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President BetsyPalmerEldridge Vice-President JamesReidCunningham Secretary CatherineBurkhard Treasurer AliciaBailey Membership CrisClairTakacs Standards NancyLev-Alexander Exhibitions PeterVerheyen Journal DorothyAfrica Newsletter JodyBeenk Library JaneMeggers Supply SylviaRamosAlotta Communications EricAlstrom

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Contents

�4thStandardsSeminar·Providence,RhodeIsland

7 ConservationofHistoricBindingsUsingAdhesive andNonadhesiveMethods· Nancy Southworth

1� MedievalLimpVellum/LeatherBindings·Adam Larsson

�1 Half-leatherTradeBinding·Mark Andersson

�6 JapanesePouch/FourHoleBinding(Fukuro togi )· Kiyoshi Imai

55 EdgeDecorationTechniques·Peter Geraty

JOURNALvolume xli · Number 1

Summer2006

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Bedford,Massachusetts

July�4,�006

AsthenewgeneraleditoroftheJournal,Iwouldliketotakethisopportunity to express my thanks to the other members of theJournal’svolunteerstaffwhohavepatientlyandgraciouslyhelpedme along this past year: Cara Schlesinger, Sylvia Ramos AlottaandChadJohnson.Inadditiontotheirunflaggingsupport,Ihadthecooperationofall thepresentersat theProvidenceStandardsMeeting,whorespondedpromptlytothedraftsofthearticlessenttothem.PamelaBarriosworkedwithAdamLarssontobesurehertext and sewing pattern diagrams illustrating the description ofhisseminarwereaccurate.ClaireGrundalsoworkedverycloselywith Mark Andersson to give a clear and careful account of thisdistinctivebindingstyle.CaraSchlesingerdidthesameforKiyoshiImai. Iattempted todo this forNancySouthworth.PeterGeratywrote a careful handout for his presentation, which has beenabridged for the Journal. Sylvia Ramos Alotta drew a staggeringnumberofdetaileddrawingsforthisissue,oneofwhichgracesthecover.Onceagain,Iofferheartfeltthankstoall.

Finally,Iwouldliketotakeadvantageofmyelevatedpositionasgeneraleditor todedicate this issueof theJournal to twopeople:my predecessor, Signa Houghteling, who has been a steadfastfriend;andoutgoingGBWPresidentBetsyPalmerEldridge,whohasdedicatedcountlesshours topreparing theGuild for itsnextcentury.

DorothyC.Africa

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At the Standards of Excellence Meeting in Chicago in 1999 theGuildbeganaseriesofannualfoundationsessions.Thesesessionsare intended as “…comprehensive introductions to broad, gen-eraltopics,givenbyinstructorswhoareteachinginthefield.”ThefoundationsessiongivenatProvidencein2004wasbyP.J.Saine,“Photographing Your Artwork.” Mr. Saine exhibits his photog-raphyingalleriesandmuseums,andlectures internationally.HeistheauthorofNewHampshireRockPortraits,BluePlatePress,2004. The video of this session is available through the Guild ofBookWorkers,asarevideosofallsessionsfortheGuildStandardsSeminars.

ForfurtherinformationseetheGuildwebsite:http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw

�4thStandardsofExcellenceSeminarNovember�004,Providence,RhodeIsland

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7

The Conservation of Historic Bindings Using Adhesive and NonAdhesive Methods

NancySouthworth

Nancy Southworth is a book conservator in private practice in north-ern New Hampshire. She began her bookbinding career as an edition binder and then moved into conservation. In 1983 she interned at the Folger Shakespeare Library with Frank Mowery. As her interest in parchment conservation grew, she deepened her knowledge of the ma-terial by working with Abigail Quandt and the late Barbara Giuffrida. She now works primarily on parchment bindings and manuscripts for university libraries and private collections.

Theseminarwasgivenintwoparts.Thefirstpartofthesessionwasapresentationofvarioustechniquesusedtoaddressthecommonprob-lemspresentedbytheseparchmentbindings,bothlimpandhardboard.Afterthebreakaseriesofslidesprovideddiscussionpointsforhowthesevarioustreatmentswereused inspecific instances. Inthisseminartheterm“parchment”wasusedasageneralterm,whetherthespecificmate-rialwasgoat,calforsheepskin.Theseminardidnotaddressrepairsofmanuscriptfoliaorilluminations.

NancySouthworthbeganherpresentationwithabriefexpositiononthestructureofparchmentandhowthisiscreatedintheprocessofitsmanufacture.Inparticular,thestretchingoftheskinreorganizesthear-rangementofcollagenfibersintheskin.Thisalignmentofcollagenfi-bersaccountsforsomeofthesensitivityofparchmenttomoistureandhumidity.Thesefactorsmustbekeptinmindwhenstoringandrepair-ingparchment,andalsoaccountforthekindsofdamagefrequentlyseeninparchmentbindings.

Asaprivateconservator,Nancydoesworkforbothinstitutionsandprivate individuals.Shealwaysbeginsher treatmentofanybookwithaconcisewrittenassessmentof itsconditionandaproposal for treat-ment.Onecopygoestotheownerofthebook;theotherisretainedinherfilesforfuturereference.Shehasfoundtheserecordstobeavaluableresourceforrecallingprevioustreatmentsinevaluatingandproposingnewwork.

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Sheorganizedhersurveyofcommontreatmentsbydistributinganoutlineonrepairsandmaterialsuponwhichshebasedherpresentation.Thefirststepintheprocessisusuallyasurfacecleaningoftheparchmentcovering.Surfacedirtshouldberemovedmechanically,withoutthein-troductionofmoisture.Thisisdonewithpiecesofdryeraser,movingwithagentlecircularmotion.SherecommendedaMarsplasticorvulca-nizedspongeeraserforthis,butotherkindsarealsoavailable.Formoredeeplyembeddeddirt, itmaybenecessarytouseacottonswab(roll-your-ownsarecheaper)moistenedwithsalivaorthickmethylcellulose.Avoidareasthatareletteredordecoratedsincetheymaybedamagedinthecleaningprocess.Notallcoversshouldorneedtobecleaned.

Frequently,parchmentbindingshavewarped,cockledand/orshrunkovertime.Sincethematerialismoisture-sensitive,itissometimespos-sible to remedy these problems by rehumidifying and stretching theparchment.Ifthebindingcanberemovedfromthetextwithoutdamagethisiseasiertodo,buthumidificationcanbedoneinsitu.Bearinmindthatitcanbedifficulttoreplaceatextblockinitscover,especiallyaftertreatment.Ifthetextisnotremovable,itcanbewrappedinplasticwraptoprotectitwhilethecoverishumidified.Totreattheparchmentcoveralone,Nancyadvised layering it ina“sandwich”ofmoistenedblotterandReemayinalooselysealedplasticbag.Toavoidexcessivemoistureintheblotters,Nancysuggestedputtingawetblotterbetweentwodryonesandnippingtheminapress.Thiswilldrivesufficientmoistureintothetwoouterblotters.Weightshouldnotbeappliedtotheplasticbag,andtheparchmentshouldbecheckedabouteveryfiveminutes.Nancysetsakitchentimertomakesureshedoesn’tforget,sinceitisimportantthattheparchmentdoesnotbecometoowet.AnotherpossiblemethodistoputtheparchmentonarackoversomewaterinaphotographictraywithaglassorPlexiglassheetoverthetop.Caremustbetakeninthisinstancethatvapordoesn’tcondenseontheundersideofthecoveringsheetanddripontheparchment.

Whentheparchment feels sufficientlyhumidified,andonlyexperi-encewilldefinethis,itcanbestretchedbydryingitonasuctiontableorbypinningitout.Nancydescribedhowtomakeaboardforthepurposeoutofsoft,porouscompositebuildingmaterialpaintedonbothsides.Iftherearetearsintheparchmenttheyshouldbemended,evenifonlytemporarily,beforestretching.Theparchmentisgentlystretchedbyap-plyingbulldogclipspaddedwithmatboardaroundtheedgesandfixingtheclipstotheboardwithpinsmadebyembeddingbinder’sneedlesin

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piecesofwoodendowel.Thepinsareinsertedatanangleandthedryingparchmentwillgraduallypull thepinsupright.Itmaybenecessarytorepeatthehumidifyingandstretchingprocessacoupletimes,andthereisalimittohowmuchshrinkagecanbereversed.Whendry,thematerialshouldbeallowedtoreacclimatizeunderweightforaboutaweek.Nan-cysaidshetriestokeeptherelativehumidityinherworkareaataround55%.Iftheworkareaisexcessivelydryorhumidtheparchmentwillbedifficulttohandleintreatment,andsubsequentdistortionsmayoccur.Hardcoverparchmentbindingscanalsobehumidifiedinadamppackorhumiditychamber.Theyshouldbedriedunderweight.Ifthebookboardshavewarped,theycanbestabilizedbyapplyingliningsofTen-gujoorKizukishiJapanesetissueeitheroverorunderthepastedowns.

Mendingtearsandlossesinparchmentcoversemploysanumberofmaterialsandmethods.Tearscanberepairedmechanicallybysewingthemclosedwithparchmentstripsorthread,orbyusingadhesivetoap-plyJapanesetissue.Patchesofparchmentcanalsobeappliedwitheithersewingoradhesive.Nancypreferssewingforlargemends,butnotedthatconservatorsdifferintheirpreferences.Parchmentcanalsobebackedmechanicallybytacketingconservationcotton,parchment,oralumtawliningsbehindit,orusingadhesives.Thesamematerialscanbeusedforrebackingifneeded.TonedandtintedJapanesetissuebackedwithcon-servationcottoncanalsobeusedforpatchingandreinforcing.Thechoiceofmethodandselectionofmaterialsandadhesivedependsonthecondi-tionofthepieceandthewishesoftheowner.Somepeoplefindmechani-calrepairsaestheticallyjarring,buttheyavoidthecocklingandpuckeringadhesiverepairscancauseandtheywilllastmuchlongerthanadhesives.NancyusesJade403PVAandZenShofuwheatstarchpastemostofteninherwork.Gelatinsizeisalsocommonlyusedbyconservators.1

Lossestothecoverparchmentcanbeaddressedeitherbybackingthematerial,orbyfillingintheareawithlayersofJapanesetissue.Thefillscan be left plain, or toned using dyes, acrylics, or pastels to minimizetheirvisualimpact.Layersoffillarebuiltupgradually.Useamicrom-etertocheckthethicknessoftherepairsoitdoesnotexceedthethick-ness of the parchment cover. Nancy recommends constructing a fillslightlythinnerthantheparchment,becauseiftherepairisweakerthan

1. Barbara Giuffrida wrote an excellent description of these mending techniques in Part Four: The Repair of Parchment and Vellum in Manuscript Form for the Book Conserva-tion Workshop Manual. It was published in The New Bookbinder, vol 3, 1983. See also an article by Anthony Cains, “Repair Treatments for Vellum Manuscripts,” The Paper Conservator, vol. 7 (1982/83).

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theoriginal,itshouldfailunderstressbeforetheoriginalmaterialsus-tainsfurtherdamage.Threelayersoffillareoftenenough.Thefirstlayerextendswellbeyondtheundersideofthesurroundingparchment,thesecondbuttsuptotheedgeofthelossarea,andthethirdextendsaboutoneeighthofaninchoverthetopsurface.Thefillisdriedunderweightandthentoned,ifdesired,andsealedbyalightapplicationofKlucel-Gormethycellulose.Nancyrecommendedtheuseofacrylicandpastelforsmallareas.Thecolorsshefindsmostusefulinherworkareburntandrawsienna;burntandrawumber;yellow,greenandgoldenocher,andtitaniumecru.

