Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Heirloom Bible Conservation/Restoration




August 2010

This week I restored a large leather Heirloom Family Bible. I have done many of these type of Bibles over the past twenty years. The cover on this one was in the worst condition I have seen in a long time. The boards were split in two. I had to vacuum out a serious amount of mold and then spray to kill any remaining; reglue the boards and put them in the nipping press overnight. I then cleaned the boards and glued down all loose pieces of leather; gave them a good oiling while I worked on the text. I repaired the marbled endsheets. Added new cloth hinges, new headbands, mull, acid free paper lined hollow back spine. I rebacked it with matching dark leather, put up the new hinges and relayed the original spine which was the weakest and most damaged part of the Binding. The Bible came out very solid and I my client was very happy. To all of you reading this blog,,know that all is not lost on deteriorated heirloom bindings. With a knowledgable Bookbinder/Conservator, your books and Bibles can be saved and given a new life. I can be reached at http://www.book-restoration.com/