Bookbinding Tools - for Bookbinding

A majority of the tools used by Fine Bookbinders are the same ones used in Medieval times and through the centuries. Backing hammers, bone folders, brass finishing type and decorative tools, cobblers knives, glue brushes etc. The same goes for the equipment. There are new ones developed for Conservation thank goodness. Gaylord.com is a good outlet to find any of these tools except for gold finishing.
http://book-restoration.com

Katrina Victim Restoration

A cloth binding came to me out of New Orleans. It was badly damaged from the flooding. I had to dismantle the cover; soak off pages that were stuck together at the front and rear of the book. Tissue repair throughout the book. Resew the text.
Rebind it in a new cover. www.book-restoration.com

New Cloth Binding for Museum Album

This leather bound album from a Museum in Kentucky arrived in need of a new cover. The original leather binding was completely ruined from red rot and fire damage. The options were a new leather cover or a new cloth cover with inlay from the original binding. They opted for the cloth cover. For more examples of my work please go to my website at www.book-restoration.com

Moldy Heirloom Bindings Resurrected

I recently completed 3 heirloom bindings of the religious order. They had been stored in a box in a damp area for too long and were completely covered in mold in the text and the covers. I first disasembled the covers and went through the texts removing mold with a water and bleach combination. The two smaller books I had to put new cloth fine bindings on. The Bible I had to put a new full fine leather binding on. For more photos and information about my work please go to www.book-restoration.com

Thoughts on New Bindings vs. Conservation/Restoration

If a bookbinder has been properly trained in the Art of Fine Bookbinding/Book Conservation they are usually able to pull of both types of Bindings with a high level of skill. You find though, that each Bookbinder has a preference to either Binding New Fine Bindings or resurrecting the original bindings with Conservation/Restoration. I have found there to be a distinct choice between the sexes. Most female binders lean towards conservation/restoration whereas males lean towards new bindings. If I may dip into the psyche of this pattern it makes perfect sense. Most women by nature are nurturers and want to take something that has been worn and misused and neglected and with a gentle hand, rebuild it, using all of its original parts back into a solid, beautiful, fully functioning artifact. Men, however, seem not to want to deal with all of the crumbling parts and would rather discard the original and start with a something fresh and new. I refer to myself as a Fine Bookbinder/Book Conservator because in my business there is a call for both kinds of work. I excell, however, at Conservation and find the work much more rewarding.
http://www.book-restoration.com

Traditional Hand Bound Fine Cloth Bindings on Modern Bibles

I get a lot of requests to save modern Bibles. They were usually purchased for $10 and have a short life because they are used so much. Also, because the covers are machine bound and the materials usually cost in the cents. I almost always choose to put on a new cover in cloth or leather. The goal is for the binding to last the length of the owners lifetime and then to be handed down to their children. I can rebind them in either cloth or full leather. People usually opt for cloth because of the $100 price tag. They receive new boards, headbands, mull, acidfree paper lining on the spine, the cloth is always something sturdy like a english buckram or canadian linen. They are a solid hardcover English Binding with excellent flexibility. I usually do a 22k gold hand tooled leather label and gold lines at head and tail of the spine. I try to save the original endsheets if possible as they usually have notes and scripture written all over them. http://www.book-restoration.com/

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/