Ifthebookspineisaccessible,itshouldbecleanedwithmethylcel-luloseorpasteandrelinedwithJapanesetissueorcottoncloth.NancyrecommendedtheuseofKizukishiorSekishufortissuelinings.Sheusesslottedliningsincaseswherereattachmentofthecoverisneeded.Ifthelacingsarebeingrepaired,relacingthroughtheliningcanreinforcefrag-ileorpatchedareasofthecover.Iftheendbandsneedtobestabilized,theycanbesecuredwithpasteandJapanesetissue,andanchoredwiththreadsewnthroughtheliningaswell.Nancynotedthatitisoftennec-essarytopatchparchmentcoversinareasaroundlacedsupports,andattheheadandtailofthespine.Iftheoriginalsupportsneedreplacementorreinforcement,Nancyusesslipsoftawedskinorparchment,orrolledJapanesetissuesecuredbywhipstitchingwithacurvedneedle.Some-timesthereisroomtoslipthereinforcementundertheoriginalsewingovertheoriginalcore.Caremustbetakennottomakethesupportstoolargetofitbackintothecover.Thesamematerialsareusedfornewend-bandcores,ifdesired.Nancyusestonedlinenthreadtosewbackbeadprimaryendbandsanddoesnotusuallyaddadecorativesecondaryoneforconservationwork.

Inmanycasesthepastedownsandendsheetsinthesebindingsalsoneedrepairorreplacement.Nancyobservedthattheseendsheetswereusuallyhooked,anditisimportantfortheconservatortonotethedirec-tionofthehookiftheendsheetsaregoingtoberemade.Pastedownsshouldbelifteddryifpossible,butvariouswetmethodscanalsobeem-ployed.SoiledandtornpastedownscanbewashedandrepairedorlinedwithJapanesetissueandpastebeforebeingreplacedinthebook.

Oftenpartofthetreatmentoffragileparchmentbindingsisthecon-structionofasuitableenclosuretoprotectthebook.Giventhetendencyofparchmentbindingstocurlandflex,boxescanincludeaspecialflaptoputpressureonthecoverwhenthebookisclosed.However,pressure

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flapscanincreasestressesonthespineareaofthebook,whichshouldbeconsideredwhensuchabookistobeboxed.

TheslidesthatNancyusedfortheseminarillustratedtheuseofthesetechniquesandmaterials.Theygeneratedmuchdiscussionamongtheaudienceaboutthevariouskindsofchoicesthatmustbemadeintreat-ing thesebooks,and the trade-offs that mustbeconsidered.Those intheaudiencewithexperiencetreatingparchmentbindingsofferedcom-mentsandsuggestionsfromtheirownwork.

Written by Dorothy Africa

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Medieval Limp Vellum/Leather Bindings

AdamLarsson

Adam Larsson was trained in traditional Scandinavian and French binding technique, as well as in book and paper conservation. He has worked as a book conservator at Uppsala University Library since 1992. Adam has taught and lectured on Scandinavian bookbinding and historical techniques for the past several years.

INTRODUCTION

In1620,recentlyclosedSwedishmonasteriesprovidedKingGustavIIAdolfwithmanuscriptcollectionsthatheusedtofoundtheUniversityLibrary inUppsala inSweden.TheUniversityLibraryhasacollectionof more than 60,000 manuscripts, about 1000 of which are medieval.RoughlyhalfofthesearefromVadstena,theoriginalmonasteryoftheorderfoundedbySaintBirgittaofSwedenin1370andinauguratedin1430.Shelfmarksandhandwrittennotesfromnunsandpriestsaidinthedeterminingtheprovenanceofthesevolumes.ThelibrarybelievesthatafewvolumestakenfromVadstenawereboundthere.

Mr.Larssonpresentedslidesofagroupofabout30bindingsfromthemanuscriptor“C”CollectionoftheUniversityLibrary.Allareboundwithvellumcoversandrigidspineplates.Thesignaturesaresewnto-getherwiththecoverandplate.Thesebindingsarecommonlysmall,re-ligioustextsmeasuringapproximately4x6inchesandcontaining6-15signatures,eachsignaturegenerallyconsistingof4folios,mostlypaper.Innerandouterfoliosofvellumwereaddedtoearliersignaturestopro-tectthesewing,andinlatervolumes,vellumguardsreplaced thevellumfolios.Thereareno title pages or endpapers. There is littledecorationofthetextorthecover.

Mr. Larsson demonstrated two systemscommonlyusedtosewtherigidspinetothevellumcoverandsignatures.Thefirstmeth-odcreatesvisiblerowsoflinkstitchesonthebackoftherigidspine.Thesecondleavesex-posedthreadonthebackofthespinethatisprotectedwithadditionalthreadwovenover

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andaroundit.Thisweavingalsoservestotightenanysewingthatmightbeloose.

Thecoversaremadeofcoarsevellumorleather.Insomecasesthereare several layers of vellum making up the cover, which is usually cutflushwiththeheadandtail.Mostofthevolumeshavefore-edgeflaps.Turn-insarenotgluedorsewn,butmerelyfolded.Tiesofsturdythreadareheavilywaxedandsewntothefore-edgeflaps.Thethreadusedforthetieswouldbewoundaroundbuttonsattachedtotherigidspinebe-foreitwassewntothecoverandsignatures.

Thematerialstraditionallyusedfortherigidspineplateinthesebind-ingswerehorn,laminatedleather,andwood.OnlyafewofthewoodenspineshavesurvivedintheUniversityLibrarybecausethewoodtendedtodeteriorateandsplit.Theoneexampleofawoodenspineplateshownintheslideswascoveredonbothsideswithleather.Thehornandvellumhaveagedwell,althoughitisdifficulttoidentifythetypeofanimalfromwhichtheyoriginated.

Mr. Larsson chose to use wood for our demonstration. The woodmustbehardtoreducesplittingandmakeitpossibletodrillthesewingholes.Anyvellumcanbeusedforthecover,butheoftenusesreindeervellumfromFinland,whereit isproducedforhistoricdrumheads.Hesewedwithanumber12linenthread.

Theinformationalslideshowillustratingthemanyvariationsof thebasic techniques in the historical examples of these bindings, and Mr.Larsson's demonstration of some of the sewing patterns used in theseintriguingstructures,lefttheaudiencewithanappreciationofmedievalmethodsandadesiretolearnthetechniques.Instructionsfollow.

PREPARINGTHESPINEANDSIGNATURESForboththelinkstitchandthelongstitch

Thenumberofsewingstationswillvaryfromthelinkstitchtothelongstitch,butthepreparationforbothisthesame.Signaturesarefoldedandstacked,andthewidthfortherigidspineplateismeasured.Thesigna-turesarenotseverelycompressed,butheldinthehandatthefore-edgeformeasuring.Thisallowstheleavestomovemorefreelyafterthebookis sewn. Holes are first drilled or punched in the spine plate to corre-spondwitheachsewingstation,butonlyonerowofholesisdrilledforevery2signatures.Thespineisthenusedasatemplateforthecoverandthesignatures.Allholesinthecoverandsignaturesareprepunched.

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ABOUTTHESEINSTRUCTIONS

Thesewingstationsaremarkedwithcapitalletters.Rowsandsignaturesaremarkedwithnumbers.Inpractice,thecoverissewnontothesigna-tureswiththespineplate,although,toavoidconfusion,thecoverdoesnotappearinthediagram.

CONSTRUCTINGTHELINK-STITCH

• Thesignaturesaremarkedforsewingat5stations.AandEarekettlestations.B,CandDareequidistantlyspacedbetweenthekettles.

• Onerowofholesisdrilledintothespineforevery2signatures,cor-respondingtothesewingstations.

• Itisconvenienttohaveanevennumberofsignatures.• The first 4 signatures establish anchor stitches for links along the

spineplate.• Thenext2signaturesestablishlinkstotheanchorstitches.• Thesewingthenfollowsaneasypattern.

1. Entersignature1atkettlestationA. 2. ExitkettlestationE. 3. Climbtosignature2atkettlestationE. 4. ExitkettlestationA. 5. Linkwiththebeginningthread. 6. Entersignature3atkettlestationA. 7. Placethespineplateandcoveroverthesignatures.

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8. Exitsignature3,spinerow2,sewingstationB. 9. Crossoverthespineintospinerow1,signature1,sewingstationB.10. Circlethethreadinsignature1,exitsignature1,spinerow1,sewing

stationB.11. Reenterspinerow2,signature3,sewingstationB,traveltosewing

stationD.12. Exitsignature3,spinerow2,sewingstationD.13. Crossoverthespineintospinerow1,signature1,sewingstationD.14. Circlethethreadinsignature1,exitsignature1,spinerow1,sewing

stationD.15. Reenterspinerow2,signature3,sewingstationD,traveltokettle

stationE.16. Exitsignature3,spinerow2,kettlestationE.17. Crossoverthespineintospinerow1.18. Makeakettlestitchbeneaththecoverwiththeexistingthreadbe-

tweensignatures1and2.19. Reenterspinerow2, signature4,kettle stationE, travel tosewing

stationC.

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20. Exitsignature4,spinerow2,sewingstationC.21. Crossoverthespineintospinerow1,signature2,sewingstationC.22. Circlethethreadinsignature2,exitsignature2,spinerow1,sewing

stationC.23. Reenterspinerow2,signature4,sewingstationC, travel tokettle

stationA.24. Crossoverthespineintospinerow1,kettlestationA.25. Makeakettlestitchbeneaththecoverwiththeexistingthreadbe-

tweensignatures2and3.26. Exitspinerow1,kettlestationA.27. Reenterspinerow2,entersignature5,kettlestationA,traveltosew-

ingstationB.

Thereisnowarowofanchorstitchesonthespine,eachcorrespondingwithasewingstation.Fromthispoint,kettlestitchesandlinksaremadeontheoutsideofthespineplate.

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28. Exitsignature5,spinerow3,sewingstationB.29. CrossoverthespinetolinkwiththeanchorstitchesatstationB.30. Reenterspinerow2,signature5,sewingstationB,traveltosewing

stationDtoexit.31. CrossoverthespinetolinkwiththeanchorstitchesatstationD.32. Reenterspinerow2,signature5,sewingstationD,traveltokettle

stationEtoexit.33. CrossoverthespinetolinkwiththeanchorstitchesatkettleE.

34. Entersignature6,spinerow3,kettlestationE,traveltosewingsta-tionC.

35. Exitsignature6,sewingstationC,spinerow3.36. Crossoverthespinetolinkwiththeanchorstitchesatsewingsta-

tionC.37. Reenterspinerow3,signature6,sewingstationC, travel tokettle

stationAtoexit.38. CrossoverthespinetolinkwiththeanchorstitchesatkettleA.

Continuethispatternfortherestofthesignatures.Linkodd-numberedsignaturesatstationsatB,DandE.Linkeven-numberedsignaturesatCandA.Tofinish,reenterthelastkettlespineholeandthelastsignatureandtieontotheexistingthread.

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CONSTRUCTINGTHELONG-STITCH

• Thesignaturesaremarkedforsewingat6stations.AandFareket-tles.StationsBandEarequiteclosetothekettles;CandDareequi-distantbetweenthem.

• Onerowofholesisdrilledintothespineforevery2signatures,cor-respondingtothesewingstations.

• Eachrowofholesissewnthroughtwice. • Anchoring stitches are established at the kettle stations between

spinerows1and2.

Signature1

1. Entersignature1atkettlestationA. 2. Exitsignature1atsewingstationB. 3. Placethecoverandspineplateoverthesignatures. 4. Exitrow1ofthecoverandspineplateatsewingstationB. 5. Reenterrow1ofthespineplateandcoverandsig.1atstationC. 6. Exitsig.1,row1ofthecoverandspineplateatsewingstationD. 7. Reenterrow1ofthespineplate,coverandsig.1atsewingstationE. 8. Exit the kettle station F of signature 1, but not the cover or spine

plateatkettlestationF. 9. Entersignature2atkettlestationF.

Signature2

10. Exitsig.2,row1ofthecoverandspineplateatsewingstationE.11. Reenterrow1ofthespineplate,coverandsig.2atsewingstationD.12. Exitsig.2,row1ofthecoverandspineplateatsewingstationC.13. Reenterrow1ofthespineplate,coverandsig.2atsewingstationB.14. Exitsignature2atkettlestationA,butnotthecoverorspineplate.15. Tieontothethreadfromsignature1.16. Entersignature3atkettlestationA.

