c/bookbinders

Trying to get a clean headband on a leather cover took me three days

I was binding a gift book with some nice calfskin and wanted a simple headband for a clean look. The first try, my glue was too thin and it bled through the fabric. The second try, I cut the leather too short by a quarter inch. On the third day, I finally got it right by using a thicker paste and pre-shaping the leather strip around a dowel for an hour before putting it on the book. Has anyone found a better way to keep the leather from shrinking when you glue it down?

Heated debate with my partner over using PVA vs wheat paste for a 19th century ledger repair

I went with the wheat paste for its long-term stability, and after a year the spine is still flexible with zero adhesive creep. What's your go-to for historical paper?

Vent: I bought a $75 corner rounding punch that just won't line up

I was tired of cutting corners by hand for small notebooks, so I ordered a specific corner rounding punch online. It arrived last week, and the alignment guide is off by a good millimeter, no matter how I adjust it. Every test cut leaves one corner looking chewed. I'm sending it back, but now I'm out the shipping cost. Has anyone found a reliable brand for these, or should I just stick to my template and knife?

Pro tip: I was wrong about using PVA glue for everything

For a long time I thought PVA was fine for all my bindings, but a repair job on a 1920s family bible from Savannah showed me its limits. The old animal glue on the spine was brittle, and when I tried to reattach a section with PVA, it just didn't flex the same way and started to crack again after a few months. I switched to a wheat paste and hide glue mix for that kind of work and the difference in flexibility is huge. What's your go-to adhesive for repairing really old, flexible bindings?

Hot take: I was wrong about using PVA for everything

For the last three years, I used standard PVA glue for every single book repair in my shop. I just figured it was the safe, all-purpose choice. Then I had to fix a 19th century leather journal with a broken spine, and the PVA made the leather way too stiff and brittle after it dried. My mentor told me to try wheat starch paste instead, and the difference was huge. The paste stayed flexible and didn't damage the old paper at all. It took longer to set, but the result was so much better. Has anyone else switched adhesives for specific types of restoration work?

Seeing a 15th century binding at the New York Public Library changed my approach

I was looking at a display case there about five years ago, and one book had its spine completely gone. You could see the sewing structure clear as day, how the cords were laced into the boards. I'd only ever worked from modern manuals before that. Now when I plan a rebind, I always try to study the original structure first, even if it's just a photo. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where seeing an old piece just clicked something into place?

My $40 mistake with a 'quick-dry' bookbinding glue

It never fully set on my leather cover project, leaving a permanent tacky layer I had to redo. Anyone have a reliable brand for leather that actually cures hard?

My neighbor asked me to bind a book, then handed me a stack of 400 loose napkins.

This was in my garage workshop last Tuesday. She wanted a 'special memory book' for her wedding anniversary, but the 'pages' were just cocktail napkins from every bar they'd visited over 30 years. I spent two hours just trying to figure out how to fold and press them without the ink smearing. Has anyone else had to bind something that was definitely not paper?

This guy at a craft fair in Asheville said my hand-bound journals were 'too perfect' to be real books

He was flipping through a coptic stitch journal I'd worked on for maybe 15 hours, with custom marbled endpapers. He stopped and said, 'These are nice, but they're just fancy notebooks... real books have that broken-in feel from a press.' It happened right at my booth, with people waiting. I told him I built the text block from signatures and sewed every one by hand, but he just shrugged. Made me think... is there a line between 'bookbinding' and just making pretty covers for blank pages? How do you all explain the craft to people who don't get it?

Remembering how we used to have to cut every single leather strap by hand before the hydraulic clicker press showed up at the shop three years ago

Last week, I was showing a new apprentice how to set up the press for a run of 50 straps, and it hit me that the kid has never known the ache in your hands from doing that all day with a knife and a straight edge.

Watch out for that new batch of PVA from the big craft store chain

Honestly, I used to buy their standard PVA for years with no issues, but the last bottle I got from the downtown location was way too thin. Ngl, it ruined the spine on a custom journal I was making for a client last month. Has anyone else had problems with their glue lately or found a better brand?

