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The Process Finale!

Jen — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:13:00 GMT

So while I may not be a prolific blogger, I have actually been accomplishing work on the things that matter most--the BOOKS! Yes, you have arrived at the final chapter of the process, the completion of Ben's book. Please allow me to pick up where we last left off, to illustrate how we achieve that end.

Having cleaned and properly prepared the book spine, you can see below the spine following application of a Japanese tissue barrier layer with paste. This layer is allowed to dry completely before the addition of subsequent layers. As you can see, the tissue when dry, is very thin, molds exceptionally well to the curves of the spine sections, and is almost entirely transparent. It is this layer that will shield the original material from the non-reversible PVA adhesive that will be used to adhere the remaining layers. PVA, or polyvinyl acetate, is a viscous, white glue, similar in consistency to Elmer's. The difference being that PVA is specially formulated to resist yellowing, and becoming brittle over time. It provides a quick dry time, and a strong bond, though the adhesive itself remains very flexible. PVA is not reversible in water once it is dried, and so any application of the glue to original materials in a book are essentially permanent. As the tissue barrier layer protects the spine, PVA is now used to provide a level of strength and flexibility to the spine that wheat past alone would not yield. At this point, the quicker drying time of the PVA allows the rest of the job to proceed much more efficiently. While wheat paste can take hours to dry, PVA is generally set-up in only 10 minutes.


Spine with tissue barrier lining                                     Spine with cloth hinge liner

Immediately following the paste and tissue layer, a cloth hinge layer is adhered with PVA. As you can see above, the hinge layer extends approximately an inch to either side of the spine itself. It is these hinges that later get pasted down to the inside of the book boards, and form the attachment of the book to the cover. It is important to use a hinge cloth that has an appropriate amount of strength to support the boards of the book. The cloth will help to take all of the stress as the covers are opened and closed. One of the most common places for damage is along this hinge edge, so a good choice of cloth here is a well made investment.


Spine with top paper liner                                            Text block ready to be cased-in

Following the hinge cloth a paper spine liner is set in place, also with PVA. The spine liner is cut to fit from shoulder to shoulder of the book, and will also cover the entire length of the spine. This final liner creates a smooth finish to the shape of the spine. In some applications, multiple layers of spine liners are built up, and then sanded down to eliminate bumps from uneven areas of the text block, providing an exceptionally smooth finish.

Pasting up the end sheet

Once the spine linings are dried completely, the last step in this repair is to attach the cover to the text. It appears that I am missing some photos of the cover construction, so I will just briefly explain how it is made. The text block is carefully measured and cover boards are cut out of acid-free binder's board. The boards are cut to fit the book with an 1/8" overhang around the outer edges. This overhang is referred to as the square. The square gives a small edge of excess board to protect the more delicate pages of the text from damage. After the boards are cut, a spine strip is cut from a more flexible material, such as card stock, or bristol. The spine strip is cut to the same height as the new boards. Finally a piece of book cloth is cut that is large enough to cover all of the pieces, with approximately an inch extra for turn-ins. Each piece is carefully glued up with PVA adhesive, and adhered to the cloth to form the cover. A 1/4" gap is left between each cover board and the spine strip. This open gap of cloth is where the hinge of the book lies, and allows the covers to flex open and closed as needed. All of the pieces of the cover, or case as it is called, must be very precisely laid out and measured to ensure that the finished case will fit the text block appropriately.
With all of the pieces adhered to the cloth, the cloth is trimmed to an even 3/4" turn-in all around. The turn-ins are glued up and folded over the boards to produce the completed case. The image above shows the inside of the case, and you can see the way the cloth is turned in around the boards on all edges.

With this project Ben had chosen to retain the original title labels on the cover. To do this I created recessed areas on the new cover by cutting out a thin section of the board to fit the dimensions of the label, prior to adhering the cloth. This left a small depression on the cover into which the original labels could be recessed, and pasted down with glue. It is certainly easier to just adhere a label directly to a cover, and of course there's nothing wrong with doing this, but by creating the recess area, the label is placed flush with the cover surface. When the book is pulled in and out of its place on the shelf, there is no worry that the label will catch and become worn, or fall off. This step makes the finished product look just a bit cleaner, and provides an added layer of insurance protecting the saved elements over time.

