Bookbinding 101: Decorative Paper

There are thousands of options for using decorative paper in your handmade books. Links at the bottom of this post are places where the papers discussed below can be found. Following are  seven short HD videos showing several popular types of bookbinding papers. Although video isn't quite the same as holding a paper in hand, it's actually does a decent job of giving a sense of what a paper is like, much better than a still photo can do.  Hopefully these can help you, whether a new or experienced bookbinder, gain a sense of papers you may not have handled before.

We'll be going over papers from around the world (Thailand, India, Nepal, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Italy, France and the U.S.)

The papers we will be showing you are made with projects like bookbinding in mind. Most of them are acid free, bend and fold and wear well, and may have other qualities that make them great for bookbinding.

A few words about scrapbook paper:

Scrapbook paper is meant to be cut, stamped, written on and glued onto. This type of paper is usually not made to be folded over hardcover books. And that's a key point. No fold well, no put on book. Most scrapbook papers have a core in it that is white, which is printed on with a decorative print, and the kind of inks used for the print will usually quickly wear off the surface of the scrapbook paper when glued onto a book, especially along the edges of the book. It was made to sit under plastic sheets with delicate photos on top of it and to be handled carefully. There are some scrapbook papers that might do well, but in our experience they are few. If it's a paper you are absolutely in love with, you may wish to test it and see how well it folds and wears before putting it on a book. Otherwise, we'd suggest keeping these types of papers for endsheets if used in a way that doesn't need to be folded.

Viewing tip: for the highest detail, view full screen and choose 1080p (these options are available in the lower right of each video once it starts playing).

Part 1: Unryu and papers from Thailand:


Part 2: Lokta paper from Nepal


Part 3: Papers from India


Part 4: Japanese Papers


Part 5: Italian Papers


Part 6: Marbled Paper


Part 7: Bring on the rest!


Where to get these papers:
hollanders.com paperstudio.com orangeart.com

Bookbinding 101: Book Cloth

Let's be honest. 

The first time I was told to pick out a book cloth to bind a book, I thought, Why would anyone want their handmade book to look like it came from a public library? 

That was back when I had a limited knowledge of book cloth. 

Let's be honest again. 

I still don't know very much about book cloth. However, I have come to appreciate it a bit more since my first experience in binding with it several years ago.  Here's my limited knowledge for you:

1  Library book cloth is often called Library Buckram. It's a very heavy cotton cloth that has been treated to resist dirt, water, oils and wear. It's thick and sometimes comes shiny. I have a sheet of burgundy library buckram and it sort of feels plasticky. Buckram can still be beautiful. When it is not (and if you ask me it usually isn't), it is pretty much because it doesn't care to be, as its first purpose is to protect. But still, it can have its moments of beauty. 

2  I like working with book cloth that has been backed with paper. You can buy starched bookcloth without the paperback. However, it's nice to have the paper backing on it so you don't have to worry about any glue coming through the fabric. If you buy a starched, nonpaper backed piece of book cloth, I recommend using wheat paste with it instead of PVA. The wheat paste won't (it could, but most likely won't) stain the fabric like PVA would if it happens to soak through. 

3  I love Japanese Book Cloth. Especially the natural linen. It's not actually natural linen, they just call it that. The "natural linen" Japanese book cloth is actually Rayon. It looks like linen and is very similar to its natural cousin but it's really a synthetic rayon. The cover on the right in the photo shows the Natural Linen Japanese Book Cloth in action. It's beautiful and simple and I absolutely adore the texture and feel. It's expensive, but I feel like it is totally worth its price. 

Covers made by Amy Spencer at our Los Angeles Book Arts
Workshop, May 2012, during the Raised and Inset Designs class.
Left board is lambskin and the right board is Natural Linen
Japanese Book Cloth. 

4  I also like Italian Book Cloth (Cialux). It's backed and comes in a variety of beautiful colors.

5  We had a custom order for a couple of silk covered books. We used silk duponi, which we first backed with paper as discussed in point eight below. The idea behind using this silk for the cover was that it would look old and worn by the time the artist was finished drawing in the book because the silk would wear very quickly. I wish I had "after" photos of these, but here are the "before" photos: 

Silk won't hold up on books very well, but for its purpose with these, I'm sure it did its job wonderfully, aging the covers quickly.

