•22d ago

Question about using a bone folder on leather instead of Teflon

I was working on a leather-bound journal last week and my Teflon folder just wasn't smoothing out the edges like I wanted. I grabbed a cheap bone folder from my dad's old toolbox, figured I'd ruin the leather but gave it a shot anyway. To my surprise, it actually worked better on the spine folds than the Teflon one ever did. The bone folder pressed down harder and left a cleaner crease without marring the surface. I've always heard bone folders are bad for leather because they can burnish it, but this was a thicker veg-tan piece and it came out fine. Has anyone else had luck with bone on leather for specific tasks, or did I just get lucky with this particular hide?

13

finleym43•22d ago

Why I'm starting to think PVA might beat out wheat paste for tight back corners

I tried using PVA glue on a tight back corner repair last week instead of my usual wheat paste. The cover seemed to set faster at first, but when I checked it after 24 hours, the joint looked a little more rigid than I'm used to. On the other hand, that same fast set time saved me from having to clamp it down overnight. Has anyone else noticed a difference in flexibility between the two on older leather spines?

19

victorhill•22d ago

Old timer told me my glue was too watery, changed everything

Guy at a bindery in Portland saw me using PVA straight from the jug. He pulled out this thick paste, smelled like a chemical lab. Said I was ruining the spine strength. Switched to a stiffer mix and my covers stopped bubbling. Anyone else get a weird glue lecture from a veteran?

20

alice269•22d ago

That veteran binder told me I was wasting time with nylon thread...

I always used nylon because it was cheap and easy to find at the craft store. This old guy at a guild meeting in Portland said I'd regret it in 5 years. He was right - I'm opening up bindings I did back in 2018 and the thread is literally slipping and breaking in some spots. Switched to linen last month and it's night and day difference. Has anyone else dealt with nylon degrading over time like that?

11

mila_harris•25d ago

Appreciation post: That customer who hated my endbands changed how I do them

I used to glue my endbands on after casing in, and a customer told me they looked messy and uneven. At first I was annoyed (like, who are you to judge my craft?), but then I looked closer and yeah, they were right. So I switched to wrapping the endband fabric around the spine before gluing, and now they sit flush and tight every time. It added about 10 minutes to each book, but the finish is way cleaner. Has anyone else had a harsh critique that actually improved your process?

15

juliashah•25d ago

I finally switched from PVA to wheat paste for my spine linings

I used PVA for years because it was easy and dried fast, but every book felt stiff and hard to open. A binder at the Austin guild meetup showed me how wheat paste gives way more flexibility and holds up to shaping. Has anyone else found that certain adhesives work better for different styles of binding?