c/bookbinders

Switched from linen to cotton thread for my bindings and wow what a difference

I used to think linen thread was the only way to go because that's what the old books used. But last month I was working on a restoration project for a 1920s novel and the linen kept snapping on me mid stitch. After about 5 broken threads I finally grabbed some unbleached cotton thread a buddy recommended and it glided through the signatures like butter. Cotton has more give and doesn't fray as bad at the needle eye which saves me time on rethreading. I also noticed my joints are closing up tighter because the cotton compresses easier. Has anyone else found that certain thread types work better for specific kinds of bindings? I'm curious about using Dacron or nylon for heavier books.

Showerthought: That time my sewing frame literally split in half mid-stitch

I was working on a 400-page novel binding last Tuesday, putting in the final sections, and BAM - my wooden sewing frame just cracked right down the middle. The tension from the cords was too much for this old thing I got at a garage sale for $15. I spent the next hour trying to clamp it back together with wood glue and a c-clamp, but it was a total loss. Had to order a new metal frame from Hollander's for $85 that same night. Anyone else ever have a piece of equipment just give out on them at the worst possible time?

Hit 200 bound books last week and it felt off

I kept count of every book I finished binding since I started three years ago. But when I hit 200 last Tuesday it didn't feel like a win because most of them were cheap journals I did for practice, not ones I'd show a customer. Am I the only one who gets weird about reaching a number when the quality isn't there?

That week I ruined three bookcloth pieces in a row

I was working on a leather-bound journal order last Tuesday and everything went sideways. First I glued the bookcloth to the wrong side of the board, then I tried to fix it and ripped the cloth. The next day I measured wrong and cut a piece too short by about half an inch. Then on Thursday I spilled coffee on a nearly finished cover and had to start over from scratch. It was one of those weeks where I should have just stepped away from the workbench. Has anyone else had a string of bad luck like that where you just keep making simple mistakes?

Vent: Heard a customer tell my boss that machine stitched books are more durable than hand stitched ones

Got me thinking though, is that actually true for a daily driver book like a journal versus a display piece, or is it just a myth passed around by people who never had a hand sewn binding fall apart on them after 5 years of heavy use?

Walked into a small bookbinding shop in Portland last weekend and got a surprise

I was visiting Portland for a few days and stopped by this tiny shop called The Bindery Studio. The owner was working on a leather journal and she showed me how she uses old sewing machine parts to make her own tools. I never thought about making custom tools before but now I'm curious. Has anyone else tried modifying tools to fit your own binding style?

Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about using PVA for everything

For the 4 years I've been binding books I used PVA glue on everything. Spines, endpapers, even tipping in pages. Thought it was the best since it dries clear and holds strong. Then last month I was finishing a leather-bound journal for a client and the spine just wouldnt flex right. It felt stiff and wrong. My mentor who's been doing this for 30 years stopped by my shop and asked why I was using PVA on a flexible leather spine. He said I needed wheat paste for that type of binding. I tried it on a test piece and the difference was night and day. The leather moved with the book instead of fighting it. Now I gotta figure out which projects need which glue. Any of you guys use both depending on the job?

Old timer at the bindery told me I was using way too much glue on my spines and showed me how a paper-thin layer actually holds better

He literally took my brush out of my hand, wiped off 80% of the PVA, and the book closed so much cleaner - has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit that was making your work bulky?

My French link stitch fell apart mid-shelf display at a local craft fair

I was at the Maplewood Arts Festival last October, set up with 12 handbound journals, and the third person to pick one up caused the entire spine to separate from the text block. Turns out I had been pulling my stitches too tight on the kettle stitch, which cut through the thread over time. Has anyone else had a binding fail publicly like that and found a reliable way to test the strength before packing up?

Shoutout to the guy who told me my spines were too tight

Some random bookbinder at a shop in Portland pointed out I was gluing my spines way too snug, which explained why my books never laid flat. I loosened up by about 2mm on my last project and the difference was night and day. Anyone else get a tip that made them rethink their whole process?

Just wasted $85 on a book press that arrived crooked

Ordered a cast iron book press off Etsy thinking it'd be a solid upgrade from my homemade setup. Showed up with the top plate visibly warped so every book I tried came out uneven. Spent 3 hours trying to sand it flat before I gave up and asked for a refund. Anyone else have bad luck buying bookbinding tools from random sellers online?

Unpopular opinion: leather hinges are way overrated for most bindings

I was looking through some old binding manuals from the 1800s and noticed nearly all of them used cloth or paper hinges, even on expensive books. Turns out leather hinges actually cause more joint strain over time because they don't flex as evenly as cloth. Has anyone else switched back to simpler hinge materials for durability?