6  Black book cloth is very difficult to work with and keep nice. It shows everything. So if you are picking out book cloth for the first time. Don't choose black. 

7  Did I mention I love Japanese Book Cloth? Here's another example:

Click here to see more about this book.

8 You can make your own bookcloth. There are two ways. One is more traditional, and you can make it at archival pH levels so as to make your books last longer. This way involves using wheat paste, pasting the fabric onto washi or kozo. The other way is to use Heat n' Bond or Wonder Under, first ironing it to the fabric, then ironing the now glue backed fabric to washi or another type of thin paper. Kristin Crane has a how-to-make-bookcloth tutorial. Worth a look if you have a fabric you'd love to use to cover your book.

I'm still learning about book cloth. If you'd love to share your knowledge or experience using it please  leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Rice Paper and Mull

Rice paper and mull are used to strengthen the spine of a book.

Mull is a net-like, woven linen or cotton fabric (linen is stronger than cotton) that's been treated with a starch to stiffen and strengthen it. Mull is also called "Super" and "Crash" and "Tarlatan". The mull is glued onto the spine of certain book structures to aid in strengthening the spine, and, when overlapping the spine, also helps strengthen the endpapers in the hinge part where they attach to the book board. If this doesn't make sense now, it will in future tutorials where we show it being used in constructing a book (see photo of spines with mull below). Mull can be substituted with natural, unbleached, undyed muslin.

Rice paper is very thin. Almost tissue paper thin. However, it's also extremely strong for how thin it is, and can be used the same way mull is, but on smaller or lighter books. Mull is thicker than rice paper, and we use it for heavier or larger books, but rice paper has been outstanding for 4" x 6" and smaller books. It's especially great for miniature books when the thicker mull would be too bulky.

The bottom book has mull that overlaps the spine, which in this case,
will be used to attach the book board covers, helping, along with the endpaper,
to strengthen the hinge of the cover. The top book, a cord bound,
has mull glued down to just the spine without overlapping.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Adhesives

For most of our bookmaking involving glue [edit: to be clear, not all our books are made with glue], we use Jade 403 PVA (poly-vinyl acetate).

Jade 403 PVA

• Thick and can be thinned to desired consistency
• Dries Fast, but . . .
• . . . Can be mixed with wheat paste or methyl cellulose to create a slower drying time
• Does not yellow over time
• Strong
• pH neutral, acid free
• Can be heat activated, so it can be heated after it dries to make it tacky again
• Water soluble when wet, permanent when dry
• Transparent
• Flexible

This can't be shipped during cold weather because it's ruined if it freezes. So stock up in the late summer or early autumn. We usually get ours from Hollander's.

You can also use standard bookbinding PVA sold through many different brands and stores. However, the high archival characteristics of Jade 403 have been well tested for and that's why it's highly used. I've found that standard PVA glues are thinner than Jade 403. Not that the standard PVA's are bad, and I certainly am not recommending against using them, but I like the more sure longevity Jade 403 has due to the testing it has received, and I also like the thickness of it. Hollander's also has a thicker version of the standard PVA.

Wheat Starch Paste: Great for backing cloth with paper, gluing material to book board covers (paper, book cloth or leather), and for gluing thin papers together. If I were gluing two pieces of tissue paper together, I'd use wheat paste instead of PVA, being both thinner and more gel-like rather than watery, and watery is what thinned/watered down PVA would be like.  Also available at Hollander's.

• Very thin
• Dries slowly allowing for repositioning or longer working time
• Strong bond 
• Acidic, not pH neutral but sodium carbonate can be added for buffering
• comes in powder form that you add distilled water to and cook, there's also a non-cooking kind
• Can be stored for many years in it's dry powder form. Make enough to use for the project on hand. 
• Once mixed, it can be stored in refrigerator for a few days. Although, best to use when freshly mixed.

Rice Starch Paste is great too. I haven't really used this but other binder's seem to like it just as much as wheat paste.

Methyl Cellulose

Often used by book conservationists, sometimes to fix a break in a book. Being somewhat weak, it is preferred that the book would break in the same place rather than another place, which would be more likely if using a stronger adhesive.

