Making a Case Bound Book - Part 1

[@TheJournalOutlet]

Finally!!!! A bookbinding tutorial that actually covers EVERYTHING, is SUPER detailed, informative, Quick, and using materials that don’t cost hundreds or thousands of dollars!’

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Awesome review. Thank you! 😘

[@Javaman92]

I agree! Well done video and she didn't speed it up so fast I couldn't tell what she was doing.

[@francesquinn8091]

Clear,concise and no annoying music:) Thank you!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Lol. Thank you!

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

Kirsty you are beyond helpful and I’m so grateful.

[@peterotton2629]

Thank you Kristi this has been very helpful. I am a real amateur and have been rebinding a first edition of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. After many weeks of treating the illustrations, repairing and resewing I did not want to fall at the final fence. Peter

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

What an amazing project! Good luck with it!

[@bh8263]

Thank you for the great videos. I have been searching for instructions on repairing some books and yours are the most comprehensive and easy to follow. Now let's see how bad I can mess them up. 😂

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Hahaha - no messing up! 😂 Seriously, good luck, and thank you for your very kind comments! 🥰

[@samantha4130]

Really easy to follow and informative tutorial, thank you.

[@DuluthTW]

Excellent tutorial. Thanks for sharing!

[@NancyWethington]

Great tutorial with good close up photos and easy to understand explanations. Thank you! PS: Robin Dudley Howe sent me ; )

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks to Robin for sending you here!

[@CherryBlossomHill]

Best instruction I’ve seen on this, exactly what I’ve been looking for. TYSM. Can you recommend a good supplier for these supplies? (Type of thread? Was the first stitch pamphlet stitch? ) Thanks again!

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Thank you!

[@CherryBlossomHill]

@@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks Thanks so much!

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

Sorry Kirsty (final query) - when you stitch each successive signature to the previous one with a kettle stitch, as I visualise it, only the starter end of each signature will be attached to the one before. I don’t think I saw you loop the needle through the binding of the previous signature at the “far end” as well as at the starter end. Or did I miss something? Is the text block only secured at the starter end? (SO very grateful for your kind instruction).

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Hi Rosemary - You make the kettle stitch at the end of each "run" when you are sewing one signature to the next. So, technically you end up with a kettle stitch at one end, sew the next signature, kettle stitch at THAT end, sew the next signature, kettle stitch, etc, so they alternate from end to end. I hope that makes sense. :)

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

@@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks It does makes sense. Thank you. And yet another confusion, (oh dear) the measurements given for the back board are identical to the size of your signature so how do we get the slight overhang around the three sides? Does it automatically happen because of the allowance at the inner edge near the spine?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

@@rosemarymortonjack9387 Hi Rosemary - Yes, the bookboard should be a little larger than your textblock - about 1/8" top and bottom, and 1/8" on the front, leading edge.

[@jordansmithson9602]

I don't like how the middle of the text block isn't sewn together. Wouldn't additional kettle stitches along the spine improve the strength?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Not necessary. Not if you follow the traditional method of gluing the spine after sewing. Plus, the mull adds additional stability and strength. Adding kettle stitches in the middle of the textblock would just be overkill. But, always, it's your book to make, so if it makes you feel more comfortable adding those, then do it! :)

[@mariegabe9015]

I have another question: how long does it take for the glue to dry. I am using pva glue which is acid free. I have been letting it dry for 12 to 18 hours. Do I really have to wait that long? There is a lot of gluing: the spine of the casebook x2; the mull, the endpages, the bookboard to the fabric. To get through all that gluing takes days.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Well, yes, that's the reality if you want want your book to end up nice and flat, and stay that way. I generally do the covers and the textblock the same day, and let both of those dry thoroughly over night. Then the next day I glue the finished textblock to the covers and let that dry over night. I don't know of any good way to speed that process up and still end up with a nice flat book.

[@mariegabe9015]

Thank you, Kristi for your reply. I can see now that I was not very efficient in how I went about creating the book. I made the textblock and book cover on separate days which prolonged everything. I'm making a watercolour sketch book for an online course I'm starting any day now, hence my impatience 😜. I love your blog and videos. They are so clear and informative.

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

@@mariegabe9015 BTW, since you are using this as a watercolor sketchbook, have you considered a book bound with the Coptic stitch? The advantage is that the pages lie flat, unlike a case-bound book, making it easier to work in. I had a water-colorist buy several coptic-bound books from me because of this. Just a thought. :) Here's that tutorial, if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eomanIeCdr2ZkNk

[@paulagonc40]

I followed your instructions but after drying it seemed as if some of the glue had seeped out onto the pages, causing it to tear slightly, would that be because my stitches weren't tight enough? or that I didn't leave it to dry long enough? thankyou

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

When you are applying the PVA glue to the spine (about 11:27 in the video) you want to make sure you have the text block very firmly weighted down with something *very* heavy. In my example I am using a nipping press to keep the pages firmly pressed together, but you can use bricks, heavy books - anything that keeps there from being exposed gaps. That's how the glue seeps in between the pages, if they aren't pressed together firmly enough. And yes, you definitely want to let the glue dry completely. :)

[@paulagonc40]

Thankyou so much for replying, I'll definitely try to get more weight on it this time around. Just another question, would it be possible to case bind a perfect bound book? I have one that was commercially done with no cover . I did ask our local bookbinding group and they were very dismissive and said categorically no, but I would love to try if you thought it may be possible, thankyou again, such a great tutorial, and believe me i've watched a LOT haha@@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

@@paulagonc40 It might be worth a try. I'd weight it down, just as described before, and apply PVA glue to the spine, even though it's already been glued, just to reinforce it. Add mull, end papers, etc - just as if you were doing a sewn text block. Add the cover and Voila! You have a case bound-perfect bound book! :) If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

[@rosemarymortonjack9387]

on A5 signatures (A4 folded) how many holes should i pierce and how far apart should they be?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Hi Rosemary - There's no set rule about how far apart or how many holes to punch for your textblock - it's always something that has to be worked out each time you try a different size. The single most important thing is that you end up with an even number of holes. For a book with 8.3" (210mm) length spine (as I assume your A5 sigs are) I'd start with 15mm on each end and then space holes every 20mm in between, ending up with 10 holes total. (But double-check my math before you commit to this. lol)

[@stephenarnold7163]

At what point did you sew the remaining holes in each signature please! Should they also join to the previous signature......if not what was the idea of punching each signature

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Every single hole that you've punched in every signature needs to be sewn through. The tutorial doesn't show me skipping any holes. Can you clarify what you're seeing in the video that is leading you to skipping holes?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

Stephen, here is another of my tutorials showing the same process, but maybe it will give you a different view that will answer your question. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5SYhoeel96ViaM By the way, you will see a pencil mark on one end of the signatures that is used as a reference to keep your signatures aligned correctly. This is not a punched hole, just a pencil mark, so it won't be affected by the sewing. (Maybe it's that pencil mark that you're mistaking for an un-sewn hole?)

[@windywednesday4166]

@@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks I have a question about the holes... I noticed you put eight holes in the book you were binding, and that your sewing starts and ends on the outside. So, am I correct in assuming that it means that books bound in this style must have an even number of holes?

[@KristiWarrenHandmadeBooks]

@@windywednesday4166 Yup, that is correct. :)