Appreciation post: How a fresh blade changed my whole approach to paring leather

I spent like 18 months using the same old #2 scalpel blade for trimming leather covers on my bindings. The cuts were always rough and I kept having to sand edges down to hide the mess. Last week I finally swapped to a new blade and the difference is night and day. The leather just glides through now with almost no fraying on the edges. I'm kicking myself for not doing this sooner but also wondering if anyone else has had a similar wake-up call with a tool they ignored for too long?

Rant: I spent 5 years using the wrong glue on leather covers

I always reached for PVA glue for everything, including leather hinges on my journals. Then last month at a workshop in Portland, a binder named Laura asked why my joints were cracking after 6 months. She showed me how PVA dries too stiff for leather movement. Switched to a flexible glue mix with 20% wheat paste and the difference is night and day. Anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit after years of doing it wrong?

Wasted $120 on a fancy leather grain press that warped after 3 uses

Bought one of those brass hand presses from a seller on Etsy last spring... claimed it was handmade in Italy. After pressing maybe 15 book spines, the whole thing bent out of shape and the screw stripped. Has anyone else had better luck with the cheaper cast iron ones from Harbor Freight?

Finally figured out why my endpapers kept wrinkling (it was a humidity thing)

I've been bookbinding for about 8 months now, mostly just making journals for myself and gifts, you know? But the endpapers on my last three projects kept coming out all bubbly and wrong. I was about ready to give up, then I found this old bookbinding forum post from 2017 that said the glue's open time changes with humidity. Sure enough, my basement workshop was at 70% humidity that day. Forced myself to wait for a drier week and used a dehumidifier, and bam - flat endpapers for the first time. Has anyone else run into humidity wrecking their paste or PVA work?

Swapped my bone folder for a cheap plastic one and now I hate bookbinding

Took me 3 hours to figure out I was using the wrong thread on my sewing frame...

Picked up an old 1800s book to rebind and the signatures were falling apart. Got my sewing frame all set up, needles ready, only to realize the linen thread I had was way too thick for these tiny holes. I spent 2 hours trying to force it through before my buddy Dave came over and just handed me some finer thread. Has anyone else run into a similar issue with older books and thread size?

Shoutout to the guy who warned me about cheap PVA glue ruining a project

I wasted $50 on a budget brand that made my book covers bubble up after 3 days, has anyone else had that happen with a specific glue?

Old timer at a trade show told me to switch from PVA to starch paste for leather hinges

A retired binder with 40 years experience pulled me aside at a convention and insisted starch paste was the only way to go for leather hinges because PVA would eventually dry and crack. I tried it on a restoration job for a 1901 Bible and three months later the hinge was still soft and had no adhesion at all. Has anyone else had bad luck switching to traditional paste on older leather books?

Had a week where every single book spine I glued came out perfect

Last Tuesday I was working on a batch of 12 journals for a local shop downtown, and for some reason everything just clicked. The glue was the right temp, the joints were straight, the cloth wrapped around without a single wrinkle. I kept waiting for something to go wrong, but it never did. Finished all 12 by Thursday afternoon with zero re-dos. Does that ever happen to you, or is my shop just haunted by a helpful ghost?

That time a retired binder told me to stop using wheat paste for marbling

He said it would rot the paper in 10 years and after ignoring him and fixing a moldy batch from 2016 last weekend I guess the old guy knew what he was talking about so has anyone else had wheat paste go bad on them?

Spine glue failed on a batch of 10 books yesterday

I was finishing up a run of 10 hardcovers for a local author in Portland and the PVA let go on the first 7 when I went to round the spines. Had to scrape off all the old glue and start over with a fresh batch from a different supplier. Anyone had bad luck with a certain brand of PVA lately?

Watching beginners nail their spines all wrong is driving me nuts

I was at a guild meetup last Saturday and saw three people in a row using PVA straight on their book cloth with no prep. The glue soaked right through and warped the whole cover. Have you guys had luck with any particular method to stop PVA bleeding like that?

Hit 50 hand-sewn books this morning and I actually counted them

I was moving some stuff around in my little workspace in Portland and realized I had a stack of completed books I never really tallied up. So I counted and it was exactly 50, which felt like a big number for someone who only started binding as a hobby two years ago. Most of them are smaller journals with coptic stitch but a few are full leather case bindings. Has anyone else kept track of their total output or do you just lose count like I almost did?