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Signature3

17. Repeatsteps2–6withsignature3,spinerow2.18. Exitsig.3,row2ofthecoverandspineplateatkettlestationF.19. Crossovertorow1ofthespineandcoverandenterbetweensigna-

tures1and2tomakeakettlewiththeexistingthread.20. Exitrow1ofthespineandcover.21. Reenterrow2ofthespineandcover.22. Entersignature4atkettlestationF.

Signature4

23. Repeatsteps9-12withsignature4,spinerow2.24. Exitsig.4,row2ofthecoverandspineplateatkettlestationA.25. Crossovertorow1ofthespineandcoverandenterbetweensigna-

tures2and3tomakeakettlewiththeexistingthread.26. Exitrow1ofthespineandcover.27. Reenterrow2ofthespineandcover.28. Entersignature5atkettlestationA.

Signature5

29. Repeatsteps2-6withsignature5,spinerow3.30. Exitsignature5,androw3ofthecoverandspineplateatkettlesta-

tionF.31. Crossovertorow2ofthespineplate32. Linkwiththeanchorstitchesontheoutsideofthespine.33. Reenterrow3ofthespineplateandcover.34. Entersignature6atkettlestationF.

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Signature6

35. Repeatsteps9-12withsignature6,spinerow3.36. Exitsig.6,androw3ofthecoverandspineplateatkettlestationA.37. Crossovertorow2ofthespine.38. Linkwiththeanchorstitchesontheoutsideofthespine.

Kettlestitcheswillnowbemadeontheoutsideofthespine.Continuethe pattern for rest of the signatures. To finish, reenter the last kettlespineholeandthelastsignatureandtieontotheexistingthread.

WEAVING

Asthepurposeoftheweavingistoprotectthethread,anypatternthataccomplishesthiscanbeused.Thepatterncanbestartedatanypointalongthewidthofthespine,closetothekettle.Thethreadisanchoredbyaknotinsideanysignatureandexitstotheoutsideofthespine.

• Themostcommonweavingpatternispairsofthreadbraidedtogetherwithafigureeight.

• Apairofbraidsmaybelinkedbyacenterbraid.

• Anoverallweavingpatterncanalsobeused.

Written and illustrated by Pamela Barrios

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Half-Leather Trade Binding

MarkAndersson

Mark Andersson worked in archives for four years before leaving to attend the bookbinding program at North Bennet Street School. After graduation he worked at the University of Washington for four years. He was then a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden studying Scandinavian bookbinding and conservation practice. He returned to the North Bennet Street School to teach bookbinding and has been there since 1998.

PREFACE

This presentation was on a binding I was shown by my friend BosseCarlsson,withwhomIworkedwhileinSweden.Bossewasanappren-tice-trainedbinderwithenormoustalentwhodidthesebindingswhileheranhisownbinderyinUppsaladuringthe1970s.Hewasverygener-ouswithhistimeanditwasgreatfunworkingwithhim,alwayswithalotof laughs. Iwasattracted to thebindingbecauseof itspracticality,andbecauseofhowdifferentitsapproachwasfrommytraining.Itwasalsoalotoffuntoexecute,andcaneasilybemodifiedandalteredwith-outchangingthebasicstructureandphilosophy.It’salsoagoodwaytoworkonleatherparing,bothwithaparingmachineandaparingknife.IneedtothankBosseforhisgenerosity;ClaudiaConstanzowhodidtheprepworkformypresentationsandcreatedmyendsheetoverview,anddidagreatjobasalways;andClaireGrund,ofcourse,forwritingthissummary.Thankstoall.–MarkAndersson

HookedEndSheetConstruction

Markstartedoffbyshowingusacompletedexampleofthehookedendsheethewasgoingtobedemonstrating.Thehookedendsheetissimplyamadeflyleafwithaleatherhingeontheinsideandwithkraftpaperandsuperontheoutside,attachedtothehook.

MarkusedapieceofSwedishmarbledpaperandMohawkvellumtocreatetheendsheet.Thoughheusuallygluesupthelighterofthetwomaterials, he recommends always testing out a small piece wheneverworkingwithneworunfamiliarmaterials.Hestressedtheusefulnessofmock-ups,sayingthat“thereisnoshameintryingoutsmallerthingsso

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thatyoudon’truinlargerthings.”Inthiscase,sincetheMohawkvellumisthelighterofthetwomaterials,hecutitdownsothatitwouldalsobesmallerthanthemarbledpaper.Haditnotbeenanoptiontocutdownthevellum,Markrecommendedusingsiliconereleasepapertopreventtheexposedgluedareasfromstickingtothepressboards.

ToglueuptheMohawkvellum,Markuseda60/40mixofPVAandmethylcellulose.Hegluedupthevellumquickly,startingfromthecen-terandworkingouttowardstheedgesofthepaper.Oncegluedup,heplacedthevellumdownonthemarbledpaperandquicklygavethemanip.Thispapershouldideallybeleftunderweightforafewhoursuntilfullydry.

Atthispoint inhispresentation,Marktookamomenttostresstheimportanceofworkingquicklyandofnippingacorrectamountoftime.If you over-nip, you risk adhesive being pushed through the paper; ifyoudon’tnipenough,thepaperwilllikelywrinkleandnotlieflat.

Working on a binders board surface, Mark folded the paper into asingle folio section, keeping the marbled paper on the interior of thefold.AccordingtomanyScandinavianbookbindingbooks,thehookistraditionally5-6mmwide.Heusedaruler tomeasure5mmin fromthespinefold,thenfoldedthehookoverwithabonefolder.Theleatherhingewillbeplacedinsidethishook(seeIllustrationA).

Illustration A: End Sheet Preparation

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CreatingtheLeatherHinge

Toparedowntheleather,MarkusedthenewP&Sleatherparingma-chine.(Bosse justusedhisGermanparingknife forthis,andallotherparinginthisbinding.)Indetermininghowmuchleathertopare,Markmadesure topareapiece largeenoughforbothhinges.Heparedtheleathersothatitwouldapproximatethethicknessofhisdesiredturn-ins.Todeterminethickness,hefoldedtheleatherinhalfandpincheditbetweenhisfingers.Hethencutthepieceinhalftomakethetwohinges.Workingonalithostone,MarkusedhisFrenchknifetoedge-parethe5mmthatwillextendintothehook.Carefullyparedleatherwillreducethethicknessofthehook.

While workingwith the leather, Mark answered a number of ques-tionsfromtheaudience.Whenaskedbyanattendeehowbigtheleath-erhingeshouldbe,hesaidthatitsimplyneededtobelargeenoughtositinthehookandextendpasttheboardedge,whereitwilldisappearunderthedoublure.However,forthosestillitchingforamorespecificanswer, the leatherheusedappearedtobeabout20-25mminwidth.Whenaskedwhyhedidn’tjustuseamicrometertogaugethethickness,he affectionately referred to micrometers as the equivalent of trainingwheels.Thoughheadmitsthatmicrometersareinvaluablewhenteach-ingsomeonehowtogaugethickness,hethoughtthatultimatelyitwasmostdesirabletobeabletodistinguishthicknessbyhand.

Henowreversedthefoldoftheendsheetsothatthevellumwasontheinteriorofthefold.BrushingasmallamountofPVAontothehook,hecarefullyopenedtheendsheetsothatitwasflat,andthenattachedtheleatherhingetothehook.Asareminder,itistheparededgeofthehingethatisbeingglueddown.Sincethesewingandthehookwillulti-matelyholdthehingeinplace,onlyaveryconservativeamountofPVAisneeded.

Oncetheleatherhingewasinplace,Marklightlynippedtheendsheet,thenre-foldeditsothatthevellumwasonceagainontheexterior.Heusedabonefoldertoreinforcethefoldofthehook.

CreatingtheBoardAttachment

Forthishookedendsheet,Markchosetomaketheboardattachmentoutofsuperandkraftpaper,placingthesuperdownfirst,thenthekraftpaper. Both should stop approximately 1mm in from the hook edge.Toattachthesuper,hefirstmaskedouttheareawithscrappaper,thenbrushedPVAdirectlyontothehook.(HechosetoPVAthehookrather

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thanthesuperbecausethesuper issoporous.)Heusedhis thumbtowipeawayexcessPVAbeforeboningthesuperontothehook.HealsousedPVAtoglueouttheouter4mmofthekraftpaperandthenplaceditdowndirectlyontopofthesuper.Openinguptheendsheetsothatthevellumfacedup,Marklightlynippedtheendsheetagain.Theendsheetshouldbeleftunderweightuntilfullydry(seeIllustrationB).

Illustration B: Leather Hinge and Attachment

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Textblockpreparation

Thedemonstrationtextblockwasmadeupoftwelve3-foliosectionsofMohawkSuperfinepaper.Marktrimmedtheheadandtailof theendsheetswhentrimmingthetextblock,butdidnottrimtheforeedgeoftheendsheetuntilafterthebookwassewn.Thisisbecausethehookforcesthe foreedgeof theoutersectionsoutrequiring themtobe trimmed,anditjustmakessensetotrimtheendsheetforeedgeatthesametime.Officially,thesebookswouldhavebeentrimmedinaguillotine.

Tolayoutandpunchthesewingstations,Markcreatedajigoutof20-pointboard.Tomakethe jig,hedrewastraight linedownthe20-pointboard,andmarkedtheheadandtailboundariesofthetextblockonit.Hewantedtohavefoursewingstations(disregardingthekettles),soheusedapairofdividerstodividethedistanceintofiveroughlyequalparts—“roughlyequal”becausethestationsshouldbeslightlyjustifiedtothehead,leavingthedistancebetweenthelowestsewingstationandthetailabout¼"largerthantheothers.Havingfiguredoutthedistancewiththedividers,hepencil-markedthelocationofthesewingstationson the jig, also marking the kettles about 8mm in from the head andtail.Witharulerandbonefolder,hescoredthe20-pointalongtheline,foldeditoveronitself,andcuttheedgeofthejigflushwiththeheadofthetextblock,leavingthejiglongatthetail.Hethenplacedthejiginthepunchingtroughandusedapinvicetomarkallthesewingstations,includingthekettles.

Forthecovers,Markcuttwopiecesofbindersboardtotheheadandtailheightofthetextblock.Heremovedthehookedendsheetsandsand-wichedthetextblockbetweenthepiecesofbindersboard,beingcare-fultojogituptothespineandhead.Placingthetextblockspineupinthelyingpressandusingthe20-pointjig,hetransferredthesewingsta-tionlocationsontothetextblock,tracingthemacrosswithatri-square.MarkusedanEnglishdovetailsawtocutintothetextblockatthefoursewingstations(not thekettles!)Heplanned tosewthe textblockon8/6cord;thereforeheonlysaweddeepenoughtoallowthecordtositeitherflushorslightlyproudofthespine.Whenhefirststartedsawing,he held the saw perpendicular to the spine. Once he made enough ofan impressiontopreventthebladefromslipping,heangledthebladeabout45degreestoenlargethehole,withoutenlargingtheopening.Theillustrationnicelyshowsthetrapezoidalshapeoftheholes.Aftersawingthroughthefoursewingstations,MarkusedanOlfaknifetoslitinthekettles.Hethenremovedthetextblockfromthelyingpress.

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Totransferthesewingstationsovertotheendsheets,Markonceagainturnedtothepunchingtrough.Heplacedthefirstsectionintothehookof the end sheet and then punched the holes through with a pin vice,anglingthemintowardsthehooksothattheholeswouldnotbeseenontheleatherhinge.Herepeatedthesameprocesswiththelastsectionandhookedendsheet.Hethenpunchedasecondaryholeapproximately1cmawayfromeachofthefoursewingstations.Thepurposeofthisistogivethethreadmoretoholdontointhesewing.Itisirrelevantwhethertheholesareallpunchedtowardstheheadortail.Notethatthisisonlydoneontheendsheetsandthesectionswithinthem,notontheentiretextblock!