• Can also be used to clean off old glue from books. I don't know how, but have read it can be.
• Not very strong on it's own so it's helpful in book repair or for gluing things that you don't want to have a strong bond.
• Not best to use on its own if you want a strong bond
• Dries Clear
• Reversible in cold water
• Acid Free and pH neutral

EVA Emulsion 

(not hot glue sticks but emulsion which is used sort of like PVA)

We have not tried EVA emulsion but there is an article on the Book Arts List Serv written by David Amstell on this type of glue and it seems to work quite well for many bookbinders.

You can read more about EVA here.

The Do-Nots:   Elmer's glue, glue sticks, spray adhesive
Why not? Even though Elmer's glue is a form of PVA (there are different kinds of PVA), it takes forever to dry, yellows when it ages, and can sometimes be brittle when dry. Same with glue sticks. Spray adhesive is often not pH neutral, it's brittle when dry and can create air bubbles in paper, and sometimes does not stick nicely with book board.

Bookbinding 101: Headbands or Endbands

If you don't already know about headbands on books, you just might always notice them on books from here on out.

Headbands are found at the very top of the spine of a book. If the book has a covered spine, then the headbands can be found between the text block and the material covering the spine.

Let's talk terminology for just a second. The book has a head and a tail at either end of the spine. Headband refers to only the one side. I'm not sure when the change occurred but some people nowadays call them endbands. I prefer the term "endbands" because we aren't leaving out the tail end. It's more fair that way.

Do you see the endband on this book?

Originally, endbands were created not primarily for decoration but as part of the sewing structure to strengthen the binding of the book, and the endband's good looks were a bonus. So, traditional endbands are actually sewn onto the ends of the text block before the cover is put on, binding the ends of the pages together along the spine. Today though, you can purchase or make your own faux endbands to add to your books. The faux endbands do give added support to the structure, because it is glued in place, acting as a tape to help hold things together, but support might just be secondary to their decorative purpose. Even if people don't consciously notice them, it gives a subtle, finished look.

Faux endbands can be purchased by the foot or yard and
can be cut to the width of the book spine and glued on
using the linen or cotton tape that the endband
is sewn onto.

There are different materials, styles and sizes of endbands. If you are making a small book, like on the "booklace" shown below, then you'll need size 0.

For this 1.5" tall book,
I used a size 0 end band

For a larger book use size 2 or 3.

For this 8" x 10" book,
Daniel used a size 3 end band.

We buy our endbands from Talasonline.com because we buy them in bulk and it's less expensive that way, but you can also buy them from Hollanders.com.

For those of you who would like to learn to sew your own end bands. Here are some great tutorials from fellow bookbinders:

Pied Crow Press: Hand-sewn Headbands!

Veterok for Books: sewing headbands: a tutorial

Buechertiger: Simple Two-colored Coptic Headbands

Bookbinding 101: Linen Tape

When a book structure calls for tape, linen tape was traditionally used, and today it is still used by most bookbinders and conservationists instead of cotton tape.

It's not sticky backed tape like duct or masking, rather, it is basically a narrowish woven fabric, which you sew, and maybe also glue, to the pages when constructing some styles of books. The ends of the tapes are then glued, and/or sewn, onto the covers. The last photo below shows one way tape is used in bookbinding (however ribbon was used rather than linen tape - the stitch is the Romanesque stitch).

Linen tape comes in different sizes. Just pick the width that fits your design and/or budget.

Cotton tape is not as strong but it is cheaper, so if you're making a book that doesn't need to last for a long, long time, then it can be a good alternative that costs less.

Cotton tape

A trick I learned from Lizzy House: use book cloth as the tapes. I've had a lot of fun experimenting with this.

Bookcloth can be a tape substitute

Here are three good reasons to try substituting linen book cloth for linen tapes:

Reason 1: you can cut the book cloth into strips as wide as you need to, which especially helps when creating larger books. 

Reason 2: The linen bookcloth, if backed with paper, adds extra strength to the binding, and adds a little thickness (which can help for reason 3).

Reason 3: You can make fun designs with the tapes on the inside or outside of the cover by cutting the ends into shapes. In a previous post we have a few examples of book-cloth-as-tapes showing through the the paste down (the paste down being the cover side of the endpaper). The pages are sewn onto those tapes just the same way as can be seen here. You may optionally place the decorative ends of the tapes on the face of your cover, and depending on the book structure it may either show as a raised design through the cover material, or you may leave it visible. The last photo below shows visible tape on a completed book (albeit with ribbon instead of book cloth).

