Step 1: Assessment and Disassembly. Antique Leather Book Conservation & Repair.

Learn as you watch the process of conserving an heirloom 1880s leather book. This first video assesses age-related damage to the joints and explores physical aspects of this book. You'll also hear one conservator's perspective when undertaking these repairs.
"Antique Leather Book Conservation & Repair. Step 1: Assessment and Disassembly" is video 1 in a 13 part story of the restoration and repair of this volume.
Kathryn Wright is the owner/conservator of Southern Book & Paper Conservation, LLC, a private practice lab in Macon, Georgia: www.southernbnp.com/
0:00 intro
0:10 assessment
2:07 removing spine
6:39 removing endband cores
🛠TOOLS & MATERIALS🛠
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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

[@randy7068]

Echo?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Great question, Randy! This was the first KZbin video I'd ever made. I learned how to avoid the echoing narration during recording for the rest of my videos going forward. Thanks so much for your feedback.

[@beatricevancroonenborg9465]

So relaxing to watch you work and listen to your lovely voice.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@rafaelgelpi5922]

Thanks for the thorough explanation of the procedure, during the past several months I've been learning bookbinding & conservation from YT. I don't have the nerve or knowledge to cut the spine of a book, shows importance of having a seasoned teacher, I can't wait to take lessons in person!

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

That's great that you're learning! It's definitely important to hear different ways of doing things and why certain choices are made based on the construction and condition of the original materials

[@1SonOfMoon1]

You don’t have the spine to cut the spine

[@bigjarn]

have missed your excellent work

[@emsam3457]

I am not sure how have I found myself in book-restoration part of the internet but it sure is fascinating

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

The channel is designed for people who don't know much about it! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

[@bondfool]

I love all kinds of repair, restoration, and conservation! There’s something so lovely about someone working so hard to keep an object out of the landfill, especially when it’s someone’s artistic expression. It’s a kindness.

[@prachipatel8983]

Amazing!

[@edition-deluxe]

Removing the spine completely seems drastic! I would probably have just repaired the splitting. I've been restoring books for my collection and store for over 15 years, but not formally trained, so maybe I've been doing it wrong, but I don't think so.

[@kolosmenus]

Nice, I've been looking for videos that get into the detail of book conservation. Would be nice if you could do something about that echoing audio though.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Thanks! I'm glad you're interested. I think the echo was only on this (my first ever) video 🙃

[@janvafa9959]

Would conditioning the leather periodically help prevent this type of breaking?

[@Raveyl]

Should we use leather oil on antique leather spines to keep them from cracking like this? I am highly interested in preventative care as well as spine recovery. Thanks for showing us your work.

[@skullheadwater9839]

I bought a book similar in design to this one, inside the only date I see in 1894. By similar I was meaning there were leather corners and spine pretty much identical to your video book. Of course this one the spine is gone so I am going to try and use your video to construct a new spine. The front and back boards are disconnected as well. Today I am asking about the front cover which originally had very extensive fancy writing in gold. I am very good with crafts and restoration and I have already taken a 20/0 paint brush and metallic gold paint and hand painted the lettering which to my eye looks like it would have looked back then. My question is about stabilizing the blue book cloth portions. It seems stuck on the boards fairly well, the 4 leather corners are missing and what's left of the leather which wrapped from the spine onto the book boards has that red rot you talked about. Is there some thing I could use to clean and stabilize the cloth board covers. There are multiple areas where the cloth is bubbled up in dime sized blotches, perhaps it was around moisture because it seems the starching is gone on most of the fabric stuck to the boards, much of it is tattered and I think it needs to be stabilized with something and since the gold stamping on the cover is so nice I have to save it because this is a great coffee table book with nothing but photos of Paris in the late 19th century. My first tought was thinned PVA brushed on or a clear acrylic spray? Maybe laundry spray starch and an iron which is no too hot? any suggestions. The book is online ranging from $45 to $95 so it isn't worth paying someone but I would like to stabilize the cove cloth and replace the corners and spine.

[@richardgreen3904]

What is the weight of the Japanese long-fiber paper from Hiromi that you used on the spine?

[@tingootango4927]

Great video! Can you share what scissors were used?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hey, sorry it took me a minute. These are the exact tiny, curved scissors I have. I've had them for over a decade, and I'm finally considering getting a new pair. They were a lot (for scissors), but worth it. www.hospeq.com/MeisterHand-MH5-306-Iris-Scissors-curved-p/mh5306.htm

[@t.gardener3387]

I am wondering how to get a book to you to have the cover reattached. If you are still in Macon I could bring it to you.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hello ! Yes, I'm still in Macon. You can text me at 478.283.8659 to set up a time to bring it by.

[@gordonconlogue5686]

Whats the cost of this project?

[@dianefiske-foy4717]

What if you’re missing the spine piece? Can that be helped?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

If the original material is gone (which is common), I just complete the same repair and don't adhere anything to the outside of the toned long fiber paper. Great question!

[@dianefiske-foy4717]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper ... Thank you.

[@ABCXYZ-jw6jy]

If there was a Bible that was very unique and large, maybe about 15x13x3inches how much would it cost. It’s in very very bad condition in terms of the spine but I’m pretty sure the pages are all there. The string that held in underneath the leather is the only thing holding everything together

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hey, you can email pictures of the book (and what's going on with it) to southernbnp@gmail I can usually do an accurate estimate that way!

[@tardwrangler]

Prædifener over Kirke = Aarets Evangelier holdte af Prefter i den norske Synode i Umerifa??? Even as a Norwegian this is almost as "similar" as German lol

[@Jervisdude]

An antique collecting friend of mine said old wood can be restored, but old leather can’t