c/bookbinders

That week I tried using a bone folder made from antler instead of plastic

Swapped out my cheap plastic bone folder for a hand-carved antler one a buddy brought back from Alaska and after three days of creasing signatures I realized it actually leaves less pressure marks on thin paper but now I'm worried about snapping it in half during a tight spine fold has anyone else tried natural materials for pressing tools?

Spent $45 on a Japanese bone folder and it's ruined all my other tools for me

Stripping the spine with a citrus solvent and got way cleaner results than acetone

I was working on an old 1970s textbook last week and the spine glue was this weird gummy mess. Acetone was just smearing it around. On a whim I grabbed some d-limonene cleaner I had under the sink for removing adhesive labels. Painted it on and let it sit for 2 minutes. The glue practically lifted off like a skin. No nasty fumes either. Has anyone else used weird household stuff for spine stripping?

That moment my glue joint failed 3 hours into a restoration

I was at my bench last Tuesday working on a 1920s poetry anthology for a client, the spine was completely detached and I thought I had it all figured out. I used my usual PH neutral PVA and clamped it tight, left it for about an hour before I took the clamps off to check. The moment I opened the cover the whole thing just popped loose like it was never glued at all, I was so frustrated I almost threw it across the room. Turned out I had forgotten to rough up the spine lining with some sandpaper first, the old glue residue was too smooth for the new bond to grab. I ended up scraping everything off, roughing it up good with 80 grit, and redoing the whole job the next morning. It held perfect after that and the client picked it up yesterday happy as can be. Has anyone else had a similar fail where the prep work was the real issue, not the glue itself?

Found a cheap way to fix hinge joints on old books...

I was working on a 1940s encyclopedia set where the hinges were totally shot, and I didn't want to spend $40 on new cloth. Tried using some leftover bookbinding tape I had mixed with a bit of PVA glue, and it actually held tight after drying overnight. Has anyone else tried patching old hinges with stuff you already have on hand?

Vent: Burned $200 on a leather binding kit that was junk

I bought this fancy leather binding starter kit online and the awl snapped on the third hole. The thread it came with also broke like cheap string. Anyone else get tricked by one of these overpriced kits?

Tried making my own bookbinding glue with flour and water like a YouTube video said

Saw this video last week about making cheap bookbinding paste from just flour and water. Figured I'd give it a shot since I was out of my usual PVA and didn't want to drive to the supply shop. Mixed up a batch in my kitchen, smelled like pancake batter, and I thought hey this is gonna work fine. Let it sit overnight per the instructions and next morning it had this weird sour smell and this grayish slime on top. I still tried to use it on a small paperback I was repairing and the pages just got all wavy and felt greasy. The whole thing fell apart after two days, the spine just let go completely. Learned my lesson, stick to the real stuff from a proper supplier. Anybody else try a glue hack that backfired?

Saw someone glue their spine directly to the cover board at a workshop last Saturday

I've been binding books for about 15 years now and I keep seeing beginners skip the hinge step. At a workshop in Portland last weekend a guy just slapped glue all over his spine and pressed it right onto the cover board. Looked fine at first but I knew it would crack the first time someone opened it wide. I learned that lesson back in 2012 when I did the same thing to a batch of 12 journals for a friend's wedding. Every single one split down the middle within a month. Now I always tell people to leave a gap of about 1/8 inch between the spine and the cover board so the book can actually flex. Has anyone else noticed this shortcut getting more common lately?

Changed my mind about PVA glue after a disaster at the library bindery

I used to think PVA was the only way to go for paperback recasing. Then last month at the local library's bindery swap meet, a guy named Dave showed me his stack of books that had split right down the spine from PVA drying too stiff. He pulled out a jar of EVA glue and let me test it on a worn out novel. The pages flexed way better. Now I'm switching for anything that needs to stay flexible. Any of you had luck with EVA for paperback repairs?

Found out old bookbinding glue can actually damage leather over time

I was reading through a forum from 2004 and saw someone mention that the old rice paste recipes with vinegar can eat through leather bindings after about 30 years, totally changed how I mix my own adhesives now anyone else run into this?

Hit 50,000 pages of bookcloth and felt like a real binder for the first time

A customer told me my headbands looked "tacky" and tbh they were right

I was doing those little fabric headbands for fancy journals and this one lady straight up said they looked cheap. Switched to leather strap closures instead and now I'm selling 3x more per month, has anyone else gotten brutal feedback that actually helped?

Appreciation post: watching a 30 year old library binding finally give up

I pulled apart a 1990s library rebind last week and the text block literally fell into three sections when I opened it. The old polyvinyl acetate had gone brittle and just crumbled after decades on a shelf in Phoenix heat. Have any of you seen a specific adhesive type age worse in your climate?