Reason 3a: With book cloth, your color choices are much greater than when using "real" tape, giving you more options in your design.

Book cloth backed with paper

You may of course use traditional linen or cotton tape in similarly decorative ways, but book cloth gives more options in width, shape, and color.

You can also use ribbon instead of tape or book cloth, but durability may not approach that of linen.

Ribbon used as tape - works, but may or may not be as durable
- Romanesque stitch -

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: linen thread

A common question from beginning bookbinders is if silk embroidery thread or regular cotton sewing machine thread can be used to make books. I tell them "Yes, but don't expect the book to last very long." Linen thread is simply stronger, and will hold up better over time.

Traditionally, linen thread has been used in bookmaking because of it's strength and long life. It's also not as stretchy as other fibers which makes for a tighter binding. It does, however, stretch over time, so a tightly sewn coptic book, for example, will loosen up a bit with use.

We use Crawford waxed Irish linen thread for most of our books. We typically use 3 or 4 ply -- also referred to as 3 or 4 cord, rather than ply -- and would not recommend using anything thinner than that, except on miniature books. You can also use 6 ply, 7 ply or 12 ply. I like using the 6 ply or 7 ply for exposed sewing as it shows off the stitching much more than the 3 or 4 ply.

We use the 3 or 4 ply for book structures in which the sewing is hidden, as they allow the pages to be bound more closely together than if using, for example, 6 ply.

Our thread comes from Royalwoodltd.com which also ships internationally. If you want to purchase a smaller amount (say, 5-10 yards) of one color instead of an entire roll then you may oh so conveniently purchase smaller amounts from us through our shop at badgerandchirp.etsy.com. Alternately, Bookfindings also sells smaller amounts of linen thread.

Non-waxed vs Waxed Linen Thread

You may buy both waxed and unwaxed thread. If you buy unwaxed, you'll likely want to acquire a piece of beeswax with which to wax it with. The wax reduces friction to allow the thread to glide through much more easily as you sew and keeps the fibers from fraying. We prefer the convenience of waxed thread, but many others like the unwaxed, being able to control the amount of wax they apply as they run their thread over their piece of beeswax. And some binders simply like the process and tradition of waxing their own.

If you would like to wax your own thread, you can find a nice little tutorial to do so from SeaLemon.

Bookbinding 101: Binder's Board

Binder's board is what puts the hard in a hard bound book. Also called book board, Davey board, grey board and chip board (although chip board probably isn't what you actually want, but it is sometimes used as a synonym for binder's board).

Some types of binder's board are smoother than others. Davey board is a higher standard of board and has a smoother finish many other brands of binder's board.

Grain

Like paper, binder's board has a grain. If you buy large pieces, it's helpful to mark the grain direction across the whole piece in several places so that when you cut it down and have leftover scraps, you'll know the grain direction of those smaller pieces.

We have made some very large books that required extra thickness for the cover so we glued two pieces of book board together and pressed it overnight. Too large for any press, we placed a wooden board on top with heavy stuff, whatever we could find, on top of the wooden board. When gluing the two book board pieces together, we made sure to cross the grains, so that one board's grain went one way and the other board's grain ran the other. This helped the cover board to not warp after gluing them together.

Thickness

For box making, smaller books, and some rounded spines, we like to use a thinner book board that's .059" thickness (or about 1.5mm or 1/17"). For most of our other books, we like using thicker book board as it give our books a bit more heft. Also, with larger books, the thicker board lends more support and sturdiness to the book. The thicker board is .098" thickness (about 2.5mm or 1/10" thick). For books in the range of about 4"x5" (10.16 x 12.7 cm) to about 8"x10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm) we like .080" thickness of book board (about 2mm or 1/12").

Colors

Binder's board also comes in black and white. These are especially useful when using a thinner paper for your book's cover or end sheets if you do not want the typical grey binder's board to show through, but instead prefer either a black or white background behind the thin paper.

