Bookbinding and Repair

Book Board

What is book board? Book Board is a heavy, dense cardboard-type product. For bookbinding you'll want to use acid-free board. It is sometimes called "binders board" or "Davey board."

In your words:
I am always awed by the beautiful creations on your website, it seems as if they are never-ending and I would like to have just an iota of your imagination!
-- Carolyn W.

Christine Cox 8/06
Silk Chrysanthemum
(11 1/4" X 8 3/4")
The size of this book required that I laminate 2 pieces of book board together for each of the covers. They were also covered with a thin layer of batting for just a little cushion underneath the 100% silk cover material.

What is Davey Board? Davey board is a brand name of book board and is considered the industry standard.

Sally Monahan 1/07
Mountain Book
This book is very 3-D as there are up to 5 layers of book board on the front cover. The effect is dramatic and beautiful.

We now have the instructions for making this book in The Muse.
 

1. Width of board
2. Length of board
3. Number of boards

1. Multiply A X B
2. Multiply 1 above X C

That gives you the number of square inches. Multiply the number of square inches X the appropriate price on the Bookbinding Page.

Christine Cox 8/04

These books (4 1/2" X 11 1/4") were made using our Moiré Fabric and Book Cloth. You'll also need a Japanese Screw Punch with a 1mm tip to punch the holes. A drill will work but you won't get this precision without spending a lot of time. Above are detail shots of the stitching (a complex variation on Keith Smith's Braided Sewing). Below is the cover from the plum and royal colored Book Kit.

Christine Cox 8/03

Book Cloth
What is book cloth? Book cloth is a special product made for bookbinders. It is fabric which has been backed by a barrier so that glue will not seep through.

All book cloth is not created equal! We've even seen some that looked like a picnic table cloth. Yuck! You'll never get that kind of cloth from Volcano Arts. We carry fine Japanese book cloth because it looks great, wears well and comes in fantastic colors.

Kris Henderson  6/03
Materials: 'vintage' book cover, Custom Cut Book Board, Clock and other Bookbinding Supplies

Carole Lamb 2003

Mieke Mulder 9/03

A scalpel loaded with a Curved Blade is wonderful for thinning leather. Click the image for a larger view.

How to Install and Remove Blades from Scalpel Handle (click any image for a larger view)

Carefully unwrap the blade from its foil package. Caution, the blades are unbelievably sharp!

Hold the blade in one hand and the handle in the other and look at their orientation (figure 2). You want to make sure that the slope where the handle meets the skinny little shaft and the slope at the bottom of the blade is the same.

You'll also note that the skinny shaft has a groove cut all around the sides. The hole in the center of the blade slides along those grooves.

Now, hold the scalpel handle so that the skinny shaft is pointing away from you. Hold the blade (oriented correctly to the slope in the handle) in your other hand.

Starting at the tip of the skinny shaft, slide the blade along the grooves until it is seated solidly (see figure 3).

To remove the blade, simply flex it a little so that it clears the bump in the skinny shaft that holds it on and then slip it off the tip (see figure 5).

Note: Scalpel blades are incredibly sharp. They are custom made to cut flesh. Some people hold the blade in a pair of pliers when changing the blades. That could be a good way for a beginner to get comfortable with the process.

Figure 1: Blade and handle, ready to go

Figure 2: Slopes at bottom of blade and on handle should match

Figure 3: Installing blade (removing is the reverse motion)

Figure 4: Correctly installed blade

Figure 5: Flexing blade to remove

Christine Cox 12/05
Starry Night

I made the covers of this book by fusing the glass and then screen printing the stars (from a NASA photo) onto the top cover and firing it again. It's sewn with a Coptic stitch using our 4-Ply Waxed Linen Thread.

Using my Ergo Teflon Folder I'm able to fold an entire signature of up to 6 folios at once with very little telescoping at the fore-edge. That's a real time saver.

Removing Debris from Tip
There will be times when your Japanese Screw Punch tips become clogged. Though the tool comes with a self-cleaning mechanism, it isn't perfect and you'll just need to remove the tip from the tool and then use a sharp object (such as a needle or an awl) and poke the bits of leather and/or paper out of the tip.

We don't recommend the Japanese Screw Punch for book board but lots of people do. Please be aware that cutting through book board may diminish the life of your tool.

Click image for larger view

When you first buy brass rules you might have a little trouble telling them apart (this passes quickly). Use our Metal Punch Sets to mark the brass rules with their widths. Don't try it on the 1/8" brass rule (it's just too narrow) but tap lightly and the rest will be fine. Hint: Unless you've used your metal punch set before, practice on a piece of scrap metal. This is also a great way to mark your rules with your initials so that they don't get mixed up in a class.

Cork Backed Brass Rules
Here's a great tip for using our Brass Rules for cutting glass. There are several ways to measure the glass to be cut. My favorite way is to use a brass rule backed with cork.

Being solid brass, the rules are normally too slick to hold steady while you cut glass. To remedy this I use spray adhesive to glue a strip of sheet cork to one side of each of the brass rule sizes to which I'm likely to cut glass. In the case of the samples at right I glued cork to one side of each of my 3/4" and 1" brass rules.

You can use E6000 rather than the spray adhesive but E6000 has to dry overnight before being functional whereas spray adhesive is ready to use almost instantly. Another benefit of using spray adhesive is that it has a light tack so it can be considered temporary. The tack is strong enough to hold the pieces together without being a mess if you remove the cork from the rules some day. Goo Gone will easily take off any residual stickiness.

After you've glued the cork to your brass rule you'll still be able to use it in all the ways you've learned to love. Simply turn the rule over and it's flat again.

Here I was weaving some paper to use as a book cover and needed a 'shed stick' (something to hold the paper open so that I could weave between the strips). Of course my 1/2" brass rule worked perfectly. Click the image for a larger view.

Hole Punching Cradles

What is a hole punching cradle used for? A Hole Punching Cradle holds the sections of your book as you punch holes in each section. Other methods may leave your holes misaligned which will leave your book structure weak or unsightly. By using a book cradle the work goes fast and is very accurate.

Hint 1: Number the top of each section of pages. This will help you keep your sections in order and oriented the same way. It will also make your holes line up perfectly, if you used the book cradle.

Hint 2: Jog each section up against one of the supports when it's in the cradle. Also jog the template up against the same support. Having everything tightly jogged against the support is what makes the holes line up.

Nathan Wilts

Beth Wilts

When using your rib, hold it so that the pointed tip is toward you.

When your rib is shipped to you it will probably need some 'tuning up.'

If your potter's rib ever leaves any kind of a mark on your paper it probably needs to be touched up. If that's not the problem, chances are you are pushing down too hard while creasing your paper.

The Tune Up
To tune up your potter's rib (and before you use it the first time), use 400 or 600 grit sandpaper to smooth, shape and round the corners. Soften any sharp points and remove any roughness from the edges. The rib should feel very comfortable in your hand and should not leave any marks on your paper.

When sanded and beveled correctly it should feel smooth to the touch and while folding paper it should provide enough drag for you to feel the tooth of the paper without it feeling rough.

We also sell our folding ribs in Teflon, which does not need to be tuned up.