Step 13: Adhering Original Antique Leather Spine Label. BEFORE & AFTER. Final episode in series.

[@woodybeck8966]

I binge watched this series. Very informational. Inspirational as well as aspirational. Love your voice too.

[@lightowl4345]

I had no idea the complexity of a repair like this. Thank you for taking the time to record and explain the process!

[@edpowell5754]

From Buffalo, N.Y. Thank You so much for showing this series of videos. I've learned a great deal and you explained everything very well. You sure enough of good integrity to do a Good Job and you did. Once again I'm saying THANK YOU.

[@littleleafy]

Learning about a product that can consolidate leather and address red rot is so fantastic. Thank you for this fascinating series!

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rafaelgelpi5922]

Kathryn you can't imagine what life savers these videos have been, I've gone back & viewed the earlier episodes again, there's always some small gem that I glean on 2nd or 3rd viewing. I'm looking forward to your next project. Thank you.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I'm so glad. I've filmed the next one and the first episode should be up soon!

[@richnorman7058]

Watched the whole thing. Great job. Your arms look fine in the videos. 😊

[@christinekeningram1733]

Thank you Kathryn for this wonderful demonstration in book repair. I nearly stopped watching after the first episode as my 100 year old cook book has damaged sewing supports which aren't covered here, but your repair is compelling and I am pleased to have watched all of them. Also because the spine will eventually need doing as is is no longer attached. Have you done a video showing how to repair sewing supports? It appears on my book that the lower support has come away fully. There are four in tact of the five. Some pages are loose also.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I haven't done a sewing video yet, but that's a great idea!

[@tingootango4927]

Great series, thank you so much. I understand this isn't meant to be a how-to style video, but would it be possible to give more information on things such as which adhesives you're using / specifics on poultices / leather consolidatants?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I might? I'm a little wary because in the past there has been internet kerfuffle for other conservators after they disclose their adhesives and solvents. In this first series, I used wheat starch paste, PVA, and Klucel G. All are available from Talas.

[@virginiaweinhaupl9884]

Beautiful

[@emsee8432]

I'm wondering why you didn't touch up the corners where the book board is exposed. Or trim the ragged text block. Is that part of the discussion with the client?

[@rustydustyresurrections1657]

Great job! Just binged this series!👍

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Awww! Thanks. Glad you liked it ☺️

[@rustydustyresurrections1657]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper I did, I am addicted to these transformations! you explain things very well too! thank you!

[@gruesometwosome6098]

Excellent job, really enjoyed the series of videos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 👍

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@franklopez8243]

Could you cover the splice seem with a flex filler then paint everything?

[@davilman9000atyahoo]

you are using PVA on old leather?

[@jayroland9481]

Would I be right in supposing the glue you used throughout this demonstration was regular PVA? If not then which glue please.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Hey Jay, it's regular PVA (sometimes I'll add a little methyl cellulose to extend working time). I'm interested in the "reversible PVA" that Talas is carrying, but I'll need to read more about it before making that switch.

[@bitsnbobs1107]

I have some old leather books i'd like to give a bit more life to. I dont know whether to use leather consolidant or rejuvenator. What is the difference and can the consolidant be used too soon?

[@Fragkogiannakis_Vasilis]

Εξαιρετική δουλειά ! ! !

[@upwardjourney2055]

Awesome. I have an antique American Standard Bible, and the cover is just crumbling to dust (or more like into soil). I have never tried to do any repairs myself. I'm still hoping there's an experienced leather book repair shop in the Philippines. Do you think I should leave it as it is if I can't get an expert repair? Many times I wish I could take it with me, but the crumbling cover just won't let me.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

If you have basic office supplies, you might be able to make it a protective wrapper to live in until you find a conservator? You can look at tutorials for four flap wrappers or protective enclosures for books, such as this one: www.carnegielibrary.org/preservation-highlight-caring-collection-tie-boxes/ As far as getting a conservator to look at it, you might try contacting The University of Santo Tomas. It looks like they have a conservation program. Perhaps they have a list of conservators in the Philippines. www.ust.edu.ph/graduate-school/center-for-conservation-of-cultural-property-and-environment-in-the-tropics/

[@robertphillips93]

In the U.S. there have been small binderies capable of duplicating some of the popular big family bibles from around the turn of the century. There were a fairly small number of producers, so a collection of appropriate stamping dies can be made from photographs. Several years ago, I believe there were even one or two soliciting customers online. No idea if the work was/is good quality, but if they are providing a case binding, you must have a reinforced hollow tube attachment for the spine. Anything less robust for such a heavy volume won't suffice to keep it in the cover, in my opinion. If yours is a smaller bible, then you will probably have no trouble finding skilled craftsmen in the Philippines. I believe they have "mass-produced" more handmade bibles than any other country! I worked with a fellow who smiled when he first saw our big cast iron standing press, and said "we used to press 50 bibles at a time in one of those . . ."