Black or white board can also be handy when making board books, the kind of books for toddlers with the heavy duty, no tear pages, which typically have white book board as the core of each page. Usually, board books have rounded corners, perhaps to make them safer for kids, but also because the rounded corner is more durable -- if the book had a ninety degree corner, a toddler would smoosh it out of shape in no time -- the rounded corner takes the wear and tear better. When making your own books, if you happen to drop a cover piece you are working on and it squishes just a bit, don't despair. Try using your bone folder to shape it back into place. If that doesn't work, consider turning the book's corners into rounded corners.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Paper for Pages

We prefer papers that can take handling during the process of bookbinding without too easily denting or otherwise showing signs of handling. It can't be completely avoided (it's paper, after all) but an 80 lb. text weight (118 gsm) is about right for us. It is more opaque than lighter weights, too, which is better for writing and drawing on both sides. We do use heavier papers, but 80 lb.  is our go-to journal and sketchbook paper. Specifically, we use Mohawk Solutions 80 lb. (118 gsm), Smooth, Soft White, 25"x38" (63.5cm x 96.52cm). It also comes in other dimensions, and weights, and finishes/textures (such as super smooth and vellum). Really, though, find a paper you like, or something cheap if you're just learning and don't really care about the characteristics of the paper. Eventually, you may want to move into something nicer, but maybe not, as you may find a package of printer paper suits you just fine. Mohawk papers are nice, but there are many different brands out there, and rather than getting hung up on it, we'd suggest to just get something and go to work.

If you do want something really nice for general purpose writing and drawing, the Mohawk Solutions is good, which is why we use it, but even nicer is Mohawk Superfine. You may not notice much difference between the two unless you are a paper snob, but, when comparing the same weight and finish/texture, we find there is a more luxurious feel about the Superfine compared to the Solutions. It also costs about twice as much. Not a deal breaker for making a few books, but for us, when making a lot of them, we find Solutions to be plenty good.

Art Papers

We also make books with heavier weight art papers, such as Rives BFK, Rising Stonehenge, and Nideggen. We use them either for artists who have specific paper preferences, or whenever a heavier and/or richer feeling paper is desired. Of course, these are not the only papers to consider, it's just what we have used, and we have liked using them.

The BFK is just plain nice to touch, with a more supple flex to it than the Stonehenge. For times when a stiffer page may be preferred, such as when you may want to adhere anything to it, such as photos, we recommend Stonehenge over BFK. Nideggen is a unique artist paper, has a sandy color, and because Nideggen is a laid paper it has a wavy surface texture.

Grain

Paper usually has a grain, usually running lengthwise. If you fold against the grain, it won't crease as nicely -- in fact, you may have to fight it to crease somewhat straight -- and it will be more likely to crack. You may or may not see any cracking in the paper when you first fold it, but over time as the book is used, it will be more likely to crack and tear out of the book. It also affects how well the book opens. Mind the grain.

It's easy to figure out the grain direction by folding over the paper without creasing. Do this in both directions, and the direction with the most feeling of resistance is folding across the grain, and the direction that folds easiest is folding with the grain. Here are some other methods of determining grain direction. Here is an explanation for why paper has grain.

Permanence

Another consideration in choosing a paper is whether or not it is acid free, but most paper available is. Acid free means PH neutral or alkaline, and so there is no acidity in the paper that will yellow and otherwise degrade it over time. But for even greater longevity you may choose a paper that is a bit on the alkaline side, so that as the natural acidity of the environment interacts with the paper, it has a reserve of alkalinity that prolongs the paper life before yellowing and otherwise degrading and falling apart.

Also, consider what you put on the page, as some inks won't be acid free or archival. This isn't just an "Oh, by the way," but is really an important consideration for any writing or drawing you hope will be around for your great-great-great grandchildren.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Materials

You can make books out of anything. Reclaimed wood, aluminum cans, banana leaves, cereal boxes, butterfly wings, rusty hinges, fishing flies -- really, whatever you want to use can be used in the process of making a book. But in this 101 series of posts we're not going to get into the more creative materials you might use, but set a foundation of understanding for constructing basic book structures using more traditional materials, and from there you may branch out into a birdcage and canary grass book (or whatever) if you wish to.