Withalltheholespunched,Markreturnedtheendsheetsandseatedsectionstothetextblock.Hesewedthetextblockon8/6cord,usingaportablesewingframecalledtheAll-Ligator.TheAll-Ligatorwasinvent-edbyPerCullhed,acolleagueofhisinSweden.TheAll-Ligator’ssize,easeofuse,portabilityandabilitytomaintaintensionaresomeofthereasonswhyMarkprefersitoversewingonatraditionalsewingframe.

Thetextblockwassewnjustasabookwouldbesewnonlinentapes.Markusedwaxed,25/3linenthreadforthesewing.Herestatedtheneedtoreallybonedownduringsewingandtoerronthesideofusingathin-ner,ratherthanthicker,thread.Toomuchswellisacommonproblemwhensewingthiskindofstructure,duetothethicknessofthehook.Toaddmorethread,heusedaweaver’sknot,tyingoffontheinsideofthesections.

RoundingandBacking

Placingthetextblockfacedown,spineslightlyovertheedgeoftheworkbenchorapressboard,Markusedhidegluetoglueupthespine.Oncegluedupandsquared,hetrimmedbacktheendsheetsandtheseatedfirstand last sectionsso that the foreedgeswereevenwith therestofthetextblock.Hethenmarkedtheshouldersonthetextblockusingasmallpairofdividersandapencil.Withthetextblocksandwichedbe-tweenbindersboard,boardedgesflushwiththeshouldermarks,Markthenplacedthetextblockspine-upintothelyingpressforroundingandbacking. He used hide glue to attach machine-made end bands and aspineliningofcottonfelt.Thecottonspineliningwasgluedonfelt-sidedown(seeIllustrationC).

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AttachingtheCoversMarkcutbindersboardforthecovers,leavingthemlongontheforeedgeandabout1mmorlessproudofeachendband.HeusedhisFrenchknifetocutbackcorners,makingthemslightlylargerthannormaltoaccom-modateforthethicknessoftheleatherhewillbecoveringwith.Placingthetextblockbetweenthecovers,hesquaredeverythingupandmarkedthe cord location on the outside of the binders board. Removing thebindersboardandusinganOlfaknife,hemadesmallslitsonlythroughthekraftpaperinordertopullthecordsthrough.Withthecordsnowsittingbetweenthesuperandthekraftpaper,heplacedascrappieceofboardbetweenthecordsandthesuperandcutthecordsbacktoalengthofapproximately1".Startingabout3mmpasttheshoulder,hesplayedthecordsoutwithapinviceandthenlightlythinnedthemusinganOlfa.Thereasonforstarting3mmpasttheshoulderissothatthecordsretaintheirfullthicknessastheycomeoutovertheshoulder.

Withthebindersboardcoversinplaceandsquaredtothetextblock,Markpastedout theoutsidespineedgeof thebindersboardcover toa distance approximately equal to that of the cord length. Using hisbone folder, he splayed the cords out onto the cover, taking care thattheywereevenlysplayeddown.Hethenbrushedpasteontotheboardagain,thistimeextendingjustslightlypastwherethesplayedcordsend.Hesmoothedthekraftpaperdownandthenrepeatedthesameprocessontheothercover.Oncedry,hefoldedthekraftpaperbackjustshyofwherethecordsend,andtoreofftheexcess.

Illustration C: Making the Text Block

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Tocuttheforeedgeofthecovers,MarkbroughtoutaSwedishtoolcalledaformeringslinjaler(pronouncedfor-mare-ing-lin-y’all-er).Basi-callyaseriesofsquareruleswithdifferingwidthsofthesmallendofthe“L,”itisusedtodeterminetheheadandtailsquaresothatitcanbeeas-ilytransferredtotheforeedge.OnceMarkfoundameasurementthatmatchedhisexistingheadandtailsquare,hepositioneditontheforeedgeofthetextblockandtracedtheboundarywithapencil.HeusedtheKutrimmertomakethefinalcut(seeIllustrationD).

Illustration D: Board Attachment

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CreatingtheFalseRaisedBands

Withthecoversinplaceandcuttothefinalsize,Markplacedthebookinalyingpressandcuta10-pointspinestriptotheheightoftheboards.These bindings did not usually have “barts.”1 This spine strip is whatMark uses to attach the false raised bands, which he makes with fullthicknessleather,cutwithaspringgauge.Thethickness,placementandnumberoffalseraisedbandsarepurelyaesthetic.Heusedatri-squaretodrawthelayoutontothespinestrip,thengluedtheleatherstripsdownwithPVA,purposefully leavingthemoversizeso theyhungoverbothsidesofthespinestrip.Heusedthetri-squareagaintoinsurethattheywere straight. Once dry, he cut the excess leather off with his Frenchknife,trimmingthebandsatanangletocreateanicetransitionbetweenthespineandthecovers.

LeatherPreparation

Measuringoffthebook,Markcreatedapapertemplatefromwhichtocuttheleather.Heaccountedforanextracmorsoattheheadandtailfortheturn-ins.Hetracedtheboundariesofthetemplateontotheleath-erandcutitoutwithscissors.Centeringthespinestripontheleather,hemarkedtheboundarieswithawhitegreasepencilandthen,placingthespinestriptotheside,edge-paredtheentirepiecewithhisFrenchknife.Hewentbackandparedmoreaggressivelyalongtheheadandtail,startingtheparejustslightlyinsidethespinestripboundaries.Keepinmindthattheturn-insshouldbethesamethicknessastheleatherhinge.Wheretheleatherextendedontothecovers,hefeatheredouttheedgesothatitwouldbeaverysubtleandsmoothtransitionfromtheleathertotheboard.

Tothinoutthejoints,Marklaidtheleatheroverawoodendowelandlightlysandedoverthejointwithasandpaperblock.Hestressedthatitisuptotheindividualbindertodecidehowmuchtothinthejoints.

Tohelptheleatherconformtotheshapeofthefalseraisedbands,hecreatedatemplatefrombindersboard.Markplacedthespinestripnexttoa squared-offpieceof scrapbindersboard(wider than the leather)andmarkedthelocationsofthefalseraisedbandsonit.Hetransferred

1. A 'bart' is constructed by extending the spine piece at both head and tail above the level of the boards. The terminals are then deeply notched and trimmed into a semi-circular form where they extend beyond the height of the boards. When the cover leather is in place on the book, this extension is then knocked forward to make a head cap above the end bands at the head and tail of the spine. These head caps are commonly found on Scandinavian, German and French bindings.

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themarksacrossthebindersboardusinghistri-squareandthencutoutthepiecesontheKutrimmer,keepingthosepiecesthatrepresentedthespacebetweenthebands.Totestthefit,Markplacedtheleatheroverthespinestripandcheckedtoseeifthebindersboardpiecesfitsnuglyinbe-tweentheraisedbands.Oncesatisfiedwiththefit,heusedmaskingtapetosecurethepiecestogethertocreatehistemplate(seeIllustrationE).

Illustration E: False Bands

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AttachingtheLeathertotheBook

Mark pasted out the spine strip and then placed it face down on theleather;hewasverycareful tohave it lineupcorrectlywith theparedareas.Hethenflippeditoverandplacedthetemplatedownbetweenthefalseraisedbands.Helightlynippedittocoercetheleatheraroundthebands.Afternipping,heremovedthetemplateandusedhisbonefoldertobonearoundthebandsonelasttime.

Beforeattachingtheleathertothebook,heslitthekraftpaperattheheadandtailtoallowfortheleatherturn-ins.Markpastedouttheleath-er,avoidingtheheadandtailturn-ins.Holdingthebookinonehand,helinedthespinestripupwiththebookandsmoothedtheleatherdownontothecovers.Intherealworld,hewouldthenplacethebookunderweighttodryandcomebacktodotheturn-inslater.Howeverfordem-onstration purposes, he continued by pasting out and completing theheadandtailturn-ins.

Tocreate theheadcaps,Markplacedthebookina lyingpressandusedaloopofstringtopushtheleatherdownintothebackcorners.Healsousedhisbonefoldertohelpknockovertheheadcap.Forthefinalstep,Markheldthebookonalithostone(headcapdown),andslightlydraggedthebookacross,whileshapingtheheadcapwithhisbonefold-er.Thisstepiscrucialinpreventingtheheadcapfromextendinghigherthantheboards.Oncesatisfiedwiththeshape,herepeatedthesamepro-cessontheotherside(seeIllustrationF).

Illustration F: Leather Spine

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LeatherCorners

Tolayoutthecorners,Markhadaseriesofcornertemplatesthathehadmadeoutofbindersboard,followingthetemplateswhichBosseused.Usingthesetemplates,Marktracedallfourcornerboundariesontotheleatherhehadparedearlier.Hecuttheindividualcornersoutwithscis-sorsandthenedge-paredthemwithhisFrenchknife.Placingtheindi-vidualcornersflushagainstthecovers,hetracedtheboardoutlinewithagreasepencil.HeusedhisFrenchknifetofurtherparedownthecornerssothattheyequaledtheheadandtailspineturn-ins.Theedgethatwillsitonthecoverwasgivenaverywideandfeatheredpare.

Toaccommodatefortheaddedthicknessoftheleathercorners,MarkusedhisFrenchknifetonickofftheinterioredgeoftheboard.Hethenpastedoutallfourcornersonhislithostoneandlinedthemupwithhismarkson thecovers.Hedid theheadand tail turn-insfirst,and thenfoldedovertheforeedgeturn-ins,usinghisbonefoldertoshapethem.

Hethenputinfencestoprotectthetextblockandplacedthebookunderweightuntildry.

Atthistime,hebroughtoutanothertoolthathewasintroducedtoinSweden.Calledahorningslagninghammer(pronouncedjustasitlooks),itisusedtobothpleatandhammerdownclothcorners.Toriotousap-plause,hedemonstrateditsuse,andevenpasseditaroundforalltomar-velat.Istherenoendtohistricks????

He continued with a text block where the leather had already beengiventimetodry.Usingdividerstofindthenarrowestpointwheretheleathermettheboard,hetransferredthemeasurementtothespineandallfourcorners,thenusedastraightedgeandbonefoldertomarktheseboundaries,where theedgesof thedecorativepaperwouldbeplaced.Rather than trimming off the leather outside of these boundaries, heusedhisbonefoldertocompresstheleathersothatitwouldallbutdis-appearunderthedecorativepaper(seeIllustrationG).

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TheFinalStretch

Tocovertheboards,Markchoseadecorativepastepaper.AfterusingtheKutrimmertocutthepapertothecorrectheadandtailheight,heplacedthepaperflatonthecoverandtooktheremainingfore-edgemeasure-mentsrightoffthebook.Sincethecoversshouldbeidentical,heplacedbothpiecesofpastepaperbacktobackandcuttheirforeedgessimulta-neously.MarkusedstraightPVAtogluethepastepapertothebook.

UsinganOlfa,heverycarefullyscoredandremovedthemarbledpa-perthatwouldbecomethedoublure.Hewasverycarefulnottocutallthewaythroughthemarbledpaperwhenscoringit,forfearofdamagingthesuper.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatheremovedthemarbledpaperasclosetotheshoulderaspossible.

As this isa tight jointbook, thesuperand the leather hingeareat-tachedwhilethecoverremainsopen.Therefore,Markfirsttrimmedthe

Illustration G: Corners

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superbacktopreventitfromextendingbeyondtheleatherhinge.Duetotimeconstraints,hechosetouse60/40mixtogluedownthesuperandthehinge.Aftergluingdownthesuper,heusedhisthumbtoreally

Illustration H: Covering the Boards and LayingDown theHinges

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smooththeleatherhingedownalongtheshoulder.Hepointedoutthattimingisveryimportantwhendecidingatwhatpointtoclosethecover,aftergluingdownthehinge.Ifyoucloseittoosoon,thehingewillpopawayfromtheshoulderandwrinkle.Ifyouwaittoolong,thecoverwillneverfullyclose.Tosee if thehingeisdryenough,tryshuttingitandcheckingtoseeifthehingehaspoppedawayatthebaseoftheboard.Whenreadytoclose,besuretoprotectthetextblockwithafence.Flipandrepeatontheothercover.Oncebotharedone,leaveunderweightuntildry(seeIllustrationH).

