Bookbinding Part 2

Preparing the Signatures and Cover boards

First, here is a photo of the kit:
* click on photos to enlarge

Supplies -
PVA glue
1" brush
Paperclips
Awl
Pencil
Sewing weight
Ruler
Bone folder
Single-edge blade
3/4" wide measuring board
Sewing template
Text-weight paper for signatures
Paste paper (inside of covers)
Waste papers - to keep a clean surface
Archers watercolor paper (cover)
Cutting mat
Scissors
Waxed linen thread 3 1/2 yards for this little book
Curved needle
Beads (keep them on a piece of masking tape - keeps them from rolling around and getting lost!)
Viewing mat - for finding the sweet spot on your cover paper


- After measuring and punching the holes in your cover board you will want to create a sewing template. This will help line up your text signatures with your cover.

- Take a folded heavier-weight paper that is the exact height that your signatures are going to be, width is not important.

- Mark the holes as shown on the sewing template.

- Fold sewing template inside out and punch holes with awl or piercer.

- Fold all your signatures and trim them.
If you don't want them trimmed then your pages will all be slightly different widths.

- Press each signature's fold with a bonefolder.

This book has 5 papers per signature for 10 pages when it's in the book.

- Taking each signature individually, place sewing template inside. Paperclip in place - line up top and bottom of template to the pages and then punch.
*small holes, nothing huge is required.

- Mark the top corner of each signature - you will want to keep all the signatures lined up with all the top corners together.

For this book we added two centered holes. These will be sewn with a French stitch.
This is the stitch that will hold a 1" stretch  of decorative beads.

If you want any easier way - go here to Quiet Fire Design - and buy a piercing cradle.

- Hold awl/piercer at a 45 degree angle to punch- this puts your hole right in the gutter of the fold.

- Finish off the cover boards by cutting off the 'uglies' - the bumps from your piercing of the holes.

- Use sandpaper to smooth out the last of the bumps.

- Get your cover paper. Lay it on some waste paper and glue from the center out.
(make a circle in center and then pull glue out to edges - things go smoother if you glue this way)

(photo is of paste paper, you couldn't see the glue on the white watercolor paper)






- Place the board over the cover paper, line up with registration marks.

- Flip over and use a bone folder to lightly press cover paper to cover board.

- Before you go further - pierce the holes.

- Mark them from the inside, then push through from the outside in.

The wetness of the glue holds the cover paper down inside the holes.

- Flip over and trim cover paper down to 3/4" - - remove waste paper that has glue excess on it.

- Fold over the corner at a 45 degree angle.

- Cut the corner off. Leave about a 1" + 1/2" of the thickness of the cover board's distance from the board edge.

- Apply glue (always glue out to edge of the paper) on the bottom (tail).

- Roll board upright, folding the cover paper over the edge as you go.

- Smooth out inside of glued cover with thumb.

*Tip: Use waste paper wisely - don't scrimp and don't get glue where it's not supposed to be- PVA glue does NOT come off.

- Now repeat for top (head).

- After you've glued the top (head) and bottom (tail), now do the spine and the front edge.

- Press down the mitred corners before glueing spine and front edge.

- When all four edges are glued tap corners with bone folder to soften.

- Punch holes again, this time mark the holes by piercing from the outside in, then completely punch through from the inside out - wrapping the paper into the hole so you don't have bumps.

- Glue in the paste papers, the inside piece.

- Pierce holes again.

- Fold each cover individually in wax paper and press with sewing weight or other weight for 24 hours or until fully dry. The wax paper is to prevent glue seepage from getting on the opposite cover.

...next - sewing a coptic binding, the one needle way.

Bookbinding and A. Dean Larsen Conference 2010 - Sink Art

It's been too long!

Life, it never gets quieter - or less filled.

So, been doing some FUN stuff. I took the pre-conference bookbinding workshop last Thursday. It's part of the BYU A. Dean Larsen Book Collecting Conference. It was so inspiring! My class was taught by Judy Sommerfeldt, she was very thorough and a good person to learn from - just in case you ever have the chance to take her class.

First - We learned how to create Sink Art - it's how we made the designs for the covers of our books:

Supplies:

Cover area with plastic - and wear an apron - I learned this the hard way.
Brushes - all sizes
Ink droppers
Scorers - to make comb marks or lines
Permanent Ink
Chalk (once they get on wet paper they become permanent and won't rub off)
Watercolor paper (Arches is great)

Apply permanent ink:

Let it dry a smidge

Add some score marks if desired

Blow some of the drops into fanned out sprays

Keep some parts puddled, let some edges dry (the wet parts will wash away, the drier it is the darker it will be.)

Wash ink off in the sink, get some good water markings in there, swirl the water around a bit.

(Good thing there were come willing people in the class that allowed me to snap some photos- washing the ink off your own paper and taking photos at the same time just did NOT work!)

Now wash it well, you want to get rid of all excess ink so that you have some nice white contrast areas

Add chalk, walnut ink and salt (if desired) 

Then dry completely...

Now you look for the 'sweet spot' - the piece you are going to use for your cover.

Make some registration marks so that you can remove the frame and trim the paper.

You will want to trim the paper 1" bigger than your book cover.

Turn the paper over, line up the book board with the registration marks, lift up paper and board to a light, using the book board's shadow, copy your registration marks to the back of the paper.

Label the top and also front and back cover

Options: you can cover your book with fabric as long as you back it with facing you shuold be okay. The iron-on stuff is just fine - available at any fabric store.

I'll post more on assembling the book soon!