All the materials in the following list can be replaced with something else, and some structures we don't cover in 101 will require additional materials, but for the present course, this is what we will discuss:

• paper (for pages)
• binder's board
• linen thread / linen tape/ endbands
• adhesive
• rice paper / mull
• book cloth
• paper (decorative)
• leather

We'll discuss the materials in greater detail in upcoming posts.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Glueing and Clamping Tools

For applying glue, just about any kind of brush will get the job done, choosing a size depending on the surface area you are applying glue to. However, we find that foam brushes work better to pick up extra glue than they do for applying it. For getting started, nothing beats buying a bag of cheap artist brushes of varying sizes. Some book binders do prefer a traditional round glue brush, and we've also heard of someone who likes using a shaving brush. For the flat surface of a book cover, you can also use a scrap piece of book board to lay down and/or smooth out the glue, using it like a squeegee or putty knife.

In time you'll develop your own preferences, but to begin, just grab a cheap brush, or a piece of book board, and you are all set for laying down your glue.

Wax paper is a great shield to keep glue from dripping and sticking to the pages of your book. Tear a sheet off, and place it inside the front cover before you begin glueing, making sure it is large enough to hang over and protect your pages. When applying any glue inside the cover, the wax paper prevents the glue from sticking to your first page, and peels off fairly easily after the glue has set. Waxed paper also acts as a moisture barrier, preventing your pages from warping while glued down end papers are drying.

Clamps can act as a third hand to hold a book up while you work on it, or they can be a cheaper and more portable alternative to a press for smaller books. Spring clamps are fairly inexpensive and we use them frequently.

Spring Clamps

Wooden Handscrew
Clamp

We also occasionally use a wooden handscrew clamp or two. A bit clumsy, and a bit heavy, but being something we have on hand it works pretty well. 

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Hole Punching Tools

For making largish holes in leather and book board you can use a hollow punch (shown at left), which has a sharpened tube shaped hole on one end, and a flat head on the other end. Ours has replaceable tips for different size holes, but some hollow punches come in sets with a different punch for a different size hole.

To make a hole, place something underneath your material, something soft but dense, such as a scrap of book board, or an old phone book or catalog. Make sure it's thick enough to allow the punch to go into without going all the way through. You may also wish to avoid punching holes anywhere that if it does go all the way through it won't leave a hole where you don't want one (kitchen table, etc).

Next, place the hollow end of the punch on your material where you want a hole, hold the punch vertical, and hit the flat head with a hammer. Hit it hard. Repeat as needed. It can be a chore, but, as it requires wielding a hammer, it can also be satisfying.

Crop-A-Dile I

Nowadays we use a Crop-A-Dile, which speeds things up considerably, doesn't wake the neighbors, and makes the chore of punching a lot of holes less of a chore. However, just like getting a dishwasher after washing by hand, it doesn't take long before the ease of doing dishes, or punching holes, becomes a chore again. Cure: use the hollow punch and hammer to punch a lot of holes, then the Crop-A-Dile becomes a dream to use again.

The Crop-A-Dile comes in three flavors, designated by a I, II, or III, only two of which are for hole punching. (The Crop-A-Dile III, or Main Squeeze, is not for hole punching, but for die cutting, embossing, attaching corners and setting squeeze tabs. What's a squeeze tab?)

Crop-A-Dile II

The Crop-A-Dile I (original) and II (or Big Bite) both punch holes of two sizes, 1/8", and  3/16". They also set snaps and eyelets, which is handy. The main advantage of the Big Bite is it has a 6" reach, while the original can only punch 1" from the edge of your material. The great majority of our holes are punched with the original, but sometimes we need that 6" reach.

There is one style of book, a quasi-longstitch, for which we use the Crop-A-Dile I to punch holes in signatures (a group of pages). But, for most styles of books we use an awl for this job. However, it could be used to punch holes in pages of other book styles too. Just depends on what you like.

With our Crop-A-Dile I we have punched tens thousands of holes in book board and leather. And it's still going strong.

Japanese screw punch

Another tool is the Japanese screw punch. Some bookbinders really love it. It looks much like a hollow punch, but instead of hitting it hard, you push down, and as you push, it twists on a screw, increasing its punching power.

Leather hole punch

One final hole making tool is a leather hole punch. We don't use one, but only because we don't have one, and only because we have a Crop-A-Dile.


Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Needles

We use two kinds of needles, straight and curved (we'll teach you how to make your own curved later in this post). Which one we use depends on the book structure we're working on. Curved needles work very well when sewing a coptic stitch, while a straight needle works great on a long stitch. You can make either book with either kind of needle, but we find it much easier using curved for coptic, which we find also allows for the binding to be tighter, and we find it less awkward to use straight needles on something like a longstitch.

The curve allows you to "hook" around as you are sewing. The photo at right should get the idea across.

Curved needles are pricier in the U.S. than are straight needles, at least as far as we've found. However, for those in the U.K., Shepherds Falkiners sells straight and curved for the same price. Not sure what the sizing numbers mean over at Shepherds, but in the U.S. we use the darning #1, which we use for sewing 3-ply (3 cord) linen thread and as thick as 6-ply. In the U.S., both straight and curved needles are available at Hollanders and Talas.

You can also make your own curved needles out of straight ones. How to do this is explained after the jump.


To make your own curved needles, you just need a candle, and two needle nose pliers.

Holding the needle with pliers on both ends, bend it ever so slightly as the needle starts to heat up. It only takes a few seconds.

An angle that is slightly larger than 90 degrees works well. Remember that the needle will be hot, so place it on a heat-resistant surface to cool down once you've bent it to the angle you'd like.

The needle will have soot on it so remember to clean it off with soap and water before using it to sew your nice clean pages.

A little trick to help in pulling the needle and thread through a tight hole is to grab the needle with a balloon. We keep a bag of water balloons on hand for just that purpose. That's unfilled water balloons, in case you were wondering (you never know). You may also find it useful to use a pair of small needle nose to pull the needle through.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Awls

An awl is used for poking holes in paper and leather (two alternatives are mentioned at the end of this post). There are a few book structures that don't require holes for sewing, but most do, and an awl is one simple tool that does the job well.

What we like is an awl that makes a hole about the size of a needle with thread on it. We also prefer that the diameter, or width, of the awl's "needle" is uniform along the length (except for the pointed tip). This allows us to punch as far in as we wish without being concerned about the hole getting bigger the further we poke through. See photo above.

Some awls (example at right) have a point that keeps getting fatter the further you get away from the point. When using this type of awl for poking holes in pages for sewing, it takes extra care not to punch too far, because the further this style of awl goes into the paper, the bigger the hole will be. With too big of a hole, the binding may be loose in some book structures. Also, a largish hole may or may not not be the look you're going for.

With this style of awl, it may also be difficult to make the holes of a uniform size, as the hole size changes depending on how deep you punch in. One way to solve this is to wrap a piece of masking tape around the awl point, marking a line on the awl point that indicates how far you want to punch in. However, it's often not so much of a concern when poking holes in leather, as the leather is more resilient and may "shrink" back down a bit. The hole is still bigger, but it can close up a bit, and may not visibly look larger.

While an awl isn't very costly, it can be even cheaper if you make your own. At left is one we made with a wooden peg, a drilled hole into the end, and a needle stuck in the hole with a dab of glue to help it hold in. Not as strong as the others, but gets the job done.

Corrugated cardboard is a tool of sorts we use with an awl, placing it under our pages or leather as we punch holes. It allows the awl to poke through deeper than just the point. Alternatively, you can use an open phone book as a "cradle" in which you place pages to punch them. There are also commercial cradles available, or you can make your own out of wood or bookboard.

Some alternatives to an awl include a Crop-A-Dile or a saw. A Crop-A-Dile makes large holes, and will be discussed in an upcoming post. A saw is used for making holes in pages for sewing, and requires a means of clamping the pages together, such as a lying or finishing press. A photo of Jeff Peachey "sawing sewing stations into his text block" may be found here.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Bone Folder

A bone folder is your friend. You can probably make books without one, but it's just so darn handy, we wouldn't want to. It performs essential functions that could be done with your hand or some other tool, but it works so well, has so many uses, and costs so little, it's a no-brainer to add it to your tool kit.

It creases pages when you fold them, smooths out leather or paper when adhering them to the cover, creases in leather corners (inside the cover), tools paper or leather when creating embossed designs, burnish edges, make a temporary mark in fabric or leather, or any number of similar uses where you need to flatten, crease, or smooth something out.

A bone folder is traditionally made from bone, but can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, teflon, and wood. Randy J. Arnold makes beautiful bone folders from wood, including this one made of rosewood, and this one made of ebony. (He also has an etsy shop here.) Note: these are some of the exceptions to the "costs so little" statement made above, but considering that it's handmade with such beautiful craftsmanship, as is the box it comes in, it's a bargain.

