Back cover warp nightmare at the Chicago bindery meetup last month

I was at the Chicago binders meetup last month showing off a leather bound journal I made. Someone pointed out the back cover was bowing badly after just a week. Turns out I was using too much PVA on the endsheet and not letting it dry before closing the book. Has anyone else had a project warp on them at a show or meetup?

4 comments

4 Comments

mila_harris1mo ago

Oh man, the warp trap got you too. I remember bringing a sewn text block to a local craft fair and the whole thing looked like a potato chip after two days. Turns out my endsheet glue was way too wet and I didn't give it enough time to cure before packing it up. It's so embarrassing when someone else notices before you do. Did you try leaving the book open with some weight on it after the fact?

williams.jenny1mo ago

Did you try leaving the book open with some weight on it" Honestly I think people get WAY too worked up over a little warp. It's a handmade book not a machine printed one. A slight curve adds character.

victorhill1mo agoProlific Poster

Buddy of mine runs a small press out of his garage. He had a run of poetry zines he was so proud of, spent weeks on the binding. Then he opened his trunk at a reading and the humidity hit them. Every single one looked like a roof shingle. He still sells them, just calls them "curl editions" now. People eat it up.

rosebarnes1mo ago

...and tbh, is it even that noticeable to anyone besides us? Unless the book is literally shaped like a taco and won't close, I feel like we as bookbinders are the only ones who obsess over a millimeter of warp. Ngl, I've seen perfectly flat books from big box stores that look dead and lifeless compared to one with a little bit of a curve to it. Like, a warped book has a story, it was made by hand and stuff. Just call it "living book" or something and lean into it, it's really not that serious.