Rebinding Old Books - Part 4 (the end)

[@MoniqueAO888]

Another great project !!! Actually I love all the videos that you posted. Your skills are amazing and I really like the way you "teach": very calm, no disturbing music, lots of information without "blabla". Thank you very much for taking the time to make interesting videos !!! Hallo from Germany :-)

[@bomberdils]

This project was very fun to watch! This is such a wonderful and important art! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@meebathederpmeister6357]

Thank you. I find you teach excellently. I am so glad to see more. Please post again soon.

[@billballeza377]

Truly incredible work and fascinating to watch. Riveting might be more accurate than fascinating. Bravo and well wishes from one retiree to another,

[@mrslilmama1]

love your videos. you are a great teacher.

[@atrasyundia]

Thank you so much!🙏

[@lorenasantander2539]

Que hermoso trabajo ❤

[@Ceropegia]

Gracias.

[@paulmace7910]

Great job. Thank you.

[@aixot_3073]

I've seen there is no spine stiffener attached to the case. Will the case still be stable enough to hold the text block? First. I was thinking you would build an Oxford Hollow on the text block and attach it to the spine.

[@Ceropegia]

There is a stiffener, it is the paper I apply from board to board. When you add a stiffener like in commercial binding it leaves a gap between the board and the stiffened spine. That is the first place the binding comes apart due to the uneven stress on the covering material where it is not supported. I make all of my cases with the spine fabric fully supported from board to board. When casing in, that area where the board hinges is slightly softened and you can set the joint easily with a folder. (Also, the original bindings had no hollow.) Hollows are generally used on leather bound books and account books (a thing of the past now that there are computers). Hollows serve no purpose on ordinary bindings as they are one with the covering material which (usually means a leather book on which the titles will be tooled in later). In commercial case bound books, the cases are usually stamped on the spine and possibly the front board before they are cased in and that is the practice when I have had work like that in my studio. Thanks for watching.

[@aixot_3073]

@@Ceropegia Thank you so much for your detailed reply to my question, Sage! I will try this way on my next book - and also the "string filled" case 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience here, Sage! Love your vids.

[@srkzfan]

Love your videos - thank you! When you have some time could you perhaps show us how you make paste paper?

[@jdmccorful]

You make it look so easy, but I know it takes plenty of practice. Thanks for the look.

[@craigenputtock]

Wow youre so talented! I wish i could do that.

[@janni-DK]

Thank you for uploading your beautiful work. You made me scared at 3:35 You went under the knife, please be carefull

[@Ceropegia]

Don't worry, the shear is counterbalanced to fall open rather than closed.. Thanks for watching.

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

I've been watching your videos for a long time now and I still can't get over that massive board trimmer!!! It has so much character. Where on earth did you find that?

[@Ceropegia]

When I came to New York back in 1977, I began to search for nipping presses. New York was going through a lot of changes, manufacturing on the west side was leaving for China and Mexico leaving the old spaces empty. I would ask the departing businesses if they had a press or two, as a lot of old machinery was being abandoned. A guy said he didn't have any presses but he had this other thing. When I saw it it, was as if heaven had been watching and was giving me a great gift. He just wanted us to carry it away. We did pay something for it, we took it apart and carried the pieces across and down town to my 4th floor walk up in the east village. Don't ask me how we moved the table top, the counter balance, and the knife itself, all of those pieces are so large that I could scarcely lift them if it were in pieces now. It is a cast iron shear with a 42 inch knife. It still has original paint and some pin striping, probably from the 1800's or early 1900's, there is a plaque saying it is a Jacques Shear, Worcester, Mass. It has only been apart three times as we moved from place to place, the last time in '86 when we moved to Staten Island. It has not moved from it's place on the studio floor since then. If you are looking for one, you might find one at Ernest Schaeffer in Union NJ. (His business is selling brass type, stamping machines, binding board and glue.) He has been refurbishing old shears and told me last time I saw him that people are not going for the larger shears because they don't fit through doorways. I can't imagine moving even a small one without taking it apart which is what people are trying to do. They come apart with a simple wrench and go back together logically. Thanks for watching my videos. Wishing you the best with your work and business.

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

@@Ceropegia Very interesting story! Thanks for sharing, and thank you for the well wishes! Best to you as well!

[@HE-mc3gm]

Hi, good job, where to buy the boards and the fabric

[@Ceropegia]

I usually buy the board from Ernest Schaeffer in Union NJ. He sells in bundles and can ship. Call him for details. You will find him on the web. Thanks for watching.

[@kateh4030]

A great series, thank you. I don’t know if I missed you saying, but you use paste to case in, don’t you? You obviously have enough experience to know that it is strong enough, even for heavy books. Is that wheat paste or Methyl cellulose? I really struggle to get books cased in straight, and having even more “wiggle time” than with a mix of paste and PVA would be great

[@Ceropegia]

Hi Kate, in the last series I went over mixing wheat paste for casing in books. There are several videos in which I case in books so I may have just gone ahead and cased in assuming viewers knew it was wheat paste. In the past, I have also said that I do not like MC for casing in, I find that it is "wetter" and will sometimes go through the end paper staining it at the joint. I stick to using MC for sizing fabric and making paper repairs, and I never mix it with PVA which can create a whole other set of problems. Thanks for watching.

[@Ceropegia]

P.S. if you follow my method of setting the book into the case, properly fitted, dropping the top board, set onto the spine, you will not need wiggle time to case in with wheat paste which is very slow to dry and, if necessary, you can lift the book out of the case and re-place. But that should not really everbe necessary, if PVA is mixed in you will have a gummy mess with which to deal. Properly fitted means making the gauge to separate the boards the correct distance from each other so you have a spine that will practically guide the board into the correct position when you case in.

[@kateh4030]

@@Ceropegia Thank you very much, I will switch to plain paste and keep building my skills.

[@p.h.freitas6727]

What about the title on the spine?

[@Ceropegia]

The client will have something printed and I will most likely attach the lables. Thanks for watching.

[@augustbinderybespokeatelie8092]

@@Ceropegia If you need book labels, you should definitely try Mark at AST Labels in New Jersey. He does some excellent work.