We have and love to use folders made with real bone. They don't cost much and have a great feel. Two of our favorites are a 5" taper shaped, and Hollander's 8" (17-20 cm).

Teflon folders are supposed to not mark delicate paper and leather when burnishing, but being a bit pricy, we find the bone to work just fine. Teflon supposedly does not leave marks on paper however, Teflon can mark some papers, so it's a good idea to test before you burnish.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.

Bookbinding 101: Tools for Tearing or Cutting Paper

When we first started making books we used a non-serated butter knife to cut paper. Seriously. Fold the paper where you want it torn/cut, and run a non-serrated butter knife inside the fold, slicing with a gentle circular sawing motion, like opening a letter with a letter opener. In fact, you could use a letter opener. This creates a nice soft edge to each page, which looks nice when a block of pages are sewn together, and helps hide the fact that your pages are not all perfectly square and lined up to each other.

Methods of cutting paper that create clean crisp cuts look a bit more uneven when all the pages are put together, because you just can't make them all perfect, and the crisp, hard edges kind of stick out. However, if you prefer, there are ways to get a flat, even surface to the edges of your text blocks after you make them, which we'll discuss briefly below.

Back when a butter knife was our way of cutting paper, Karleigh was looking for sources of paper for making pages, 1000 sheets measuring 25" x 38" (63.5 x 96.52 cm). While talking with a paper salesman on the phone, they were waiting for his pricing information to load on his computer. Here's their actual phone conversation while they were waiting:

Salesman: We usually deliver to large companies. You say you're out of your home?
Karleigh: Yes, I sell handmade books online and I just work from my home.
Salesman: What do you use to cut down all that paper?
Karleigh: I cut it at my kitchen table with a butter knife.
Salesman: (after a pause) I'll have to call you back since I don't have the prices right on hand.

He never called back. It wasn't until later that she realized how silly the butter knife response sounded.

flexible deckled and straight edge tear bar

While a butter knife is a cheap, or free way to get started, at some point you may want to look into getting a steal tear bar.

We have two kinds, both of which we can tear five sheets of 80 lb text weight paper at a time. One is from Logan Graphic Products, has both a deckled edge and a straight edge, and is flexible. Ours is 36", but they come in at least two other sizes, 12" and 18". Some have a "bold" deckle and others a "fine" deckle. Ours is bold. The deckled edge was designed by tracing the actual natural deckled edge of a sheet of watercolor paper, so it is a much more organic design than some of the other brand of deckled edge rulers we've seen.

heavy straight edge tear bar

The other tear bar we have is from Pacific Arc. It is a heavy, barely flexible, flat bar, with one straight edge. It's our workhorse. We find its lower flexibility is nicer to tear against than the more flexible Logan Graphic bar. Ours is 36", but they come in 18", 24", 30", 42", and 48". We'd likely prefer 30", since the papers we tear are at widest 25", and so we lug the extra 6" of weight around unnecessarily. 

We think the deckled edge looks good, but it's also harder to tear. Tearing against the straight edge gives a nice soft look of its own, and that's what we usually use.

torn with straight edge tear bar

torn with deckled edge tear bar

handle bar cork on back

When we bought them, both our tear bars slipped pretty easily unless putting a lot of force against them to hold them down. This made it easy to mess up a tear, and when tearing hundreds of pages it's extra hard on the hold-down-muscles. We modified both our tear bars by adhering a strip of handle bar cork on the bottom, placing it on the edge we don't tear with. For the deckled edge bar, this made the straight edge unusable for tearing, since the cork lifts the straight edge off the surface of the paper. But, that's due to our placing the cork right on the edge. If you place it away from the edge, you could flip the bar over and still tear against the straight edge with the cork side facing up, but of course, you'll miss out on the no slip benefit of the cork tape.

handle bar cork makes
tear bars no slip

You may also use any one of a variety of paper cutters, which, unlike a butter knife or tear bar, leaves a hard edge. Some like the look, some don't, but the edges of the final text block may be made smooth with a commercial paper cutter, a block plane, plough, or even a sander.

Anything to add to the discussion? Please leave a comment.