Spine Swell and How to Manage It // Adventures in Bookbinding

[@ernestobarrera2927]

Thank you por sharing this! Another important bookbinding concept nicely explained.

[@colinsmith5218]

I would love a how-to video on the wooden board book shown at 2:13. It is really something. Thank you.

[@raisavaz]

I second this.

[@carlpeberdy9086]

I third this! I'd be very interested in something about the use of wood in books in general - I have a couple of very nice bits of spalted beech that are desperate to be made into books.

[@DASBookbinding]

Unfortunately it's not mine. Karen Hanmer gave me this photo to use. She teaches and online course on making this book, including materials. Here are the details. karenhanmer.com/teaching/ DAS

[@colinsmith5218]

@@DASBookbinding Thank you!

[@carlpeberdy9086]

Thanks for such a thorough discussion - I always learn of an aspect that I hadn't considered, and this has certainly got me thinking, which, if I lived on the other side of the pond, I might say was just swell - anyhow, there are more puns, but it's not fair to inflict so much pain!

[@alexpaul9678]

Thank you for such a comprehensive guide!

[@kyststudio-epicartadventure]

Just in time, as the swell is unwieldy in my first big book. Thank you.

[@yigitandik169]

Thank you for sharing this. One of my projects at university is about bookbinding. I need to investigate the effect of different leather types on the durability of the book covered. I have no idea where to start so i'm looking thru your videos again.

[@DASBookbinding]

Very complex subject. There are different leathers based on different tanning techniques - broadly chrome and veg tanned - and then there is different types of animals. For instance reverse sheep was often used for ledgers because it was supposedly hard wearing, but has the downside of delaminating with time. I'd start with Middleton's book Restoration of Leather Bindings. Also I'm sure Hewits who make bookbinding leather, will have information on their website and their newsletter, Skin Deep. I think there is an interesting video of a lecture by David Lanning (of Hewits) on bookbinding leather manufacturing. Good luck! DAS

[@DASBookbinding]

Here it is kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnXTZWR8m7t4atE

[@DASBookbinding]

Then there is the really interesting question of other animal skin covering materials which are not tanned, but are often lumped in with leather - tawed skin and parchment. But that may be going off topic. DAS

[@yigitandik169]

@@DASBookbinding Thanks, it really helped

[@bookbindinggeek]

Excellent video for beginners about an important topic! I learned a lot, especially the parts about what type of thread to use and how big sections you should use was very specific and useful information. So far I've mainly just hoped for the best when I've started sewing. xp Hammering the spine after sewing does help sometimes, if the swell is too much. I wish you had added a section about how to measure the swell after you've sewn a textblock together. It'd be interesting to know, if your method is different from what I've learned. I was taught the place the textblock flat on the table and then place a piece of greyboard against the spine and the draw a line on the greyboard at how high the spine swell is. Then you'd place the greyboard against the fore-edge and draw a line on the greyboard from there as well. Then you'd estimate or calculate the percentage of the swell from the lines that you drew. I don't know, if that makes sense. If I can make another suggestion about the video title, you could maybe make it easier for beginners to understand what this video is about by changing the title to "Swell of the spine and how to manage it".

[@DASBookbinding]

Thanks for the feedback. I was going to demonstrate the measuring of swell and forgot. I guess it's straight forward. The other thing I was going to show was the trick of wrapping thread around a pencil, one turn for each section, to give an idea of the maximum swell you will get. All the best, DAS

[@linamoses3513]

I’ve needed this video for so long. Thank you!! Now looking for a video on paper…

[@channelsixtysix066]

Hello Darryn. I just purchased a cheaply-made "Scholar Select" perfect bound square hardback of Doug Cockerell's "Bookbinding And The Care Of Books". Reading through it, he railed against cheaply made books in the late 19th. C. I had a bit of a laugh, because the book I'm reading his work from, is the very thing he would have had a go at. The book is brand new, with very heavy paper and it sprung back when opened. So I broke it in. I bent the book backwards at its hinges for every page turned. I didn't care if it fell apart, such was my contempt for it. It somehow stayed in one piece and now sits flat when opened. It will be a book I use whilst doing repairs, if I need instruction.

[@daveturnbull7221]

Hi Darryn. I've seen you use that little micrometer thing in a few videos - do you remember where you got it from or what make it is? It looks a lot easier to use than the one I'm using at the moment.

[@DASBookbinding]

Dave, it's a thickness gauge. Most of the bookbinding suppliers sell them. I sell them for $25. I get them from China and check the calibration and fix any issues such as sticking mechanism. They are fairly cheap to get from China but about 1 in 10 I get have a major issue and 1 in 5 a minor issue. The high quality ones are really nice but much more expensive. Ciao, Darryn

[@daveturnbull7221]

@@DASBookbinding , thanks Darryn. Since I'm UK based I'll jump on ebay later and see what I can find. I find trying to use a normal micrometer really frustrating so I think a few pounds on one of those will be quite a reasonable investment. Most of what I make currently are notebooks with a maximum of 5 signatures and I've not really worried about the swell however I want to make some thicker ones and I'll certainly be using what I've learned here for those and in the actual books I've got planned for the future.

[@superflexing]

Hi Darryn. Very timely video as I have been thinking of this topic to manage swell. What do you suggest to minimise swell on an old book with 2 sheets per section. The book is quite large at 45cmx25.

[@DASBookbinding]

Depends on a number of factors such as the type of paper, how thick the book is, how is was originally sewn and how much swell you want or need at the end. But assuming you just need to keep the swell down and there is enough sewing supports I'd do 3-on sewing with thin 40/3 linen thread or double up cotton or nylon. Good luck! DAS

[@superflexing]

@@DASBookbinding on closer inspection, the folds of the sections have broken down causing the folios to form single sheets, possibly because there are no spine linings present. I’ve tried 3 on sewing recently and ended up with a lot of the pages / sections coming out of the text block and held on by the one stitch.

[@DASBookbinding]

@@superflexing I hope this is going okay for you. Sorry, for the delay getting back to you. You'll need to guard these pages. Even the ones still together if you use some very light washi it will make them much stronger. Kathy Abbott's book has a good description on how to do this. Good luck! DAS

[@mountaintownnaturalist2646]

What are your recommendations for binding a watercolor sketchbook with 300 Gsm paper in either square backed or Coptic? I’ve been doing 2 sheets/section but seem to get a lot of swell because of the hardness of the paper.

[@DASBookbinding]

Use a thinner linen thread and gently hammer the spine area which will flatten the thread a bit and maybe force it into the paper a bit too. You should be able to get no or little swell with that paper. I'd recommend a sewn board binding.

[@mountaintownnaturalist2646]

@@DASBookbinding thanks! Looking forward to making more with your guidance soon!

[@vousatyr]

Hello. So If I would like to make full leather A5 format book do you think that 90gsm paper, 6 sheets per signature (15 signature total) using 42x3 tex linen (I think that is close to 25/3, not sure) sould be OK? if I round rhe spine of course. Or would you still go for 4 sheets per section? Thank you.

[@DASBookbinding]

You could make that work. There is no exact formulae. If you have too much swell you can always knock some out and if not young you can reduce rounding or just use a bit more force. But experience is the best tool to judge this. The type of paper is a big factor too. Good luck! DAS