Bookbinding Course, Of Course

These instructions are going to be sloppy since the course was in Norwegian and I am too lazy to look it all up right now. This is for my own reference, but do feel free to come with tips and helpful comments.

This is the sewing frame. Thumb tacks on top and underneath to hold the tape in place.

Line up the paper with the tape strips (7 cm) apart. Mark each side of the tape and a tape's width at each end.

Put the signatures in a vice and saw a groove over each of the marks. Alternatively, you can use and awl and crib and poke holes in each location.

When sewing 10 signatures it is possible to use a single length of thread - 11 book-lengths.

Sew around the ribbons - leave enough thread to knot after you thread down and up one time. Do not sew through the tape.

Be careful to use the hand behind the frame to keep the thread from knotting as you pull it through. At each end, loop the thread through the previous stitch.

Once the signatures are sewn, round them slightly to create a curved spine (horizonally), then put them in the vice. Push wood glue into the spine.

Choose the endbands, which are purely decorative in this case, and the bookcloth and paper for the cover.

 Glue the endbands (headbands and tailbands) in place above the tapes.

Cut two lengths of strong paper to reinforce and cover the spine.

Cut the paper to fit the gaps between the ribbons.

Glue the paper into place, then glue the second strip over the whole length.

Take care not to get glue anywhere it is unnecessary.

Glue the ribbons down over the first and last pages.

Cut the cardboard for the covers. Use sandpaper to round the edges slightly.

Glue the covers to the front and back pages. Use paper to protect the other pages from the excess glue.

Use papers between the pages and covers to aborb the excess moisture while the book is pressed.

Cut a length of thick paper that will extend slighty over the edges of the book's signatures and endbands. Cut the bookcloth to the appropriate size.

Glue the paper to the bookcloth and round the new spine slightly.

Cut slits in the space between the cover and signatures on each side, on both the top and the bottom of the book.

Make sure the new spine extends above the signatures and glue the bookcloth into place. Fold and wrap the bookcloth over the spine to make sure it is tight enough. Use paper to protect the bookcloth from bruising.

Before you glue the bookcloth into place too tightly, make sure you use the bone folder to smooth the bookcloth into the groove between the spine and cover (use the paper to protect the bookcloth).

Carefully glue the bookcloth into place. Fold the bookcloth over the cover and gently tuck it behind the signature spine, using the grooves to create enough room to do so.

Measure for the paper covering. It wil overlap the bookcloth by 2mm and wrap over the edges .5 cm or so (it can be trimmed afterward).

Brush some glue onto the cardboard, and over the paper. Line up the paper to the bookcloth, cover with paper and smooth with a bone folder. If there are air bubbles, you can let the air out with a pin prick. The paper will smooth during the pressing.

Clip the corners carefully so that you can glue them neatly. Glue the short ends first.

Trim if necessary.

Cut the endpapers. One for the front and one for the back. Each will be a rectangle, one "page" will be glued down to the cover, the other will be the loose leave before page one of the book.

Use newspaper to protect the paper from glue and put glue only along the edge of the fold. It is very important to put the fold snuggly into the fold between the cover and the pages.

Then put glue on the top page and smooth it with a brush.

Then close the book! Hopefully, the paper will be glued to the front cover perfectly.

Trim if necessary.

Put paper between the endpapers and the signatures and put the book between blocks and press it.