Board Leather Consolidation/Adhesion + Paring Extra Tough Leather

In the eighth episode in this series, I consolidate and re-adhere the board leather back into place. I also trim and pare the original leather spine piece for reuse on this 1890s oversized family Bible by Holman & Co., Philadelphia.
"Board Leather Consolidation/Adhesion + Paring Extra Tough Leather" is episode 8 in this series on repairing an oversized book.
Kathryn Wright is the owner/conservator of Southern Book & Paper Conservation, LLC, a private practice lab in Macon, Georgia
🛠TOOLS & MATERIALS🛠
I am an eBay partner and therefore The Lab earns a commission on purchases made from the eBay links below (each time the link is clicked, there is a 24 hour commission window).
This commission expense is not passed to you - your price remains the same.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
ARCHIVAL STORAGE
4-flap enclosure: tinyurl.com/rvdjhss6 (Gaylord site)
Polyester L-sleeves for photos & documents: geni.us/mZbn (Amazon). If you have a water incident and these get wet, carefully cut the two sealed sides and remove the top piece of poly so the item can have a opportunity to dry - otherwise it will mold extensively in the plastic
Boxes, various sizes: geni.us/dmN3h (Amazon)
Folders, A4 and legal available: amzn.to/3gZgmqY (Amazon)
Cotton tying tape for weak or detached book boards and covers: geni.us/l5f5U (Amazon).
SMALL BENCH TOOLS
Teflon Bone Folder Set: geni.us/NmPNb (Amazon)
Gingher 8" shears: geni.us/d694 (Amazon)
Iris scissors: I have the curved pair. geni.us/dxmMWT (Amazon)
Olfa Silver knife with refill blades (Art Blade, 30 deg): allows for more precise cuts than the original Olfa Silver. geni.us/nXN5itG (Amazon)
Starrett 12" ruler: geni.us/dTZoy (Amazon)
Starrett 3" dividers: geni.us/Ec4A (Amazon)
Glue brushes: geni.us/WfLaVXX (Amazon)
EQUIPMENT
I got pretty much all of my equipment used on eBay, and I’ve been happy with everything.
Paper cutter (Kutrimmer): ebay.us/BkjrJk
Nipping press. My dimensions: 10”x13” bed/2.75” of daylight: ebay.us/LLT3KZ
Laying/finishing press: I actually prefer a machinist’s press (a 6” Kurt) ebay.us/PQnDZq
Traditional wooden finishing press: ebay.us/XYSMbk
Lectrojog: ebay.us/CDfyxd
Tormek SuperGrind 2000: ebay.us/zHt0Uc
MATERIALS & SUPPLIES
The go-to company for conservation supplies in the US is Talas: www.talasonline.com/.
If you’re a hobbyist bookbinder, book artist, and/or practicing by conserving discard books, I’ll include links below to Amazon, and other vendors who provide materials that are perfect for those pursuits.
Japanese long fiber paper from Hiromi Paper.
Tengujo: tinyurl.com/4yrepkx8
Senka-shi Thick: tinyurl.com/7za85uu2
Leather: www.pergamena.net/
Marbled and Decorative Papers: hollanders.com/
Book cloth: hollanders.com/search?q=cialux
Text and cover weight papers: I usually use Mohawk papers. www.thepapermillstore.com/
Smaller Mohawk sizes: geni.us/tvS8VM (Amazon)
PVA: geni.us/uc8J (Amazon)
Wheat Starch Paste: geni.us/Mcdq (Amazon)
Klucel-G leather consolidant: geni.us/CAswqOY (Amazon)
Isopropyl alcohol (99.9% pure): geni.us/Y2vKHbD (Amazon)
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Channel topics:
antique book restoration, antique restoration, old book restoration, book restoration, antique book binding repair, old book binding repair, antique book repair, old book, old books, paper repair, antique paper repair, bookbinding, book binding, binding repair, book repair, repairing books, restoring books, repairing old books, restoring old books, antique manuscripts, manuscript, manuscripts, narrated, asmr video, asmr

[@Sean-ws9je]

Try Using An Electric Sander

[@channelsixtysix066]

Those knives look like modified wood chisels. They look incredibly useful on that job. I cringed when you mentioned ruptured discs in your lower back, Kathryn. 😬 Look forward to seeing the final result.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

The leaning really irritates the damaged discs after a while, so I change it up. It's been about 5 years since I ruptured one, so now the low back is just tight and creaky 😂

[@bigjarn]

two nice petite right angle weights Machinist right angle work knees

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

They see a lot of use as weights and for making custom enclosures like drop spine boxes - they hold the box sides in place (and square) while they dry

[@gruesometwosome6098]

I needed my regular fix of your wonderful skilled hands. It's a wonderful project, and thanks for sharing your knowledge 😁

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

Yes! Another video from my favorite channel! That four-week interval had me going through withdrawals. Also, I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad to be back, and I think she's going to be okay.

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper You're very welcome, and good to hear! I don't have a formal education in conservation and there's a million things I'd love to talk with you about, but I was curious as to your thoughts on maybe humidifying the spine piece you were working on in this video. I've been experimenting with various techniques for humidifying old leather and have had some decent success by adding Klucel-G to the water, although the long-term results are yet to be determined.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

That's an interesting approach! My gut instinct would be a concern that it could change the leather to make it even crispier after it returns to the ambient moisture content. Now I want to play with some of my test discard books 🤓

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper Well I'm definitely not an expert, but the scholarly and technical literature I've been able to find doesn't deal specifically with humidifying leather. Hence, my experimentations lol. In any case, best of luck! And I always look forward to your videos!

[@kallistoindrani5689]

I'm loving these videos! So cool to see the whole process

[@atelierexlibris]

Simply amazing! Thanks for this video!

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@wpn03200]

thank you, your video!!

[@hansachtermann3368]

I like your videos very much. Thank you. Whx don±t you use a scraper? Perhaps this may help to remove the paper.

[@antikaplanet2970]

👏👏👏

[@mikezinn7212]

Would a thin layer of paste not have helped to lift the paper on the spine, or were you concerned it might stain the original leather?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Great question. Correct! I avoid using water-based anything on leather because it can cause permanent darkening (and damage if the leather has red rot).

[@durangodave]

i guess sandpaper wont work to thin that out?

[@lorikendrick5076]

What consolident? Is there a brand? Not familiar with it.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hey, it's the Klucel-G listed in the video description

[@bigjarn]

Do you own a buffer ?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Like a buffing wheel? No. I should get one

[@bigjarn]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper I use one to hone the final edge of my wood turning gouges and to put the final touch to my plane and knife blades,Set up a buffer with a shop vac hooked to it to catch the lint and polishing compound The buffer will bring your sharpening system into the 21 century, Kathryn did you study conservation orm is it a natural bent ?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

The buffing wheel would live in a separate "dirty" shop area that I let my husband think is his 😂 I finished my MSIS (library science masters) in 2010 and a certificate in the conservation of library and archival materials in 2011 at the University of Texas at Austin. So I'm program trained. The '08 crash meant the end of that program - I was in the last class before UT closed it. '08 also trashed the career landscape in conservation for a few years. I actually took a position as an archivist at my undergrad alma mater for a few years. The pandemic was a time of reflection and I decided to make the conservation full time. So far I'm enjoying it 😀

[@bigjarn]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper Thank you for replying If I was Younger the entire system of book binding would be something I would pursue , But I'm a 73 year old hobbiest who write and make his own books thanks to staples printing services

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Book binding is really satisfying, regardless of experience level. I'm glad you're enjoying it!