The final step is attaching the doublures. The book is set up justaswhengluingdownthehinges.Measuringoffthebook,Marktrimmedthedoubluretothecorrectsize.HethenusedPVAtoglueitdown.Atthispoint,hewouldnormallyleavethebookinthispositionandallowthe doublure to dry under weight (see Illustration I). However, to uptheWow!Factorofhisdemonstration,hewentstraightaheadandat-tached the second doublure. As if this wasn’t risky enough, he evenpassedthisstillwetbookaroundforallhiseagerparticipantstohandle.Whataguy.

Written by Claire Grund

Illustration I: Doublure

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Japanese Pouch/Four Hole Binding (Fukuro toji)

KiyoshiImai

Kiyoshi Imai is employed at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA, as a book conservator. He studied book-binding at the North Bennet Street School in Boston where, he now often teaches workshops. Kiyoshi has traveled to Vietnam several times with a Japanese-based document conservation and restoration team, where he has taught workshops on conservation treatments and disaster recovery, and participated in surveying the conditions of library collections.

KiyoshiImaiopenedhissessionwithadiscussionoffeaturestypicalofJapanesestab-boundbooks,andhedisplayedabookfromthe1920sasanexample.Suchbooksopenlefttorightandreadtoptobottom.Thepagesarefoldedattheforeedge,whichismarkedwithbibliographicalinformationusedtoidentifyandassemblethetext.1AtypicalJapanesebookisstab-boundthroughfourholes,anditspagesareheldtogethernotonlybythethreadbutbyaninnerbindingfixedwithtwistedpaper,whichensuresthatifthesewingbreaksandthecoverfallsoff,thetextblock isstillheld together.Onthe frontcover,avertical labelbearingthebook’stitleisplacedneartheforeedge,runningfromtheupperleftcornerapproximately2/3theheightofthebook,andabout1/5itswidth.(KiyoshicommentedthatwhenhetriestoconverttheJapanesedesigntoanEnglish-openingbookitneverlooksasgoodtohimasonabookthatopenstheJapaneseway!)Theheadandtailcornersofthetextblockatthespineareprotectedwithsmallpiecesofcloth(seeIllustrationA).

Having introduced us to the basics of the structure, Kiyoshi beganhisdemonstrationofthebinding—showingusnotonlyastep-by-stepbindingbuthispleasureinmakingbooksinthistraditionalmanner.

Preparingthecover

Alaminateoftwosheetsofpaperformsthesheetfromwhichthebook’scover is made. The outside paper itself should be heavy and strong.

1. Han shin (hashira): The information can include the title, volume number and collation for the book. Sometimes, and commonly in the nineteenth century, the engraver’s name was included so that the publisher could calculate payment. See Motosuke Hironiwa and Chiyoji Nagatomo, Nihon Shoshigaku o Manabu hito no Tameni (Kyoto: Sekai Shisousha, 1998), 180-81.

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RK29,amachine-madepaper,isgood,andsoiskozo.Kiyoshipreferstousesolidcolorsratherthanpatternsfortheoutsideofthecover,becausethedecorativesewingtendstogetlostagainstpatternedpaper.(Hehastriedtofindoutwhatisusedtocolorthekozo,butsofarhehasnotbeenabletoextractthatinformationfromthepaper-makers.)Fortheinsidelining of the cover, he uses a thick, heavyweight kozo. Even when thecoverpaperisthick,Kiyoshirecommendsliningit fortheaddedsup-port,unlesstheliningprocesswoulddamagethepaper.Inabriefsideremark,Kiyoshinotedthatcontrarytocommonbelief,Japanesepaperdoesindeedhavegrain.Themoldsinwhichitismadearesuspendedbytwostringsandsocanonlybeshakentoandfromthebody—hence,thefiberslineupintograin.Japanesepaperstendtorungrainshort,alongthechainline.

Thefirst step inpreparing the laminate is relaxing thepaper.Kiyo-shiusespolyesterfilmas thesurfaceonwhichhewetshispaper(andcloth, as later demonstrated), because it makes for very easy removalandcleaning.Laythecoverpaperonasheetoffilmandsprayitwithwa-ter.Soakthepapersoitwillrelaxandslideagainstthepolyesterfilmifitneedsadjusting,andthenblotit.Toabsorbtheexcessmoisture,Kiyoshiusesarollofpapertowelsasaroundblotter,rollingitacrossthesheetanddiscardingthewetpapertowels.Onanothersheetofpolyesterfilm,pastetheliningpaperoutwithaveryweak,waterywheatstarchpaste—thickpastemakesthepaperstifferandlessflexible.Formorecontrolofthepastebrush,Kiyoshiusesabroad,flatbrushandholdsitbythebaseratherthanthehandle.

Nowliftoneofthefilms,withthepaperstillonit,turnitover,andplacethepaperontheotherpiece.(Youdon’treallyneedtoworryaboutcloselyaligningthesheetsbecausethedrylaminatewillbetrimmedtosize.)Brushthis“sandwich”withadrybrushtogetalltheairbubbles

Illustration A: The Pouch Binding

�� Illustration B: Preparing the Cover

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out,andthenremovethefilmbyrollingthetopsheetintoacylinder—itpeelsoffthepaperasitisrolledback.Reversethelaminatedpaperontoblotter,rolloff thesecondfilmsheet,andcoverthe laminatewithan-othersheetofblotter.Putthepackbetweenpressboardsandweightit.Changetheblottersinaboutfiveminutes.Theblotterpapershouldbechangedatleastthreetimessothelaminatedriesthoroughlyanddoesn’tsticktotheblotter(seeIllustrationB).(KiyoshidoesnotusesyntheticfabricsuchasReemaybetweenthepaperandtheblotter.Hechangestheblotterfrequentlyenoughthatthey’renotneeded,buthealsofindsthattheyleavemarksonthelaminate.)

Whenthelaminateisdry,aprotectivecoatingisappliedtowhatwillbetheoutsidesurface.Kiyoshiuses4%methylcellulose(40g.in1literofwater) topasteoutthe laminate,andthen lets itair-dry.(InJapan,konnyakuisusedtosizeandprotectpaper—itismadefromthestarchofDevil'sTongueroot,whichresultsinaglueypastethatdrieslikejello.)When dry, burnish the sheets—Kiyoshi lays the sheet on marble andrubsitinacircularmotionwithaceramicbowl.Youcanalsoburnishwithagate—anysmoothsurfaceworkswell,buthisparticularfavoriteisthatbowl(seeIllustrationC).Theburnishingmakesabigdifferencetosmoothingevenalreadysmoothpapers;italsomakesthepapermoredenseandthereforestronger,andpreventsasmuchdustfromcollect-ing.(Ofcourse,ifyouwantamattefinishoryourpaperistextured,don'tburnishit.Themethylcellulosewillstillprotectit.)

Illustration C: Burnishing the Cover

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Preparingthecornercloth

Forthedemonstration,Kiyoshilinedsilkclothtouseforcoveringthecornersofthespine.(Heconfessedthathehatesliningcloth,soforhisownworkheusesbookcloth.)Heuseduso minopaper(alsoakozo)—whilethinnerpapercanbeused,hefindsthiseasiertohandle.

Thefirststepistowetthesilk.Layitonpolyesterfilmandbrushitwithwater,blottingafteraminute.Becarefultofixthedampfabricsoitisstraightandthepatternisproperlyaligned—becausefabricstretchesineverydirection,Kiyoshiadvisesavoidingpatternswithstraight,longlines.Pasteoutasheetofliningpaper(muchlargerthantheclothtobelined)onanothersheetofpolyesterfilm,usingathin,smoothlayerofverythickpaste,thenremovethepastedpaperfromthepolyesterfilmbyplacingabambooruleralongtheedgeofthesheetandlifting.Securetheclothpolyesterfilmwithaweightsoitdoesn’tslide,thengentlylaythepastedliningsheetonthecloth,brushingouttheairbubbleswithadrybrushasyourollitdown.Finally,poundthepaperwithadryroundpastebrushsothatthepaperfiberslockintothecloth.

Nowthattheclothhasbeenlined,turnthepolyesterfilmover,papersidedown,androllthefilmoffthelinedcloth.Thenturnitclothsideupandapplywheatpastearoundtheextendingedgesoftheliningpaper,placingatabofscrappaperononeedgetobeusedlaterforremovingtheclothfromthekaribariboardonwhichitwilldry.(Atraditionalkaribariboardismadeofcedarlinedwithpaperandwaterproofed,butKiyoshiusessheetrocklinedwiththickJapanesepaperandwaterproofedwithpolyacrylicsothepastedoesn’tstick.)Placethelinedclothontothekari-bariboard,rubbingtheextendingedgesoftheliningpaperwithabonefoldertosecurethemountingontotheboard,andletitdry.Conserva-torsdrylinedclothfaceoutinordertotouchuptheclothifnecessary,butKiyoshipreferstomounttheclothfacedowninordertoprotectitasitdries.Whentheclothisdry,removeitwithabonefolderslidfirstunderthescrap-papertabandthenaroundthepastededges(seeIllus-trationD).

Preparingthethread

Thethreadusedinsewingthebookismadefromstrandsofseveralcol-orstwistedtogethertocoordinatewiththebook'sdesign.Twistingalsoserves a functional purpose, strengthening the thread in two ways: byshiftingthetensiontothediagonal,andbyshorteningthethreadabout10%,soithasmorefiberforthelength.Kiyoshinormallyusessix-strand

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Illustration D: Corners

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cottonembroiderythread,thoughsilkistraditional.Hetwiststogetherthreecolors,havingseparatedeachoriginalcolorintothreetwo-strandthreads,sohisfinalsewingthreadissixstrands.Thethreadlengthshouldbeat leastthreeandpreferablyfourtimestheheightofthebookforasimplefour-holestructure.Morecomplexdesignsneedmorelength.

Todothetwisting,knotthestrandstogetheratthetop,tacktheknottoaboard,thenwetthethreadbydippingitintowateralongthelength.Whentwistingmultiplethreadstogether,thedirectionoftwistshouldbe reversed each time the thickness is increased. Machine thread istwistedclockwise,sowhentwistingyourowncolorcombination,twistcounterclockwise to lock the separate strands together tightly. (Nylonthread,Kiyoshinotes,doesn'tworksowell.)Whenyou'vetwistedthewholelength,tackitdownattheendtodrytaut(seeIllustrationE).Thistakesawhile,butitcanbeveryrelaxing!

Innerbinding

Theinnerbindingsecuresthetextblockbymeansofsmalltwistsofpa-per.Useaheavyweightpaper;Kiyoshiusedthesamepaperforhistwistsashedid for thecover liner.Tomakethe twists, takeastripofpaper10cm(4")longand2cm(1")wide,andcutitinhalfwithadiagonalcutacrossthecenter,sothetworesultingstripshaveoneflatendandonepointedend.Thoroughlyweteachpieceinwater,pinchthepoint,gentlytwistittothetop,andletitdry(seeIllustrationF).

Illustration E: Making Sewing Cord

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ThetextblockKiyoshidemonstratedonwasmadeofwarahan-shipa-per,fromHiromiPaper.Itisasoftandflexiblepaperwithasmoothsur-faceononeside,goodforpencilandink2.Tobegin,Kiyoshilinesupthetextblockflatonapieceofbinder'sboardandjogstheforeedgesquareagainstabrickplacedontheboard.Remember,inJapanesebooksthefoldedsideistheforeedge.