With the case complete, the final step is to insert the text block and attach it to the case. This is done by applying glue to the outer side of the end sheet, also aptly referred to as the paste down. A sandwich of blotter material and scrap paper is inserted directly beneath the end sheet while it is glued up, to prevent glue from seeping in where you don't want it. You can see from the image above that the inch of overhanging hinge cloth also becomes pasted up at this step, as it will form the bridge between the text block and cover. With the glue quickly applied, the cover board is carefully closed onto the adhesive and end sheet. If the textbook was aligned correctly, there should be no need for any adjustment (not that there is much you can do at this point if you get it wrong). If anything a minimal amount of smoothing of the paste down may be done. This also needs to be done carefully, by opening the cover as minimally as possible. The end sheet papers can very easily stretch at this point while they are wet, and so opening the cover fully to check one's work can create bubbles and wrinkles in the final sheet as it dries. The opposite paste down is adhered in the same way, and the book is put into a press to dry overnight.

Completed repair

After drying, the book is removed from the press and is complete!


New end sheets                                                           Page opening

Here you can see the end sheets "played nice" for me and were laid in a nice smooth manner, with no wrinkles, or bumps. The completed book also opens freely and easily, to be enjoyed by our good customer well into the future.

Before treatment After treatment

Here we can review where we have come from with this book, and take a good look at its repaired and polished state. Our friend Ben was very pleased with the finished piece. See, it's not magic, it's just book repair. Thanks for following along.

Upcoming workshops at Evanston Print and Paper

Jen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:52:00 GMT

Don't you wish you knew how to make books of your very own? Now you totally can when you take a class at the Evanston Print and Paper Shop. Take a look at their great new site, and browse through the workshops to find something to get your creative buzz going.

Want to get the most book arts for your buck? Check out the new workshop I will be teaching with Stacey Stern of Steracle Press. Ink & Thread: Printed Editions, will take you from novice, to print, to bind, all in 10 short weeks. Learn the basics of BOTH letterpress printing, and hand binding to create a limited edition of your very own design. Class starts March 22, so sign up today!

The Process update bookcloth!

Jen — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:17:00 GMT

Update: we found a matching bookcloth, hurray!!!!!

The Process pt. III-spine lining

Jen — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:17:00 GMT

Progress on the repair of Ben's Home Gardening, is still underway. While we are still debating the type of cloth for the new cover, I have gotten permission to begin work on some of the structural elements to move this job along. This part of the job is one that most people don't get to see in the finished product, but it is this work that allows the book to operate well and become structurally sound. As a refresher, the decision we made on this project was to completely re-do the cover with a brand new one. Step one in this process involves carefully removing the old cover from the text block. This is done by pulling back the cover carefully, usually pulling off the endsheets in the process as seen below.

With a little luck, a good portion of the old adhesive will pull off, as the spine linings pop off the book as well. Here you can see the old adhesive, linings, and endsheets that have come off with the boards. Sometimes this is a really easy job, and everything pops off nice and clean as in this case, and other times this can be a lot more complicated. Care must be taken not to damage the parts of the text that you want to save. It can take a little muscle to pull this stuff apart, and the temptation must be avoided not to just rip into the book carelessly, leaving more repair to be done than is needed.

After mechanically removing as much of the old spine material as possible, the next task is to clean the spine before adding new material. You can see from the image below that bits of old adhesive still remain on the spine. If left there, these remnants will not allow for a good adhesion of the new adhesives and spine linings that I want to add. Old adhesives are often brittle, and flake off easily, which is responsible for their failure in the first place. Adding new adhesive on top of the old will not combat this flaking, and can result in a bad repair job.

In removing these adhesive bits, it is important to take care not to do any further damage to the text. The adhesive can be scraped off, but first it is necessary to apply a poultice material to try to soften the adhesive, and encourage it to release its bond from the paper surface of the text. A common compound used for such a poultice is methyl cellulose.

