c/bookbinders

TIL that using a hair dryer on a tight spine actually works

I always thought heating a book spine was a risky shortcut that could damage the glue. But last week, working on a stubborn 19th century rebound novel, I gently applied a hair dryer on low for about 30 seconds and the spine flexed perfectly for trimming. It saved me from having to re-back the whole thing. Has anyone else tried this on older cloth bindings?

My big project last month showed me the clear winner between two binding styles

I had to bind a set of old family recipes for a client, about 80 pages total. I decided to test two methods side by side on the same paper stock. On one, I used a simple saddle stitch with waxed linen thread. On the other, I went with a Coptic stitch using the same thread. After a month of the client using it in their kitchen, the saddle stitch book is holding up fine but the spine is getting a little stiff. The Coptic bound one, though, opens completely flat on any page and the sections still move freely. The extra time on the Coptic stitch, maybe an hour more, made all the difference for a book meant to be used while cooking. It just works better for a project that needs to lie open. Has anyone else found that a more complex stitch is worth the extra effort for certain types of books?

Shoutout to the binder who called my corners 'sloppy' at the guild meetup

I was showing off a leather journal at our local guild meeting last month, feeling pretty good about it. An older binder, Sarah, picked it up, ran her thumb over a corner, and said, 'Your paring is off, the leather's too thick here and it's creating a bulge.' I was annoyed at first, but she was right. I went home and spent the next two weeks practicing on scrap, focusing on getting that taper perfect before the turn-in. My corners are now tight and crisp, no more lumpy edges. Anyone else have a piece of harsh advice that actually made your work better?

Overheard a librarian say 'that binding won't last a decade' about a machine-made hardcover

It made me really think about the long-term quality of my own work. Do you have a go-to method for ensuring a book will hold up for 50+ years?

Can we talk about using PVA vs. wheat paste for spine lining?

I was having a problem with my quarter-bound notebooks getting stiff and cracking at the hinge after a few months. My old teacher swore by pure wheat paste for flexibility, but I tried a 50/50 mix of PVA and paste on a batch of 20 books last fall. The spines stayed way more flexible and none have cracked yet, even with heavy use. Some folks in my local guild say the PVA will yellow and fail over time, but I'm seeing the opposite so far. Has anyone else run a long-term test on this mix, or is there a better hybrid glue you'd recommend?

Watching a new binder skip the pressing step for a leather cover just made me cringe

I was at a workshop in Austin maybe two months ago, and this person glued up a full leather binding and went straight to trimming. They said it was 'dry enough.' I learned from my old teacher, Mr. Ellis, that you press that cover under weight for a full day, no matter what. If you don't, the leather will pull and warp as it fully cures. Has anyone else had to correct this for a beginner recently?

I used to think my old bone folder was fine until I tried a Teflon one

I was working on a leather cover last week and my usual bone folder kept leaving faint marks on the grain, even when I was careful. My friend lent me her Teflon folder, the kind with the rounded tip, and I used it on the other half of the same piece. The difference was huge, no marks at all and it just glided. It made the whole process of smoothing the leather way faster and less stressful. Has anyone else switched tools and been surprised by how much easier a job got?

Spent $80 on a bone folder from a fancy art supply shop a decade ago and I still use it every single day.

It felt like a huge splurge at the time, but the weight and finish are perfect, and it's outlasted every cheap plastic one I've ever bought.

My mentor told me to stop using PVA glue for everything, and he was right.

I was binding a set of leather journals for a local shop and using my usual PVA for the spines. He saw me and said, 'That's going to crack in a year.' I switched to a flexible animal glue for the next batch. Sure enough, the first books I made are already stiff and noisy when opened. Has anyone else had a glue type fail on them like that?

A chat with a librarian made me stop using PVA for old paper

I was at the local library book sale last week and got talking to their head archivist. She saw me pick up a 1920s novel and said, 'If you're fixing that, skip the PVA, it's too stiff. Try wheat starch paste, it lets the paper move.' I'd always used PVA because it's strong. But she showed me a repaired ledger where the PVA had made the pages brittle. I'm going to give her way a shot on my next repair. Has anyone else switched glues for older books?

I finally learned to check my glue pot at the library book sale

I was at the big annual sale in Portland, digging through a box of old books for covers, and my hand came out covered in something sticky. Turns out someone had spilled a whole bottle of honey on a stack of 1970s cookbooks months ago and it had turned into a weird, clear glue. It got me thinking about how my own wheat paste can get that thick if I leave it too long. Now I always give my glue a quick stir before I start, just in case. Has anyone else found a weird tip from a totally different place?