Now two holes must be punched for the paper twists. Kiyoshi usesan ingenious homemade tool for marking where the sewing holes arepunched.Hehascreateda“NailHeadGauge”—athree-inchlengthofwoodendowelwithabrassnaildrivenintoeachend.Atoneendthenailprotrudes9mmandattheother12mm.Thesearetypicalmeasurementsused inplacingholes forstabbinding.Tomarkthedistancefromthespine,placetheendofthedowelwiththe9mmprotrusionagainstthespineandgentlymarkthepaperwiththenailhead,thenpunchthroughwithanawl.Kiyoshihasreshapedanawltopunchtriangularholesfortheinnerbinding.Hefeelsthisshapecausesthepagestolockintoeachotherbetterthanaroundawl.Healsousesa“beatingstick”toknockinhisawlratherthanamalletorhammer.Theplacementoftheholesalongthespinevariesaccordingtothesizeofthebook.Theholesshouldnotbetooneartheheadandtail,orthecenter.Kiyoshinormallyplacestheholesat2/7oftheheightofthebook.

Tosecuretheinnerbinding,KiyoshiusestheBozuor“Bold”method,whereapapertwististhreadedthrougheachholeanduntwistedaboveand below. The excess is trimmed and beaten flat so it does not leavebumps.AlternativemethodsofinnerbindingaretheMusubi(“Knot”)method, where each twist is threaded down and up through a pair ofholes and the ends knotted together, and the Kagi (“Lock”) method,wheretheendsofthetwistarefoldeddowninoppositedirectionsagainstthetextblock.

2. Kiyoshi commented that Japanese-style papers are made in Korea, but Korean papers of-ten have narrower chain lines, i.e., less than 2 cm. Japanese books tend to be smaller than Korean books, but his is a general observation which may not be true in every instance.

Illustration F: Binding Twists

44

When the inner binding is completed, trim the text block. Kiyoshiusesaboardtemplate linedupto the foreedgeandsquaredtopencilmarksonthetoppage.Heplacesanoakblock(cutsmoothandsquare)onthepenciledline,andusesatrimmingknifemadefromanEnglishparingkniferoundeddown.Aroundedgeispreferabletoastraightedgebecausethebladecanberotated,andKiyoshifurtherprefershisshapedEnglishknifetocommerciallymadepre-shapedtrimmingknives,thoughhedoesnotethataFrenchknifewillalsoservethepurpose.AtraditionalJapaneseknifeis12cmlongand14cmwide,andhasaroundededge,butisquiteexpensive.

Illustration G: Text Block

45

Thetrimmingisdonebysupportingtheknifeat90°tothepapertextblockagainsttheoakblock.Thepressureshouldbeonholdingtheblockdown,nottheknife;cutsshouldonlygothroughoneortwosheetsatatime(seeIllustrationG).Thisisataskrequiringpatience,andfrequentknife-sharpening.(Kiyoshiusesanoilstonebutnooil;healsolikesJapa-nesewaterstones,andusesmediumgritforeverything.Hepointsoutthatinhisexperience,carbonsteelsharpensbetterthanstainlesssteel.)Healsonotesthathefindsiteasiertotrimbydrawingthebladeparallel(i.e.rightorleft)acrossthepaperratherthantowardhimself.

Whenthetextblockissecure,thenextstepistowrapthespinecor-nerswiththelinedcloth.(Silkistraditionalforcorners,thoughpapercanalsobeused.)Usingthenailheadgauge,mark9mmfromthespineontheheadandtailofthetextblock.Sincetheclothwillfoldthelongwayaroundthecorner, the lengthofclothneeded is9+15mm.Thewidthneededis9mm+thewidthofthetextblock,sothattheclothwillwrap4.5mmontothefrontofthebookand4.5mmontotheback.

Affix the corner cloth by applying thick paste to the head, tail, andspine, and to the cloth. (Be aware that the paper lining almost alwaysseparates from the cloth when any moisture touches it—a perpetualfrustration!)Line thecornerclothupwith themarksatheadandtail.Sniptheclothatthecornersandfolditdownfirstattheheadandtail,thenatthespine(seeIllustrationH).

Illustration H: Spine Corners

46

Coveringthebook

The cover is constructed of two components: core paper, a piece ofwhich is attached to the text block at the front and the back, and thelaminatepreparedearlier,whichcoversthecorepiecesandissewnonatthespine.Usethickkozoforthecore,aligningittothespineorforeedge,andthenadhere thecorepiece to the frontof the textblockwith twodotsofpaste.Thecoverwillwraparoundthecorepaper,sothepastedotswon’tshow.Dothesameattheback,letitdryunderlightweight,andthentrimthecorepiecestothetextblock.

Next,rough-cutthecoverlaminateandplacethebookonitsothatthelaminateprotrudesnomorethan9mm.Thisextrawillbecomethespineturn-in,andwillbehiddenbelowthestitchwork.Witharulerplacedbetweenthetextblockandthecoversheet,alignedtothespine,scorethecoverandturnintheexcess.Thismeasurementisimportant—thesewingwillaligntotheedgeofthecornercloth,9mmfromthespine,sotheturn-inmustbesmallenoughthatitdoesn’tinterruptthesewingbutlargeenoughtoworkwithsoitfoldscleanly.Asmallwedgeshouldthenbetrimmedofftheheadandtailcornersofthespineedge,cuttingfromthespineedgetothetopoftheturn-in,about1mmindepth,foreasierheadandtailturn-ins.Nowmeasureandscoretheheadandtailturn-ins(Kiyoshimeasureshisheadandtailturn-instothewidthofhisruler,becausebiggerturn-insareeasiertoworkwith),andfoldthemoverthecore.The fore-edgecornersshouldbemitered to45°, trimmedto thewidthoftheruler,andturnedinoverthecore(seeIllustrationI).

Kiyoshiinterjectedanoteabouttheknifeheusestodohistrimmingatthisstage—itisanNTknife,modelF650.3Helikesitbecauseonesideoftheknifeisflat,almostflushwiththeblade.It’saJapaneseknifewithaproprietaryblade.

Sewing

Thetraditionalmeasurementinfromthespineforsewingis9mm,butforthesakeofvisualalignment,thelineforpiercingshouldbemarkedfromcornerclothtocornerclothratherthanmeasuredwitharuler.Scorewithabonefolderagainstarulertomarkthesewingline.Whenmarkingforplacementofsewingholesalongthescoredline,firstmeasureequaldistancesdownfromtheheadandupfromthetail,thendividethespacebetweenthosetwocornerholesintothreeequidistantareas.Thisway,ifthecenterisalittleoff,itwillbelessapparent.

3. Notetaker’s comment: The NT F650 is very similar to the Olfa silver knives with snap-off blades. Olfa is also a Japanese company, but its knives are available internationally.

47

Theholesshouldbepunchedthistimewitharoundawl.Firstholdtheawllightlytofindstraightalignment,thengripitandhammer.Punchfirstfromthefrontofthebooksothemeasurementsonthefrontcoverareclean,thenpunchagainfromthebacktoopentheholesalltheway(seeIllustrationJ).

Forhisdemonstration,Kiyoshishowedthestepsofasimplepatternwherestraight threadswraparoundthespineateachpiercing,buthealsopassedaroundsamplesshowinganumberofmorecomplexsew-ingpatterns.(Ifyoudesignyourownsewingpattern,twoelementsareessential:makesurethebackandfrontmatch,andmakesureyouendwhereyoubegin.)

Illustration I: Covering

Illustration J: Prepare for Sewing

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Sewingonthedemonstratedpatternbeginsonthebackofthebookatthethirdholefromthehead.Bywayofcomparison,KiyoshinotedthatKoreansbeginthesewingatthetop,andChinesesewingbegins,hebelieves,fromthesecondhole.

1. Holdingthebookwiththebackcoverfaceupandthespinetowardyou,sotheheadpointstotheleft,drawthethreadallthewaydownthroughthebookatthethirdhole.

2. Using your needle, pull the loose end of the thread out from themiddleofthebook,soitnowprotrudesfromthetextblockratherthanthebackcover.

3. Tieaknotintheendofthethreadandapplypastetoit,thentucktheknotbackintothetextblockbypullingontheneedletoburytheknotinsidethetextblock.

4. Wraparoundthespineandbackinthethirdhole. 5. Pullthethreadthroughtothefrontandsewupthroughthesecond

holetothebackcover. 6. Wraparoundthespineandbackupthroughthesecondholetothe

back. 7. Nowsewacrosstothefirstholeandpullthethreadthroughtothe

frontcover. 8. Wrap around the spine and back in through the first hole. Try to

alignthewraparoundwiththeedgeofthecornersilk. 9. Nowwraparoundtheheadandbackthroughthefirstholeasecond

time,onceagainaligningthethreadwiththecloth.10. Thethreadisnowprotrudingfromthefrontcover.Sewbackacross

tothesecondholetocompletethepatterninthestitchwork11. Ontheback,sewdowntothethirdholetocompletethestitchwork.12. Sewdowntothefourthhole,nearestthetail.13. Wrap around the spine and back through the fourth hole to the

back.14. Nowwraparoundthetailandbackinthroughthefourthhole,once

againtakingcaretoalignwiththecloth.15. Sewthefinalstitchinthepattern,fromthefourthtothethirdhole,

andthenturnthebookoversotheheadisnowatyourrightandthetailtotheleft,withthespinestillfacingyou.

16. Knot the threaddirectlyover theholeby tyingon to theadjacentstitch.

17. Sewbackthroughthehole.

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18. Pull the thread so the knot sinks into the hole and turn the bookbackover.

19. Inserttheneedlebackintothesameholeagain,butonlypushitpartwaythrough.Theneedleshouldemergefrombetweenthepagesatthespine,aboutmidwaythroughthetextblock.

20. Snipoffthethreadclosetothespine.21. Applypastetothelooseendandtuckitbackintothebook.

Asthefinalstepinthisbinding,pastedownthefore-edgeturn-ins,butnottheheadandtailturn-ins—todosowouldconstrictthebook’sopening.Insertapieceofscrappaperintothefoldofthebook’sfirstandsecondpagestoblockthemoisture.Useanarrowstripofthinpasteandplaceunderweighttodry.

The completed book is a lovely work of art, with its many detailsshowingthecareofitsdesigninadeceptivelysimplepackage.

Handouts

A. Step-by-step illustration of sewing pattern showing the steps listedabove.

B. Illustrations of corner cloth construction, inner binding variations,trimmingknives,andNailHeadGauge

C.Relationshipsbetweendimensionsofbookandsewingmargins/di-mensionsof title label. This table canbe foundonpage 115 in thebookKomonjo Shuho rokuju nenbyEndoTeinosuke(Tokyo:KyukoShoin)1987.ThetranslatedtablewasdonebyKiyoshiImai.

D.MaterialsforPouchBinding:atablecompiledbyKiyoshiImaifortheseminar.

E.Pouch Binding,adiagramofthepartsofabook,withnamesinEnglish,Japanese,andtransliteration;drawnbyKiyoshiImaifortheseminar.