Methyl cellulose is part of a family of compounds knows as cellulose ethers. Sold in powder form, it is prepared with water to form a clear gel that is hydrophillic in nature. The hydrophillic (water loving) quality of methyl cellulose makes it a good choice as a poultice material. Methyl cellulose can hold a very large percentage of water, keeping it close to the surface of the adhesive to be removed. The water acts as a solvent breaking down the old adhesives. As the methyl cellulose begins to dry out, the old adhesive is pulled up into it through capillary action with the moisture, thus loosening and breaking down the old adhesives. Once loosened, the old material can be easily scraped away with a dull knife or spatula, with minimal damage to the book. Thus ends your chemistry lesson for the day.

prepared methyl cellulose                       applying methyl cell to the spine


mechanical removal of loosened adhesive                 voila! squeaky clean spine!

Once left with a clean spine, the next step is to apply a layer of Japanese tissue with wheat starch paste as the first layer, consolidating the spine. Japanese tissues are just pieces of thin, yet very strong paper that do not add extra bulk, but provide some needed strength as the first layer of the spine. This layer is applied with wheat starch paste, which is an adhesive that is easily reversible in water. The idea behind this step is that by using a reversible adhesive as the contact to the original book material, the repair can be reversed at a later date, should further repairs need to be done. Also, the wheat starch paste is a weak adhesive, and very flexible. It is a good choice as it will age well over time, and allow the spine to flex and move as the book is read. This is one situation where over-engineering by choosing a very strong, but stiff adhesive would be a poor choice. While the inclination may be to go for a heavy glue job, often a stiff layer of heavy glue can be prone to split or crack, where as a thinner layer of flexible adhesive will allow the spine to flex as it needs to.

mixed wheat starch paste Japanese tissue

applying tissue with a tamping brush tissue is adhered to spine, and left to dry

As seen above the tissue is very thin, and translucent. It is weak when wet, but surprisingly strong when dry. After applying a thin layer of paste to the tissue, it is carefully laid onto the spine. A tamping brush is used to help macerate the fibers of the tissue into the spine, and to eliminate air bubbles. The finished lining should be smooth, and evenly applied.

Continue to tune in for more linings to come, and will we ever find that perfect bookcloth?

The Process-Ben's Book pt. II

Jen — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:21:00 GMT

Following my last message, Ben and I shared a brief phone conversation which I will sum up for you. To start with, here is a little context for the discussion that ensued.

In repairing a book that someone has had in their personal collection for some time, there is always the issue when rebinding, or recovering it, as to what the repaired item will look like. Most books that come to my attention, do so because they are in terribly worn, aged, and damaged condition. Their present look in no way resembles their original luster. But it's this look, and the description provided by the owner that I have to go on. When you have a book like Ben's, that would really benefit from a complete re-do of the entire cover (for both aesthetic and structural reasons) you have the choice of trying to replace the original material with something completely new and different, or with something that is at least suggestive of the original book. While you can have a lot of fun with "new" and "different," I find that a lot of my clients appreciate a new look that tugs at their nostalgia for the original piece. To that end, for personal items, I tend to save things like cover images, titles, and other such identifying qualities to allow the client to feel like they are getting their book back. Just a better one. This by no means is always an appropriate choice, and one might argue, why would you slap together fragments of an original look, when you cannot recreate the entire original? I agree it's not for everyone, but this is part of the discussion that goes on with a client. To find out exactly what they want to see, and feel when the project is complete.

In the case of Ben's book, we were both in agreement that creating something of a similar color and feel to the original, would be the way to go. However, matching a dirt covered shade of yellow-green cloth is no easy task. While I don't generally keep a big variety of book cloth colors on hand, cloth can be purchased from a few local retailers, and many more varieties can be mail ordered within a week's time. The problem with mail order (aside from shipping expense) is that you generally have to order more than you need, which is not always the most cost-effective solution. To try to keep costs down, I proposed a chartreuse colored cloth that was available locally, and easy to purchase in small quantity. After viewing a swatch, and talking it over with Ben, he convinced me that this was not going to work for his book. It was important to him that we not only save the yellow title piece from the original front cover, but he also wanted to retain another printed graphic from the cover that would pull with it, some of the original green cloth. While I was thinking of choosing a color that had a similar vibe and intensity, it became clear that we needed to find something that was maybe a bit different, but that would be more of a compliment to the pieces that Ben wanted to retain. The conversation ended up being very productive, and resulted in clarifying for me, the elements that most spoke to Ben about the book, giving me a better sense of how to invoke that nostalgia in his rebound piece.

