c/bookbinders

Comparing my first press to the one I use now, night and day after 12 years

Back in 2011 I bought a little tabletop press from a garage sale for $40, thought it was fine but every spine came out crooked and the screws stripped after a year. Around 2018 I finally saved up and got a proper standing nipping press with a 6 inch opening, cost me $320 but the difference is unreal. The old one made me fight the material, this one just does what it's supposed to, joints are clean and the book boards sit flush every single time. I still keep the little press around for quick flattening jobs, but I can't believe I stuck with the bad one for so long just because it was cheap. Anyone else have a tool they used forever and then upgraded, and now you wonder how you ever managed?

The wax thread tip that saved my spine after 3 cracked joints

I kept snapping my kettle-stitched spines on thicker text blocks, tried everything from different linens to changing my press tension. Then an old binder at a Portland guild meet showed me to run the thread through a beeswax block twice, it cut my breakage down to zero in about a week. Has anyone else had luck with double-waxing on heavy signatures, or is it just me?

TIL the library downtown has a book repair station and nobody uses it

Stopped by the central branch in Omaha yesterday to pick up a hold and noticed a corner I'd never seen. They've got a full repair setup, bone folders, PVA, even a guillotine for trimming. Librarian said in 6 months maybe 3 people have touched it. I sat down and fixed 2 of my own paperbacks right there, hinge repairs and edge tape. It felt like finding a secret workshop. Is this common at other libraries or did I just stumble on something weird?

I finally learned why my book cloth keeps bubbling on the spine

For three months I fought with bubbly book cloth on every rebind I did. Turns out the issue was my PVA glue was too thin, and the moisture was soaking into the paper liner underneath. I read about this in a 1980s edition of the Guild of Book Workers newsletter at my local library. I switched to a thicker paste and let the cloth rest for 10 minutes before wrapping. Has anyone else had this problem with thinner adhesives, or do you use a different method to prevent the cloth from lifting?

That damp smell at McKay's used book section has me worried

I was digging through the bargain bins at McKay's in Knoxville last Saturday and noticed a musty odor coming from the back corner near the romance paperbacks. About a dozen books had wavy pages and that brownish stain on the edges you see when moisture gets in. Has anyone else spotted mold issues at a used bookstore and should I say something to the staff about it?

Just found out the hard way that PVA glue isn't archival

I was putting together a fine binding for a client's leather journal last week and used my usual PVA. Then I looked up the spec sheet on the manufacturer's site. Turns out the pH shifts over time and it can eat through paper in like 20 years. I had to tear the whole thing apart and start over with a starch paste blend. Has anyone else run into this with their go-to adhesive?

I used to hate using a sanding block for book edges, but a guy at a bindery in Portland showed me how it stops the paper from curling.

I always thought hand sanding was fine, but after one test on a thick text block the difference was huge no more wavy edges. Has anyone else noticed better results with a block over just paper?

Full leather vs. cloth joint spines, I'll take cloth every time now after rebinding a 1902 encyclopedia set last month

The full leather looked beautiful but the cloth joints let the boards open flat without stress cracking after just six months of use, and I can replace a worn cloth joint in under an hour compared to cutting and paring new leather for a full day, has anyone else found that practical durability beats old-school aesthetics for functional books?

My friend's one comment about my spine rounding made me totally rethink my workflow

I was binding a 400 page novel last weekend and my buddy who does restoration work stopped by. He said my spine was too round, like I was overdoing it on purpose. I got defensive at first, but then he showed me how he does it with way less force and a sharper backing hammer. Now I'm wondering if I've been putting too much stress on my joints for years. Has anyone else had a random comment from someone outside your usual circle change how you do something basic?

My grain direction was off for 2 years before I finally saw the difference

My press broke mid-press on a 500 page book yesterday

I was cranking down a big stack of signatures in my old book press yesterday afternoon and the threads on the top screw just gave out, stripped clean. The whole shaft went crooked and I had to scramble to get the book out before it ruined the spine. I ended up using cinder blocks and a wooden board to finish the job, which is not ideal. Has anyone else had their hardware fail like that, or am I the only one pressing books with a paperweight now?

PSA: That $120 leather binding kit from Amazon is not worth it

I got suckered into buying a 'complete starter kit' from a brand called BindCraft last month. The leather tore on my third project and the glue they included dried out after two uses. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific supplier, or am I just better off sourcing materials separate?