My backing press gave out right in the middle of a big job yesterday

The wooden screw just split after I'd already rounded the spines on a set of six. Had to finish the last two by hand with a hammer and a piece of scrap leather. Anyone have a good fix for a stripped screw, or is it time to just build a new one?

Vent: My new bone folder left a shiny mark on the cover paper

I was working on a custom notebook for a friend, using some nice 120gsm paper for the cover. After scoring the fold lines, I noticed a weird shiny streak right where I pressed. Turns out the folder had a tiny, almost invisible burr on the edge from the factory. I had to redo the whole cover piece, which set me back about an hour. Learned to run my finger along new tools before they touch good materials. Anyone know a good way to smooth out a bone folder edge if this happens again?

Tried a new PVA glue versus my usual wheat paste for spine lining

I used Lineco Neutral pH Adhesive on a repair job last week, and it set up way too fast for me to get the mull positioned right. Went back to my homemade wheat paste for the next one and had a full 5 minutes of working time to smooth everything out perfectly. Anyone have a specific PVA brand that gives you a longer open time without being too thin?

I spilled a whole pot of wheat paste on my new linen bookcloth yesterday.

I was in my garage studio in Austin, and after I mopped it up with a damp rag, the cloth dried with a weird, stiff patch, so has anyone found a good way to fix a paste stain without ruining the grain?

Glue pot disaster during a commission for a local library

I was in my workshop last month, finishing a quarter-leather rebind of a 1920s atlas for the Springfield Public Library, when my electric glue pot overheated and boiled over. The hot hide glue dripped down the side and fused the book's spine cloth to my granite slab surface before I could stop it. Has anyone salvaged a project after a major adhesive mishap like this, or was that $200 in materials just a lost cause?

I tried binding a book with a 19th century sewing frame from a museum in Boston

I got to use a real 1800s sewing frame on loan from the Boston Athenaeum for a special project last month. I thought it would be a pain, but the tension control was so precise it made my modern kettle stitches look sloppy by comparison. Has anyone else tried working with truly old tools and been surprised by the results?

Serious question, has anyone else had a core box just SHATTER on them?

Last week in my shop, a 3-year-old maple core box I was using for a quarter leather binding just exploded under the press... Anyone know a more reliable supplier or have a fix for this?

I know everyone says to never use a hot glue gun on a spine, but it saved a project for me yesterday.

The PVA just wouldn't set on this old leather, so I ran a thin bead of hot glue down the mull and it held perfectly. Has anyone else found a weird shortcut that actually works?

Hit 500 books bound and my hands are basically wood now

Honestly, I just finished a custom order for a local library and my log says it was book number 500. Ngl, I had to sit down for a minute. I've been doing this for about six years, mostly in my garage. My husband walked in, saw me staring at my hands, and said 'You look like you just won a weird marathon.' Anyone else hit a number that made them stop and think?

Was chatting with a local archivist about my rebind of a 1910s poetry book. He said 'You're not just fixing paper, you're preserving a voice.' That hit different.

Talking to a librarian made me miss the old glue pots

She said they just send everything out for mass rebinding now, and the new books feel stiff. I still have my dad's old double boiler for paste, and it just works better. Anyone still mix their own paste from scratch?

Bought a $150 leather paring knife that turned out to be a total waste for my work.

I saw a fancy one online with great reviews, but the blade is too thick and rigid for the fine detail I need on my leather covers. I'm out the cash and back to using my old, cheaper tools. Anyone have a go-to knife for delicate leather work that actually works?

Question about the rise of custom photo album binding

I was at a craft fair in Portland last weekend and three different booths were selling hand bound photo albums. One artist told me she gets about 20 orders a month just for those, which is way more than her other book work. It got me thinking that maybe people are getting tired of digital photos and want a real object again. The albums I saw used simple pamphlet stitch but with really nice decorative paper for the covers. Has anyone else seen more demand for this kind of project lately, or found a good source for thick, photo-safe paper?

Had to pick between PVA and wheat paste for a big repair job

Working on a 1902 family bible. Spine was gone. Had to glue new cloth. PVA dries fast, but wheat paste is old school. Went with wheat paste. Took three hours to cook and cool. The bond is strong but flexible now. Anyone have a good wheat paste recipe they trust?