Moving forward we are still in search of the perfect cloth for this piece. We will be looking at some more swatches, and will likely end up ordering something to find the best fit. In the meantime, I will be moving forward with the repair work to the text block, and get some of the structural repairs underway. Pictures soon to follow.

The Process-Ben's Book

Jen — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:35:00 GMT

For those of you who really want to know how the process of working with a book binder unfolds, this one's for you. I am currently working with a client who has agreed to allow me to publish a sort of documentary of the conversations and work involved in the rebinding of one of his books. I hope that this proves insightful to any of you who are interested in the process. Please join us from start to finish of this great rebinding project.

Many of my projects are instigated by some casual conversation that goes something like this, "Say, I've got this book . . ." This project was no exception. I was contacted by a former client named Ben, about an older book in his private collection in need of some repair. Upon receiving and reviewing the damage to the book, the following is a copy of an actual message that I sent to Ben, initiating a proposal for the work:

Dear Ben,

Thank you for contacting me regarding your damaged book, Home Gardening. I have taken some photographs of your project and below are attached a selection of the best images for us to start the discussion. Based on my initial assessment, here are my list of concerns for repair of this book:
- the spine cloth is completely missing
- the front and back covers have bad stains that cannot be removed
- the decorative title on the front cover is nice and could be retained, but the upper right corner is damaged, and could not be repaired
- both the front and rear inner joints are split and need reattachment, or replacement
- the text pages are brittle, but still flexible and can be rebound
- illustrations are found throughout the book, but water damage is showing on the corners of most of these pages; this is likely due to the nature of the coated paper stock that the illustrations were printed on, which reacts differently to water than the rest of the text paper
- cover boards are not in great condition and likely should be replaced
- nothing significant about the end papers (they are not printed/illustrated/or have any important manuscript notations), so likely should be replaced with new as they are yellowed and have a broken attachment to the rest of the text

My recommendation would be to completely replace the cover with a new one. This would involve replacing the original front and back boards, and endsheets that are pasted down to the boards. If you would like, I could lift and save the yellow title, but the frayed bit of the worn upper right corner would still be visible. It wouldn’t be as noticeable once it was trimmed up and glued down, but it would hardly look perfect. If you are not really attached to the title, I could make you a new paper label in a similar style font to put on the cover and/or spine instead. That’s up to you. I would replace the end sheets with something neutral cream in color, and as with any typical rebinding, I would remove all of the old spine linings and adhesives, and replace them with new lining material and adhesive to reinforce the structure of the binding. I always place a barrier lining directly on the spine, as the first layer. This lining is made of Japanese tissue adhered with wheat starch paste. The barrier provides some protection to the original book, as it is an easily removed layer, should the book need to be repaired again at some point in the future. I did not come across any major page tears, or damage, but minor tears or page mends would also be included in the price.

At the moment, I don’t have any matching book cloth in stock to approximate the original color, but could order something similar, (by no means exact) for approximately $15/yd. I probably only need half a yard, but one yard is the minimum order. You can see some of the swatches I have below, pictured with the book. Since the cover will be entirely replaced, you also have the option to have this rebound in any color you wish, so let me know if you would like to see more sample swatches. As far as the water damaged pages, I suspect water has traveled through the whole book, and it was just these illustrated pages that absorbed the water in such a way as to stain. I can’t remove the stains, but it should pose no future risk having them there. I saw no evidence of mold or other problems anywhere in the text block.

If you are satisfied with this proposal, I can start work as soon as I obtain your approval. Please contact me to discuss any further questions, or concerns you may have.

Thanks again for your interest,

Jen

missing spine                                         broken inner hinge

illustrated pages                                        water damage

printed title                                              damage to spine, exposed linings

damage to corners                    stains to cover cloth

new book cloth samples           damage to back cover cloth

water damage to illustrated pages, at corners

Tune in soon, for part two of the series. What would Ben do?