[@rafaelgelpi5922]

I may have missed it, how did you get the signature that stuck out

[@rafaelgelpi5922]

(Continued) Back in place?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

I probably just put it back in place before I did the first spine lining and forgot to mention it? I usually take a couple minutes and make sure the signatures are all where they should be (without unreasonably forcing anything) before I put the first adhesive/lining on. It any sections don't want to realign, I'll usually make sure the linings adhere to them so at least they're supported.

[@adammedbery4454]

Hello. I hope this isn't rude to ask, but what happened to this spine label? I watched the whole series and in episode 11, when you consolidate this piece, it looks intact, but here when you first apply the adhesive and press onto the spine, it looks very cracked. Does the consolidation process cause this?

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Great question, and not rude at all. The finished leather surface had contracted slightly and hardened over time. When I reapply the label, I'm asking something relatively inflexible to curve again. Any cracks in that finished surface will spread open and that's what you're seeing. The consolidant may contribute, as it contains isopropyl alcohol which is drying. But without the consolidant, I risk turning the leather extremely dark with the moisture in the adhesive. Not all leather spine pieces do this. The leathers vary by animal age, species, tannery recipe, leather age, storage conditions (ambient RH, temp, UV exposure). I test the consolidant on them (not shown in the videos) and flex them, off book, to get a sense of how they'll behave, but I'm still occasionally surprised 🙃 There's not a lot I can do about the cracks in the finished leather. Leather conditioners have their own issues and risks, so I tend to avoid them. I suspect in this case, if I used a leather conditioner, I'd have "conditioned" leather that would've still opened up. It's not like the conditioner is going to fix the cracks in the hard, finished leather. Like I said, every skin is different so there may be cases where another approach would be appropriate!

[@channelsixtysix066]

Can leather like this be treated with a leather conditioner so it retains some flexibility? Beautiful restoration, now it should last another 120 years. 😊

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

Thank you! I hope it lasts and then cleanly comes apart where I've mended it for the next conservator! Sorry to not be super decisive about leather conditioning/dressing, but it depends. Some institutions have developed and tested their own leather dressings. They can keep an eye on and document the results over many years. I usually don't feel comfortable applying leather dressing or conditioner to a client's book when I won't be present to observe how it reacts with the leather over the next few years with changes in humidity and temperature. Some dressings/conditioners can wick through the leather and into the paper. in the textblock. Some mixtures have caused the leather to bloom. If you're looking to apply it to your own test books to see how it applies and how it ages, Talas sells a leather dressing. I've never purchased it, but I've purchased many other items from them and they seem reputable.

[@channelsixtysix066]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper "Some dressings/conditioners can wick through the leather and into the paper. in the textblock. Some mixtures have caused the leather to bloom." - Yes, now I see what you mean. Better not to apply it, than put the text block at risk, since that is primarily why the book exists in the first place. It was just a thought bubble I had to keep the leather from crumbling away. From new a very light application might be OK, since the leather is freshly tanned and not porous. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[@SouthernBookAndPaper]

It might be okay or even good in certain instances. I just don't feel comfortable using it. Thanks for the good question!

[@channelsixtysix066]

@@SouthernBookAndPaper Thank you. I'm a complete novice, though I've been fascinated by bookbinding for decades.

[@rvvanlife]

Everything is awesome except it does seem like your taking way too much material off the length of those spines and it's original attachments. I.e; your painted paper should be covered more by the original leather. I would not have been happy about that, Everything else though 👍👍

[@smartguru1870]

Мне не понравилось

[@johannadam3183]

that looks terrible

[@Domin8them]

A conservator will restore a book to a condition that renders it useful again. Will it look the same as when it was first manufactured? Not at all. The key considerations are using materials and techniques most suitable for the restoration. Can it be completely rebound, with all new materials and extensive tooling to replicate the original? Sure, but that would be cost prohibitive and result in a book that is further from original in anything other than looks alone. At the end of the day this book was deteriorating badly, and unless the owner placed it in a protective case and it became, essentially, an ornament not to be handled and read, then the conservation was the only alternative; it has given the book a new lease of life. Nothing stays the same; change is inevitable. And with knowledge and understanding, even attitudes can change for the better.