Just don't get the hype about those expensive linen bookcloths

I was at a bindery meetup last month in Portland and everyone was raving about this $60 per yard linen from some specialty supplier. Three years ago I grabbed a roll of basic buckram from a local art store for $12 and it's held up fine across 40+ books. Nobody could tell me what makes the pricey stuff actually better for everyday rebinds. I'm not saying don't buy nice materials, but for most projects the cheap stuff works just as good. Has anyone else had good luck with budget cloths or am I missing something?

Vent: I spent 6 years gluing spines wrong before a 70 year old binder set me straight

I learned bookbinding from a mix of YouTube videos and a 1980s manual I found at a library sale. For 6 years I clamped my book spines tight before gluing them, thinking that was the right way to get a clean edge. Last month I took a weekend workshop in Portland with a retired binder named Carl. He watched me set up my jig and just shook his head. He said I was crushing the spine so tight the glue couldn't wick into the folds properly, leaving weak spots. He showed me to just barely snug the clamps, let the glue flow in naturally. I pulled one of my old books off the shelf and the spine split right down the middle when I opened it. I wasted so much time and material on books that were bound to fall apart. Anyone else learn a basic step wrong for way too long?

That old bookbinder told me to "always wet the paper first" - worst advice I ever got

Took his word for it on a restoration project in Denver last month and the pages ended up all wavy and ruined. Has anyone else had a "pro" tip backfire like that?

Used to overspend on bookcloth until I found out the fabric store trick

For years I was dropping $25 a yard at specialty shops until a binder at a meetup told me to just use unbacked cotton from Joann's and make my own with iron-on adhesive. Has anyone else tried cutting costs on materials that way?

Dropped my first attempt at a leather spine yesterday, glue got everywhere.

I was working in my garage around 9pm and the pressure foot slipped off the spine of this restoration job, sending the whole thing into my glue pot, now I have to re-cut a new piece because the leather was soaked through in 3 seconds flat, has anyone else had a clamp fail at the worst possible moment?

Glued my fingers together trying to fix a loose spine

Was working on a 1940s cookbook last Tuesday in my garage workshop. The spine had completely detached from the text block, so I grabbed my PVA glue and went to work. Got too focused on aligning the sections and didn't notice my fingers were dripping with glue. Ended up with my thumb stuck to my index finger for a solid 20 minutes before I could get them apart with some mineral spirits. Felt like an idiot standing there with one hand in the air waiting for the glue to soften. Has anyone else had a glue mishap that made you stop and just laugh at yourself?

The debate over using PVA vs. wheat paste for spine repairs

I've been binding for about 8 years now, and I always used PVA for everything. But last month I had a 1920s novel with a broken spine that looked really fragile. I tried wheat paste instead since I heard it's gentler on old paper. The paste held fine and the binding feels more flexible now. Has anyone else switched between these two for different jobs or do you stick with one for everything?

I finally finished a full leather spine after six tries

I've been messing with bookbinding for about two years now, mostly cloth covers, but leather always scared me off. Last Wednesday I spent 8 hours in my shop and actually got a clean paring on the spine piece with no tears or weird lumps. Has anyone else hit a milestone that took way longer than you expected?

Question about pressing boards and grain direction

I used to think grain direction didn't matter much for pressing boards, but after watching a restoration at the Denver Public Library last month I changed my mind. The conservator showed me how a board cut with the grain warped after a week in the press while the cross-grain one stayed flat. Anybody else seen this happen?

Shoutout to the guy at the Seattle print shop who showed me how to press endpapers flat

I was struggling with endpapers bubbling up on me during casing in. This older fella at a local print shop said I should try misting them with water before pressing, let them sit under weight for 10 minutes. He said the paper fibers relax and settle different when they get a little damp. Has anyone else tried wetting their endpapers before gluing? I want to know if it messes with the grain direction.

Found a hack for lining up book cloth on the first try

I kept messing up the alignment when gluing book cloth to boards, leaving gaps or having it shift. Then an old binder at my local shop showed me to tack the cloth down with a dab of paste in the center first. Cut my waste from about one ruined cover per batch to zero so far, and it takes 30 seconds extra.

Torn between signatures and individual sheets for my new project

I'm starting a rebind of a 400-page fantasy novel and I've always sewn individual sheets, but my buddy swears by folding into signatures for better spine flexibility. I tried a 8-page signature test run last night and the alignment was off by about 2mm on the third signature. Anyone else switch methods mid-project and regret it or love it?