Spent 2 hours sewing a text block only to realize I had the grain direction all wrong

I was working on a new novel binding at my kitchen table in Denver and got halfway through the signatures before my spine felt stiff. Turns out I cut all my folios against the grain instead of with it, so the paper won't lay flat. Has anyone else screwed up grain direction on a big project and found a way to fix it without starting over?

I finally figured out why my bookcloth was bubbling after 4 tries

Turns out I was using way too much PVA and not letting it tack up enough before pressing. Has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on something this simple?

Tried making my own wheat paste vs store bought for a cloth cover

I've been binding for about 4 years and always used store bought PVA for the cloth covers. Last week I tried making my own wheat paste for a project. Mixed up a batch with flour and water in about 15 minutes. The cloth laid down way smoother and didn't bubble up like the PVA sometimes does. But it took a full day to dry compared to maybe 2 hours with PVA. Anyone else mess with homemade paste or is it just extra work?

Vent: Why does everyone glue their endpapers on backwards? (Or is it just me?)

I was at a meetup in Denver last Saturday and saw like 5 different people's books where the endpapers were glued with the grain running the wrong way. It makes the covers warp after a few days, I swear. I learned this the hard way after ruining a batch of 12 journals I was making for a local shop. Has anyone else noticed this or am I being too picky?

Took a binder's advice about grain direction and it saved my last project

I've been binding for 3 years and always just slapped covers on however. Last month a guy at a workshop in Austin told me I was fighting the grain on every single book. He said my covers would keep warping because the paper grain runs the wrong way. I spent 2 hours re-cutting all my boards and lining them up with the text block grain. The difference is insane. My last 5 books sat flat on a shelf for a week with zero curl. Has anyone else had their mind changed on something this basic?

Had to pick between PVA and paste for a rebinding job last night

I was working on a 1954 atlas that had a broken spine and needed a full rebind. I had to decide between using PVA glue or wheat paste for the new endpapers. I went with PVA because the book is heavy and I figured it would hold better, but now the edges are curling up a tiny bit. Did anyone else run into warping with PVA on older, thicker paper?

Wasted $50 on that fancy Japanese bone folder

Thought I was being smart buying a $50 bone folder from that specialty shop online. Thing snapped clean in half on my third project, just trying to crease some heavy cardstock. My old $8 plastic one from the craft store is still going strong after 8 years. Anyone else find that the expensive tools aren't always worth it?

That moment at the library repair station that changed my glue game

I was over at the downtown library last month helping a buddy patch up some old reference books for their local history collection. We're just using my usual PVA mix like I always do, slapping it on pretty thick because that's how I learned in school. One of the volunteer ladies walks over, picks up my brush, and says 'honey you're drowning the spine, less is more.' She showed me how to use just a thin layer and actually let it tack up for a few minutes before closing the book. I tried it on a beat up copy of a 1967 atlas and the pages came out flat, no bubbles, no weird crinkling. Now I do the same with my leather book repairs at home and I'm using half the glue I used to. Has anyone else had a random stranger teach them a basic trick that totally flipped their process? It makes you wonder what other simple stuff we're doing wrong.

That moment I realized I'd been gluing spines backward for 6 months

I was at a meetup in Portland last Tuesday watching this older binder set up a case and suddenly it clicked. All my spines had the hinge on the wrong side, so my books were opening like backwards. Nobody said a thing until that guy just casually pointed it out. Has anyone else had a basic technique totally flip on them like that?

Hit 200 hand-sewn bindings last night and I don't get the hype.

I kept hearing how hand-sewing is the only way to make a book that lasts. But around binding 180 I realized my machine-sewn books from 5 years ago are holding up just as well. The stitches are tighter and more consistent on my Singer and none of them have come loose. I get that hand-sewing looks cool and all, but is anyone else finding the durability difference is way overblown? What's your take on how much it actually matters for a book that sits on a shelf.

Vent: People keep using PVA glue on leather hinges

I see it all the time in online videos now. PVA dries too stiff and cracks the leather after a few months of opening and closing. I learned that the hard way back in 92 when I ruined a journal I spent 40 hours on. Anyone else notice more folks skipping proper leather glue?

That old bookbinder at the Denver workshop showed me his homemade bone folder from 1982

He said he carved it from a cow rib and it's still smoother than any plastic one I've used since, has anyone else found a tool they keep coming back to for decades?

That $40 bone folder I grabbed on sale is already splitting at the crease

Picked it up from a craft supply site three weeks ago thinking I'd save a few bucks, and now the edge is fraying when I work on leather covers. Anyone else had luck with the cheap poly folders vs the actual real bone ones?