Written by Cara Schlesinger

50

ImaiHandoutA

51

ImaiHandoutB

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ImaiHandoutC

Relationshipsbetweendimensionsofbookandsewingmargins/dimensionsoftitlelabel

Millimeters (inches)

HeightxWidth Sewingmargin Sewingmargin Numberof TitleLabel atspine atheadandtail sewingholes

327 x 236 (12 7⁄8 x 9 5⁄16 ) 15 (19⁄32 ) 24 (15⁄16 ) 5 227 x 39.5 (8 15⁄16 x 1 9⁄16 )

297 x 197 (11 13⁄32 x 7 3⁄4 ) 12 (15⁄32 ) 21 (27⁄32 ) 5 206 x 36.5 (8 1⁄8 x 1 7⁄16 )

276 x 197 (10 7⁄8 x 7 3⁄4 ) 10.5 (13⁄32 ) 16.5 (21⁄32 ) 5 197 x 33 ( 7 3⁄4 x 1 5⁄16 )

18 (23⁄32 ) 4

236 x 164 (9 9⁄32 x 6 15⁄32 ) 9 (11⁄32 ) 15 (19⁄32 ) 4 167 x 30 (6 9⁄16 x 1 3⁄16 )

194 x 137 ( 7 5⁄8 x 5 3⁄8 ) 9 (11⁄32 ) 15 (19⁄32 ) 4 137 x 27 (5 3⁄8 x 1 1⁄16 )

164 x 118 (6 15⁄32 x 4 5⁄8 ) 9 (11⁄32 ) 12 (15⁄32 ) 4 118 x 24 (4 5⁄8 x 15⁄16 )

137 x 194 ( 5 3⁄8 x 7 5⁄8 ) 10.5 (13⁄32 ) 13.5 (17⁄32 ) 4 103 x 33 (4 1⁄16 x 1 5⁄16 )

115 x 164 ( 4 17⁄32 x 6 15⁄32 ) 9 (11⁄32 ) 12 (15⁄32 ) 4 88 x 30 (3 15⁄32 x 1 3⁄16 )

Teinosuke, Endo – Komonjo Shuho rokuju nen – Kyuko Shoin, Tokyo 1988

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ImaiHandoutD

MaterialsforPouchBinding

What to look for Kiyoshi’srecommendation

Kyoshi used forthe demo

Text blockDepends on pur-pose of the book. Talk to supplier.

—— Warahanshi(Hiromi Paper)

Inner bindingStrong long fiber Kozo (Paper mul-

berry) paper.

Okawara, Sekishu, Hosokawa, etc.

RK-29 (Paper NAO)

Core (board)Thick and flexible

paperOkawara, Hosho,

Senka shi, etc.RK-29 (Paper NAO)

Corner cloth

Traditionally silk was used. Don’t use polyester or

nylon.

Visit Hong Kong or Hanoi. Silk is

cheap.

Silk found at flea markets in Osaka

and Kyoto.

Cover (paper)Patterned/deco-

rated paper makes sewing invisible.

——Colored Echizen

Kozo (Hiromi Paper)

Cover (Cloth)

I don’t like cloth cover for this type of book. I can’t make

it right.

Use an available book cloth rather than try to make

your own.

Sorry, I won’t do a demo on this one.

Lining paper for corner cloth

Thin Kozo paper.Usumino, Misu,

etc.Usumino (Hiromi

Paper)

Lining paper for paper cover

Thick, long fiber, strong Kozo paper

Okawara, Hoso-kawa, etc.

RK-29 (Paper NAO)

Sewing thread

Traditionally silk was used. Stay

away from polyester or nylon.

Cotton embroidery thread works very

well.

6 ply cotton em-broidery thread.

Title labelGood writing or

printing paper. Talk to the supplier.

—— ——

PasteWheat starch paste,

not rice starch.—— ——

54

ImaiHandoutE

55

Edge Gilding and Edge Coloring of Books

PeterGeraty

Peter Geraty has been a bookbinder since 1975 and has been inde-pendently employed since 1984. His shop, Praxis Bindery, produces editions, boxes and fine bindings, and also does conservation work for libraries, private collectors and academic institutions. Praxis is located in a large complex in Easthampton, MA that also houses a number of other artist studios.

Recognizing and acknowledging the apprehension of all novice, andmany experienced, binders to the challenge of gilding an edge, PeterGeratybeganthehandoutdistributedathissessionswithananonymous17thcenturypoet’slamentonthefailureofhisbestefforts:“Wherehasthegoldgone,/Ilookallaround./Astheleafflakesontomyfeet.”Peteradmittedsimilarfearsinhisownpast,butassuredhisaudiencesthat,as inmanyotherprocesses, it is repetitionandexperience that bringmastery.Inhispresentation,aswellasworkingthroughtheprocedure,Peterpaidattentiontothereasonsforeachstep,whatitseekstodo,andwhatmustbedonerighttopreventgoingwrong.

Thereareseveralkindsofedgegilding,butPeterdemonstratedthebestknownandmostcommon,asolidgiltedgeatthehead.Thisisbestdonewhenthetextblockhasbeenroundedandbacked,buttheboardscanbelacedonorsimplylaidinplacetoprotecttheshoulders.Ifthebook is gilded in boards, the boards are laced on and the supportspasteddownontheinsideoftheboardsbutnotinthegrooves,sotheboardscanstillbemovedupanddownparalleltotheshoulders.Ifthetextblockisonlyroundedbeforetheedgeisgilded,caremustbetakeninthebackingprocesstoprotectthegiltedges,whichmareasilyfrombackingincorrectly.

The first step, after trimming the book, is to dust the edge withFrenchchalk,ortalc(magnesiumsilicatehydroxide)tokeepthepagesfromstickingtogether.Thebookissetonitstail,andthetextblockisflexedtotheright,dustedwithtalcusingafinebrushorfingers,andthenflexedtotheleftforanotherapplication.Careshouldbetakennottoinhalethetalc,andnottodisturbthetextblockafterwardtopreventthetalcfromsiftingout.Theedgeisnowreadytoscrapeflat,whichisessentialforasmooth,solidedge(seeIllustrationA).

56

Gildingboardsareusedtoholdthebookduringthegildingprocess,andithelpsthemto“grip”thebookboardsiftheyaremoistenedslight-ly.Thisiseasilydonebylickingthetopinsideedgesofthegildingboardsbeforeputtingthemaroundthebook.Thebookedge,coveringboards(ifalreadyonthebook),andgildingboardsareputintoapresssothattheyareinabsolutealignmentandprojectingaboutacentimeterorlessabovethecheeksofthepress.Tightenthepresstoholdthetextsecurelysothepagescannotflexduringgilding.[Seenote1,GildingBoards.]

Ideally,thebookedgehasbeencarefullytrimmedflatpriortogild-ingsoonlysomesmoothingandfinishingisrequired.Thisisbestdonewithacabinetscraperwithanellipticaledge.[Seenote2,CabinetScrap-er.]Thiswillallowyoutoworkonlyonareasneedingsomeadditionalsmoothingandirregularities.Whenscrapingworkfromspinetowardsthe fore edge, hold the scraper in both hands tilted away from you atananglebetween45°and70°.Avoiddiggingintothesurfacewiththescraperatthespineandforeedgeareas.Anapplicationofboleandsiz-ingpriortoscrapingwilldampenthesurfaceslightly,whichwillmakescrapingeasierandprovideavisualindicationofthescrapedareas.Ifthesurfacegetstoodamp,waitforittodryslightlybeforeproceeding.

Afterscraping,sandlightlywithfinegritaluminumoxidesandpaper.

Illustration A: Placement

57

Beginwith220gritmovingparalleltotheedgeinastraightlineholdingthe sandpaper between thumb and forefinger. Do not allow excessiveheat, from the friction, since this can fuse the sizing on some papers.When the edge is evenly sanded repeat with a 320 grit. Dust the edgewithsoftbristlebrush(Peterusesashoebrush)betweengritsandfromtime to time during sanding. Do not touch the edge with your handssincethismayadverselyaffectthegildingsize.

Manydifferentkindsofsizeareusedingilding.Somebinderspreferaparticularkind,andsometypesofpaperworkbetterwithaparticularkindofsize.PeteremploysaPVAsizingagentwhichhehasusedsuc-cessfullyforseveralyears.[Seenote3,Size.]Size,withafillermixedin,isbrushedontotheedge.Thefillerfillstheporesinthepapersurfaceandprovidesabackgroundcolortothegold.Severalkindsoffillerscanbeuseddependingonthedesiredeffect,buttwocommonlyusedfillersareArmenianbole(areddishclay),andgraphite(a.k.a.plumbagoorblacklead). Gouache is another commonly used coloring filler. The filler ismixedwiththegildingsizeusingaflat,soft-bristledbrushuntilitistheconsistencyofmilkandappliedinanevencoat.Whileitisstilldamp,useawadofJapanesepaperandworkthefillerintotheedgeusingacir-cularmotion.WhentheedgeisdryandslightlypolishedbytheJapanesepaper,brushitvigorouslywithasoftbrushfromendtoend.Onsofterpapersthismayneedtoberepeated.Afinal thin,evencoatoffiller isappliedtothesurfaceandallowedtodrywithoutbeingworked.Whendry,theedgeshouldbeburnishedfirstwithabrush,andthenwithanagateburnisher.Peterpreferstouseaslightlyconvexburnisher.Itisim-portantthattheburnisherusedisclean,sinceanydirtorgreasewillkeepthegoldfromadheringtotheedge.Approachthebookfromthesideofthepressandmovetheburnisheracrosstheedgeworkingfromthespinetowardtheforeedge.Movinglengthwisewiththeburnishercouldscratchtheedge.Peterrecommendsdoingthisthreetofivetimesbeforeapplyingsize.

Severalcoatsofsizewillbenecessary,and,sinceeachoneactivatesthepreviouslayers,newcoatsshouldbeappliedrapidlyandexactlyinathincoatsoasnottoliftapreviouslayer.Itisbesttouseabrushthatwillcovertheentirewidthoftheedgewhendepressed.Applythesizefromspinetoforeedgeinacontinuousstoke,butasmallamountofbackandforthmaybenecessary.Startinthecenterandworkoutwardifthebrushwon’tcoverentirely.Twoorthreecoatsofsizewillbeneeded;twoforharder papers and three for softer ones. Wait for the size to turn dull

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before applying the next coat. However, the edge should not dry outcompletelybetweenthefirstcoatandtheapplicationofgoldoritmaynotadhere.Timewillvaryaccordingtotemperatureandhumiditylevels(seeIllustrationB).

Whilethesizedries,thebindercanusethetimetopreparethegold.Since dirt and oils from your hands will prevent gold from adhering,nevertouchthegildingcushion,knifeorgoldleafwhenpreparinggold.Usetheknifetomanipulatethegoldleafandextricateitfromthepaperofthegoldbook.Donottakeoutmoregoldthannecessary.Maneuverthegoldoutofitspaperbookbyplacingthebookonthegoldcushion[seenote4,Goldcushion].Slidethegoldknifeunderapaperleafandliftittoexposeasheetofgold.Patthecushioninfrontofthegoldwiththeflatoftheknifeuntilthepuffsofaircausethegoldleaftofold.Slidetheknifeuptothefoldededgeandblowgentlyuntilthegoldunfoldsatitscenterovertheknifeblade.Twisttheknifeaquarterturnandcarrythegoldleaf,drapedovertheknife,totheotherendofthecushion.Lowertheleafwhilesimultaneouslydraggingtheleafandrotatingtheknifeun-derneathitawayfromtheleaf.Thiswillleaveaflatbutslightlyrumpledsheetofgoldlyingonthecushion.Shapeyourlipsastopronouncetheletter‘P’,andblowgentlyintothecenteroftheleaftosmoothandflattenit.Usethefullstrokeoftheknifetocutgoldleafintostrips,andcover,topreventthemfrombeingdisturbeduntilneeded.Avarietyoftoolsareavailableforapplyingthegoldstripstotheedge.Thesimplesttoobtainanduseisscraphandmadepaper,andthegildingframeisthebesttoolforapplyingfullsheetsofgold.

Whatevermethodisused,thebindershouldhaveenoughgold laidoutfortheentireedge.Ifpaperisbeingused,itshouldbecutslightlywiderthantheleaf.Petergaveageneralestimateof12cmwideand7–8cmdeepfortheaveragebook.Lightlyrubthetoolacrossyourfaceorhairtoapplysomegrease,topickupthegold,thenbreathelightlyonittodischargeanystaticelectricalcharge,andlayitoverthegoldsothatabout3mmofleafprojectsbeyondthetool.Ifusingpaper, itmaybenecessarytorubthepaperlightlyforthegoldbeneathtoadhere.Lineupthetoolsloadedwiththegoldstrips.

