Board & Spine Prepped for Reuse

In the second episode in this series, I get a feel for the condition of the leather, paper, and board that make up the spine and boards of this oversized family Bible by Holman & Co., Philadelphia.
I remove as much paper as possible from the back of the spine to minimize the chance that it either won't adhere back to the book or that it will detach sooner than desirable on this leather bound volume.
I then carefully detach the spine leather from the rear board, trim the leather on both boards, and remove the remnants of the sawn-in cords where they pass through the boards.
0:00 intro
0:07 removing loose paper from spine
5:16 removing cockroach(?) egg case attachment
6:20 detaching the spine from the back cover
9:07 trimming leather from back board
14:53 lifting leather from back board
15:26 removing sawn-in cord pieces from back board
17:21 trimming leather from front board
19:40 removing sawn-in cord pieces from the front board
"Board & Spine Prepped for Reuse" is episode 2 in this series on oversized book repair.
Kathryn Wright is the owner/conservator of Southern Book & Paper Conservation, LLC, a private practice lab in Macon, Georgia: www.southernbnp.com/
🛠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

[@avelinaosborne32]

Retired roofer and vintage book collector here. Was wondering what to do with my time these days. Will start rehabbing my mountain of worn treasures soon. Thank you for setting me down that road with your great video.

[@rafaelgelpi5922]

There's so much information packed in each episode that I end up watching each episode several times, your attention to detail and explanations along the way are very helpful. Thanks again for your willingness to share

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I'm glad they're useful!

[@otekrec]

Fantastic work, and very informative! I follow other professional conservators like Julian Baumgartner, so nice to see that same level of attention to detail, competence and knowledge applied to a book. I am subscribing to this!

[@americanmeteoritefan9670]

I have a large book in this shape about the Virgin Mary from the 1800s. I keep imagining myself doing this to it and I break out in a cold sweat! Feels like I might be in over my head very quickly. I'm going to keep watching 😳.

[@gruesometwosome6098]

You truly have mastered your craft, l can't wait to see it finished. It makes me appreciate what my restorer does. The hours of work you put in is amazing, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

That's kind of you! I'm in my mid-30s and this seems to be the kind of thing that improves over time. I look forward to being older and wiser as the years pass 🤓📚 I'm glad you're enjoying this book so far! 😊

[@agonkabashi4653]

Love this Kathryn! Amazing content. Can't wait to see it finished. Look forward to more content!

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Aww! Thanks, Agon. I'm glad you like it! Your family looks so happy! I hope you guys are well!

[@bettierusso5410]

This is a great video as I have many antique books, and two Bibles this age that need help *** HOWEVER*** Please have your beautiful diamond ring looked at. The center stone is very lose as I could see the reflection in it moving quite fast in a little tremor. This happens when the stone needs to be tightened. It is also beautiful and would be a shame to lose the stone.

[@EddieLeal]

4:39 Cockroach egg casing?! 🤮😮😁 You, ma'am, are a brave soul.

[@antikaplanet2970]

👏👏👏

[@franciscomartindelcampo6461]

Kathryn, Thanks for sharing your video. The Bible you’re working on - typically how long would it take you to finish a book in that condition? Looking forward to seeing the next one. Greetings from California.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hello Francisco, I estimated about 8 hours of hands-on time with this book and I have a little over 8 hours of footage at the bench (in real-time - I speed up parts of it for you guys). I'm glad I've developed a sense of time involved. The only treatment aspect I calculate is re-sewing on the textblock. I have a formula for that (sewing stations x sections to resew x a rate), as I regrettably tend to undercharge. I'm glad you're enjoying this series so far! 😊

[@kardanadam2]

it was a very big book. the cover is cardboard? is it wood? thanks for the videos. I'm looking forward new videos My English is bad. so sorry. this is google translate :)

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

The cover board material was millboard/davey board/binder's board. Similar to this: www.talasonline.com/Davey-Binders-Board I'm glad you like the videos! Thanks for watching! No worries. Google translate did a good job 😀

[@MrManjaleu]

I'm in a panic watching her cut the leather of the cover with a box cutter and scissors, instead of loosening it with moisture and solvents.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I'm always thrilled to meet another book and paper conservator on here. Please share a link to your channel or website where you demonstrate the correct moisture/solvents and techniques so we can all learn together.