The Process-Consultation

Jen — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:17:00 GMT

The business of repairing books is a complex process, that requires participation from both the client and binder. Some of the best projects I have worked on have been due to establishing a great relationship with some fabulous, and engaged clients. I'd like to take a moment to describe a bit of the process involved in repairing books, starting with the initial consultation, to give a sense of how this work comes together.

The first step to a successful start is always a consultation. When someone brings you a ziplock bag containing 1000 pages of something that looks like this:

be well advised that a lengthy discussion will ensue. In order to do the best job I possibly can, there are a few things that I need to know:

What does this book mean to you?
Is this a book that has sentimental value, are there specific parts that have special meaning, such as a dedication, or a particular image that you want to retain? Is it critical that the book look as much like it originally did when new, or can it be altered with the addition of new materials. Is this a rare collector's item, or a contemporary paperback? How you feel about your book will help guide the most appropriate treatment for the piece. I have many clients who have brought me books that could inexpensively be replaced with new copies. But, for a lot of readers there is a special value to the particular copy they own, and a replacement just won't do.

How do you want the finished piece to be able to function?
Is this a coffee table book, or a volume that spends a lot of time on the shelf, or is it a heavily read, well-traveled companion? Will this book be handled by children, or a very cautious and mindful adult? Will you be using it to cook Christmas dinner, or lounging with it in the tub? Usage patterns, as well as proper storage considerations, must be discussed to give your book the best chance for a functional future.

When I work with clients on what I like to call, "new construction" or custom books and journals, the questions go a bit further.

What is your project about, and what do you need it to communicate?
Particularly for projects such as artists portfolios, developing a strong concept for both the look and feel of the book is critical. Having a good sense of a client's vision and purpose helps the translation of ideas into suitable material choices, colors, and sizes. In developing a portfolio piece for a food stylist, we chose a pink suede to cover the exterior of her book, giving a tactile quality and impact that is often overlooked and generic in many portfolios.

As the book would need to be shipped often to prospective clients for review, we designed a foam padded slipcase that housed and protected the portfolio, while still looking attractive.

When the oversize print copy became too much of a burden to ship, we developed a smaller enclosure and concept to market a digital portfolio.

All of these decisions were successful because of a great discussion with a client who was clear about her needs, and also open to new suggestions, and materials.

While this may seem obvious when working with artists, a client's needs and vision for their project are always invaluable to achieving a great result. I try to encourage the right dialogue to help clients give me the information I need to make good choices for materials and design, and also to properly educate them about my skills, and the choices they have available. In a consultation meeting, I can provide swatches and samples of materials used, show actual examples of finished work, and answer any questions about the process involved. This is a great opportunity for clients to be creative and involved in the development of their finished product.

While phone conversations, and emails are helpful, I generally prefer to speak with clients in person when at all possible. While I am happy to share my general thoughts, I must have the book in hand before I can make any comments regarding repairs, as many factors influence the ability to accomplish certain types of treatments. Regarding repair work, I have learned that many clients tend to either underestimate or overestimate the work involved in completing their project. It's always best to bring it by, to find out all of the options available to you.

Red Letter Bindery always offers free consultations and estimates for your project, so feel free to call us for a no-pressure discussion to find out more.

Some terminology-learn to know what you're getting

Jen — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:54:00 GMT

One of the main motivators for me to work on this blog is to have a place to compile a list of useful information and resources to educate my friends and clients about bookbinding, conservation and the like. I thought I'd start out by sharing with you my thoughts about distinguishing between some important terminology that gets thrown around a lot. Terminology is a pretty serious issue in the field of conservation, due mostly I think to the fact that conservation is one part art, and a very hefty part, science. To that end, conservators need to have a strict and concise set of vocabulary to communicate with one another. To be clear, the following definitions are not that. This is my take on the topic, and so for more information, I encourage you to take a spin out on the web to get a broader sense of these words and how they are applied.

Bookbinding
Pertaining to the craft and manufacture of books. This may be accomplished by hand, by a skilled artisan, or through a commercial manufacturing process. It includes the vast array of published books on the market, but also includes the genre of artists books, sculptural books, and some loose definitions of basically anything that can be "bound." I once created a book for an Edible Books and Tea event, in which I bound some slices of roast beef together with linen thread. Bookbinding- it's creative, utilitarian, and often delicious.