Vigorouslyshinetheedgewiththesoftbrushandapplyafinalcoatofsizing,abitthickerthantheearliercoats,butshouldnotpooltoodeeply.Itshouldnotbeabsorbedintothepaper,butrestonitssurface.Afterap-plyingthesize,pickupthefirstgildingtoolandholditovertheedgeasflataspossibleandveryclosetotheedgesothatthe3mmofleafisover

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Illustration B: Preparing the Edge

60

theedgeofthebookandontothesupportingsurface.Thisensuresthatthewholeedgeiscompletelycoveredbythegold.Slowlylowerthetool,keep-ingitparallel totheedge,until thefreeedgeoftheleafcomesincontactwiththeedgeandtheleafreleasesfromthetool.Sometimestherelease,the“kiss,”isaudibleinaquietroom.Proceedwiththeapplicationofthegoldstrips,overlappingthembyabout2mmuntilthewholeedgeiscovered.Ifthesizingdriesbeforetheedgeiscovered,applymoresizetotheedgebutnottotheedgeoftheappliedleaf.Ifanybreaksarevisible,smallpiecesofgoldcanbeappliedtothem.Breatheontheareawithanopenmouthtoactivatethesizeandlayontherepair.

Thegoldwillappearshinyinareaswerethereisexcessmoisture.Allowtheedgetodryuntilnoshinyspotsremain,andthensettheedge.Thisisdonewithasmallpieceofcotton,flannelorbatting,pressedlightlydownontheedge.Liftthecottonstraightupaftereachpress,andworkalongtheedgefromspinetoforeedge.Drawthecottonacrossthepalmofyourhandbetweenstokestoremoveanyexcessmoisture.Repeattheprocessthreeorfourtimes, increasingthepressurewitheachsuccessivepass.Donotusecottonballsforthis,sincetheloosecottonfiberscancatchontheedgesofthegildingboardsorbookboardsandmartheedgewhenburnishing(seeIllustrationC).

Burnishingshouldbedonewhilethereisstillsomeresidualmoistureintheedge.Totesttheedge,breatheonitwithyourmouthopen.Thiscreatesafogontheedge,whichwilldrywithin3–5secondsiftheedgeisready.Peteradvisedusingdrymountreleasepaperforburnishing,orbaker’spaperorapieceofordinarypaper,waxedononesidewithbeeswax.Thepapermustbehardandsmoothtoallowtheburnishertomovesmoothly.Overlaytheentireedgewithapieceofthepapercutlargerinwidthandlengththantheedge.(Ifyouareusingawaxedpaper,putthewaxsideupontheedge.)Start-ingatoneend,movetheburnisherbackandforthacrosstheedge,lightlyandsmoothly.Repeatthisprocessfourorfivetimes.Toinsuregoodadhe-sion,youcanalsomovetheburnisherlengthwisetotheedgetwoorthreetimes.Withoutthepaper,lengthwisemovementcouldscrapetheedge,orremovesomegold,soallfutureburnishingwillbedoneacrosstheedge.

Allowtheedgetodryfurther,about30minutes,andbreatheontheedgeagain.Thefogshoulddisappearinaboutasecond.Anothertestistotaptheedgewiththeburnisher.Iftheedgeisdryenoughtherewillbefaint“ping,”buttheedgecanbedamagedbythismethod.Iftheedgeissufficientlydry,lightlyburnishthebareedge2–3timesmorewiththeagateburnisher.Be-forethefinalburnishing,theedgeisslightlywaxedtohelptheburnisher

61

Illustration C: Cutting And Applying Gold

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glideeasierandwithmoreforce.Thewaxcanbeappliedwithacloth,buttheclothshouldbediscardedafterusesincehardenedwaxcandamagetheedgeiftheclothisreused.Thesafestapplicationisdonebystrokingacakeofbeeswaxwiththumborfingersandtransferringthewaxtotheedgebylightlyrubbingit.Thewaxshouldbeappliedinverythincoats.Burnishtheedgebetweenapplicationsofwax,applyingmorepressurethanusedpreviously.Theburnishershouldbeheldnearlyperpendicu-lartotheedgetopushdownonthegold.Iftheburnisherisheldatanangle,theburnisherwillpushthegoldaheadofit.Generally,theedgeisburnished2–3times,andwaxisappliedbetweeneach.Ifthetextpaperissoft,toomuchburnishingcancausethegoldtoflakeofftheedge.Forasofter,dullsheen,youshoulddothefinalburnishingthroughpaperwithoutapplyingwax.

Whentheedgeisdone,removethebookfromthepresswithitssup-portingboardsandlaythemflatononeside.Hingethetopboardawayfromthebookratherthanliftingisstraightofftoavoiddamagingtheedge.Turnthebookover,andremovetheotherboardinthesamefashion.

Illustration D: Burnishing

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Hold the book a few inches off the bench and then slap it against thebenchtoloosenthepages.Ifsomepagesarestillstuck,fanthebookinbothdirections(seeIllustrationD).

Ifrepairsneedtobemadeintheprocessofgildinganedge,therearetwooptimalopportunities.Thefirstisduringthelayingonofthegold.Ifabreakappears,asmallpieceofflannelcanbechargedwithgrease(lightlyrubitonyourface)anduseittopickupasmallpieceofgold.Breatheonthelocationofthebreaktoreactivatethesize,andapplythegold.Proceedasnormally,andgentlybrushoffanyexcessgoldwiththeflannelaftertheedgehasbeensetandtheinitialburnishingthroughpa-perhasbeendone.Asecondopportunityforrepairisafterthefirstdi-rectburnishing.Theprocedureisthesameasabove.

EdgeColoring

Peterdiscussedseveraltechniquesusedtocoloredgesinvariousways.Colorscanalsobeusedincombinationwithgold.Forasolidcoloredge,thebookistrimmed;talcisapplied,andthebookplacedinthepress.Theedgeisscrapedandsandedasforgilding,usingsizetodampentheedgeforscrapingifneeded.Coloringagentscanbegouache,watercolor,inkoracrylicpaintthinnedwithgildingsizetotheconsistencyofcream.Peternotedthatsomeolderbookssuggestaddingsweetoil(suchasol-ive)tothemixture.

Thecolorcanbeappliedwithaspongeorabrushinathin,consistentlayerworkingfromspinetoforeedge.Lettheedgedrybeforeaddinganotherlayerofcolor.Ifthecolordoesn’tgoonsmoothly,thepressmayneedtobeloosenedtoallowforbetterpenetration.Useasoftbrushtopolishtheedgeasyouwouldafterapplyingboleforgilding.Applybees-waxandburnishwithanagateburnisher.

Insteadofsolidapplication,thecolormaybesprinkledontheedge.Theedgeisscrapedandsanded,andthenthebookisremovedfromthepressandlaidontheedgeofthebenchbetweenbinders’boardandun-derweight.Thecoloristhinnedalittlemorethanforasolidedgeappli-cation.Thecolorisappliedthroughascreenmadebystretchingapieceofhardwarecloth(mesh1/4"x1/4"inches)overasmallwoodenframe(about25cmx25cm).Dipasoftbrush(likeashoebrush)intothecolor-ingagent,holdingthescreenoversomewastepaper,flickcolorontoitbyrubbingthebrushacrossthescreentoachieveafinespray.Thefirstdropswillbelargeandvaried,butthespraywillbecomefinerandmoreuniform.Whenthesprayisright,thescreencanbetransferredfromthe

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wastepapertothebookedge.Becarefulnottoallowfoamtobuilduponthescreen.Bangthescreenonwastepapertoremovethefoam.Otheritemswhichcanbeusedtospatteranedge:agluebrush,anironpresspinoraheavypipe.Thebrushischargedwithcolorandhituponthepintoproduceaspray.Severaldifferentcolorscanbeapplied.Thebookcanbereturnedtothepressfortheedgetobewaxedandburnished.

Othervariationscanbeproducedbysprinklingriceorothersmall-graineditemsontheedgebeforesprinkling.Thiscanbedoneonaplainor solid colored edge. Melted wax can be dripped or splashed on theedgebeforecoloringorafterasolidcoloringhasbeenappliedbutbeforesprinklingonothercolors.Whentheapplicationofcolorsiscompleted,the book can be knocked on the bench to remove the wax before theedgeisburnished.Flakesofgoldcanbeusedincombinationwithcolor-ingagents.Thebookisplacedintothepress,andtheedgescrapedandsandedasforgilding.Theedgeiscoloredandallowedtodry.Theedgeisthenburnished,andalayerofplainsizeisapplied.Thegoldleafisthenputintoateastrainerandbrushedthroughthemeshtodroponthewetsize. When the edge is dry, the edge is burnished first through paper,thenwaxedandburnishedwithanagate.Palladiumandotherkindsofleafcanbeusedforvariouseffects.Thesmallerthescreeningmesh,thesmallertheflakeswillbeontheedge.

Coloring effects or leaf flakes can also be applied on a gilded edge.Colored edges can be built up using different colors or shades of thesamecolor.Oncethebasicsaremastered,thebindercandevelopanin-dividualvocabularyofedgedecorationmethods(seeIllusrationE).

Notes

1.Gildingboards:Gildingboardsareusuallymadeofbeech,oak,mapleorotherstraightgrainwood.Theyareabout1to1.5cmthickalongoneedgetaperingtoabout.5cmthickalongtheotherlongedge.Theyareabout10cmwide,andvaryinlength,20to30cmareusefullengthstohave.Thethickeredgeoftheboardsshouldbeplanedtoanangleofabout70°inrelationtotheinsidesurface.Whenpreparinganddress-inggildingboardsitisimportanttoplanetheminthedirectionofthewoodgrain.Theboardsshouldbeplacedinapressandplanedusingasmallblockplane.Iftheplaneiscreatingsmallvoidsinthewood,theplaneisprobablymovingagainstthewoodgrain.Gildingboardswillneedperiodicredressingtorestoretheangleduetowear.

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2.Cabinetscraper:Usingafinefileandsharpeningstones,thescraperedgeshouldbeshapedtoforma90°anglewithitsflatsurface.Aburrisformedonbothsidesoftheedge,andthenturnedslightlyusingasteelburnisherortheshankofascrewdriver.Thisturnededgeisusedtoscrapethebookedge,workinginthedirectionfromthespineto-

Illustration E: variations on edge treatments.

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wardtheforeedgeonly,toavoidchippingthespinefoldsofthetextblock.Thescrapershouldbeheldatananglebetween45–70°degrees(seeIllustrationF).

3.Size:Peterdiscussedvarioustraditionalsizingagents,eggwhiteandstarchesweremostcommon,butparchmentandgelatinsizearealsoused.PeterhasfoundthatPVAmakesaquiteacceptablesizingagent.HeusesJade403,butpresumesthatothertypesofPVAwouldalsowork.Hemixesabout1teaspoonofPVAwith400mlofdistilledwater

Illustration F: Tools

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andshakesitvigorously.Thesizeislefttostandovernightandthenpoured intoacleancontainer throughacoffeefilter to removeanylargeparticulate.Thesizecanbemadethickerforsomedifficultpa-pers(verysoftones),butthickersizewillnotburnishaswellasthin-nersize.PVAsizehasamuchlongershelflifethaneggorstarchsize.

4. Gold cushion: Gold cushions can be purchased, but many bindersmake their own by padding a wooden board and covering it withvegetabletannedleather,suedesideup.Varietiesofpaddingcanbeused,butthechosenmaterialshouldyieldafirmsurface.Thecush-ionshouldbeabout5mmthick.Theleatherisappliedwhiledamp,stretchedoverthepaddingandtackedorstapledtotheboardedges.Whendry,dusttheleatherwithpumiceusingagoldknifeorsimilartool. Holding the cushion vertically on an edge and away from theworkarea,slapitvigorouslywiththeflatoftheknifetodislodgeex-cesspumice.Aswiththebladeofthegoldknife,avoidtouchingthesurfaceofthecushionwithyourfingersoranygreasytool(seeIllus-trationG).

Illustration G: Gold Cushion

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Peter Geraty supplied a detailed handout for his sessions, which has been abridged by Dorothy Africa for the Journal. Thanks to Peter Geraty and Eric Alstrom, the full text of the handout will be made available for down-loading through a link on the Guild of Book Workers web site. An email message on the GBW mail list will be posted when the full document is available.

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