Serious question, my cousin who runs a print shop said 'you binders just glue paper to pretty boards' and it actually made me think about how we explain our craft.

I was showing him a quarter-leather binding I finished yesterday, and his comment, while joking, made me realize I never really break down the sewing, rounding, and backing steps to outsiders, so how do you describe what you do to people who don't get it?

Just figured out why my headbands kept coming out wrong

Honestly, I was making a simple quarter leather binding for a journal last week and the headbands were a total mess. I kept sewing them on and they'd look fine, but then the book wouldn't close right, like there was a weird bump. Tbh, I thought my rounding was off or something. I spent maybe four hours over two days just re-doing the same step, getting more annoyed each time. The problem was my thread tension. I was pulling way too tight on the linen thread when attaching the headband to the text block, which was pulling the signatures out of shape. I watched a video from a binder in Chicago and she mentioned doing it 'just snug, not tight'. Tried it with barely any pull and it worked first go. Has anyone else had a headband fight that turned out to be something simple like that?

PSA: My book press slipped while I was gluing up a leather cover in my garage

I was pressing a full leather binding for a client's journal last Thursday, and the wooden screw on my old press gave way. The cover board slid sideways, smearing PVA glue across the fresh leather. I had to quickly lift the board, wipe the glue with a damp cloth, and reposition everything before it set. Has anyone else had a press fail mid-project, and what's your backup plan?

My local guild had a debate about PVA vs wheat paste for spine lining

I tried wheat paste on a repair last week and the flexibility after drying blew the PVA out of the water, honestly. Which adhesive do you all reach for first on a tight-back binding?

My 1985 copy of 'The Hobbit' went from a sad lump to a proper book in about a week

I mean, it was a total wreck, the cover was hanging on by a thread and half the pages were loose. I spent a few hours each night for a week re-sewing the sections and putting on a new cloth spine. The difference is wild, it actually sits flat on a shelf now. Has anyone else brought a book back from the dead like that?

A visit to the old library in Salem made me see book spines differently

I stopped by the Salem Public Library last week to look at their local history section. While pulling a book from the shelf, I noticed the spine on a 1920s edition was sewn with a different pattern than I use. It had six sewing stations instead of my usual four, and the thread was a flat linen, not round. The way it held up after all these years, with barely any sag, really stuck with me. It made me wonder if that extra support is worth the added time on modern projects. Has anyone else switched their sewing style after seeing how older bindings have lasted?

Tbh I used to skip pressing signatures overnight and it messed up my spines

For like a year I'd just stack them under a heavy book for maybe an hour before sewing. Last month I made a notebook with 15 signatures and the spine was all wavy. I finally started leaving them in my press for a full 12 hours after folding, and the difference is huge. The text block just sits so much flatter now. Anyone else have a specific pressing time they swear by?

My apprentice's first French link stitch went from a tangled mess to a perfect line in about 45 minutes after I showed him the trick with the awl and the beeswax.

What's your go-to method for teaching someone that specific stitch for the first time?

Spent three hours trying to get the spine curve right on a small leather journal

I was rounding the back on a 5-inch tall journal, and my usual method with the backing hammer just wasn't working. The curve kept coming out lumpy and uneven. I finally realized the leather was too dry and the signatures were packed too tight before I started. After letting the leather relax and re-sewing with a bit more slack, it took about 15 minutes to get a perfect curve. Has anyone else had a project where the prep work made all the difference like that?

I just finished my 500th book repair and it felt weird

It was a 1920s copy of 'The Great Gatsby' with a broken spine and torn signatures. I thought hitting that number would feel like a big win, but it just felt like another job. The real surprise was that I looked back and over 300 of those repairs were for the same local library system. I guess I never added it up before. It made me realize I'm not just fixing books for people, I'm basically the library's backup plan. Has anyone else hit a number that made them see their work in a different way?

PSA: A library in Portland showed me a better way to handle brittle paper

They had a conservator demonstrate using a fine mist of deionized water from a $30 spray bottle before folding. Anyone know a good source for the water itself?

Vent: I was at the library in Springfield and saw a kid treat a book like a frisbee

It was a big old hardcover, and he just tossed it onto a table. The spine made this awful sound. I always thought my own bindings were pretty tough, but seeing that made me realize I need to test my work way harder. Has anyone else had a moment that made you change your strength tests?

I just finished my 500th book and it was a 3-inch thick monster of a repair job.

The client brought in a water-damaged 1890s encyclopedia set, and after six months of work, the final volume's spine gave me so much trouble I almost gave up and glued the pages to a brick.

Tried using a piece of old denim for a spine lining on a small notebook, and it worked way better than I thought.