Conservation (of art, not land, not ecosystems)
Pertaining to the combined art and science of repairing historic works of art. Conservation deals with the maintenance and repair of an object to prolong its life and usefulness, as determined by the owner, or curator for the item. Of course for me, this means books, but the field includes other specialties such as paintings, objects, works on paper, and buildings and landmarks. Conservation typically refers to the hands-on treatment work involved in carrying out appropriate repairs. It also extends to the knowledge of the scientific principles involved in the chemical degradation of work over time, affects of environmental conditions, and the procedures for the appropriate assessment, written and photographic documentation, and research that is necessary to appropriately treat an object. When I use the term "appropriate" this means that there are certain rules that a professional conservator will do their best to adhere to. The rules are designed to protect the integrity of the object, and to provide a just and responsible service to the custodian of that object. The American Institute for the Conservation of Historic Artifacts (AIC) is a professional membership organization for conservators, and has produced some great documentation about the field in general, and moral conduct that its members abide by. You can find their link under my "Professional Organizations & Resources" header in the sidebar.

Preservation
Often confused with conservation, this area of practice does have a lot of overlap. Typically I would distinguish the two by saying that preservation involves the wider scope of issues such as controlling environmental conditions for collections, understanding appropriate housing and storage issues, in addition to reformatting and replacement of damaged, or destroyed items (this is essentially relevant for books and documents in a library context). Preservation deals less with the heavier end of the science aspects, and also tends to be less hands on with treatment. Still, keeping current with the latest technology used to care for collections is the prime responsibility for those in the preservation field.

Restoration
Restoration is a term that I hear a lot that does make me a bit wary. Generally, restoration refers to the art of returning an object to its original condition. The thing is that once an object sustains damage, or is showing age, there is no going back to "original condition." Those days are gone, my friend. Now there are some very skilled people out there that can restore an object to approximate the look and feel of the original in a very convincing, and almost indiscernible way. For me, there are a few issues that go with this. Just because something looks "pretty" again, does not mean it is in good, or even improved condition. A good restorer, must also be well trained in the history of the artifact he/she is working with, to be able to accurately reproduce the qualities the original may have had. Particularly with books, you often find a lot of repair work, or replacement parts that one may think were original components, but were simply added at some point as an old repair. A restorer needs to be able to distinguish between the two.

So, having looked this over, you may be wondering which category I belong to. Good question, and one you should ask of anyone who lays a hand on your collection. At the moment, I would say that I am a bit of a mix of most of these categories. First and foremost, I am a bookbinder--I make books. And if you're a keen observer, you'll also know by now that I fix them too. I have spent some time working in conservation labs as a technician (one who fixes books), and I am a member of the AIC. I have studied chemistry, and have done numerous workshops on preservation, and know a thing or two about environment, deterioration, and proper storage and handling issues. so, you could say I know a bit about preservation. So do I consider myself a conservator? Though I have knowledge of, and adhere to a big list of conservation principles, I would not use that term to describe myself quite yet. I am in the process of pursuing my formal training to become a conservator (which means getting another masters degree, currently I have an MFA in Book and Paper Arts). There are excellent conservators out there who have not completed formal degree training programs, but who have learned by apprenticeship. That method of entering the field is closing down, and is hard to come by, so for me, I will call myself a conservator once I get the piece of paper that says I have completed a requisite number of experiences to qualify me to practice as a professional conservator. The topic of education and training is one that I will leave for another time, as it is a heated issue still among practitioners, though I think very interesting.

My main point here is just for you all to be aware that when you take a book to get fixed, there are many different backgrounds and fields that "book fixers" come from, so in all cases ask questions about who you're dealing with, and have a clear communication about what is going to happen to your book, what your wishes are, and how it will be treated. Also make sure you have a clear understanding of potential limitations to any repair treatment. Again for more information check out the AIC's excellent articles to selecting a conservator and caring for your collections.

Welcome

Jen — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:02:00 GMT

Welcome to the Red Letter Bindery blog and resource center. Here you can peruse our thoughts and find information and links for bookbinding, book arts, conservation, and other related topics of interest.Ask a question, start a discussion, and get to know our friends. We look forward to your input!