thoroughly protected with paper, tins and boards and put lightly into
press.
Then the head is colored with India ink, a coat of beeswax put on, and a
burnisher used to give it a polish. It is well to leave the completed
book under some pressure for several days.
If, in the process, some paste has gotten on the leather or paper, it
may be removed by the use of a damp cloth, carefully rubbed over the
soiled places.
Hollow Back.
In case a hollow back is desired for this book, deep punctures are sawed
at every cord, and the cords which are smaller than in the flexible
binding, are sunken into these punctures, Fig. 32. The sewing in such a
binding is very simple, the thread running along the middle of the
section and behind the cords, with kettlestitches at the head and foot,
the same as in the flexible sewing.
Before the cover goes on, a heavy paper folded as in Fig. 33, making
from three to five thicknesses, is glued by the bottom layer to the
back.
But especially in elementary work where very little gold tooling and
lettering are undertaken, the hollow back is neither necessary nor
desirable. At all events, let us avoid the false cords sometimes seen in
commercial books.
V.
REBINDING.
The foregoing work has assumed that the books were to be bound from the
original, unfolded sheets.
In case of rebinding books, the following preliminary steps are
necessary before beginning the sewing:—
1. Taking off old cover. This is done simply by pulling loose the
endpapers and carefully loosening the super. If the glue or paste
refuses to come off, it is covered with a coat of fresh paste, and after
a short time may be scraped off.
2. Cutting sections apart. The leaves are counted until the thread is
reached which indicates the middle of the section. The thread is clipped
and the same number of leaves, disregarding plates, is counted, bringing
us to the end of the section. The counting is necessary because of the
fact that in many books, the first and last few sections are pasted, or
tipped, together, making it difficult to tell where one stops and the
other begins.
3. Beating out the joint. In books which have been rounded and backed,
the first and last few sections especially have a decided bend near the
backs caused by the hammering. This is removed by laying the sections
down on a solid block and hammering them along the joints.
4. Mending, cleaning and guarding. Guards are strips of tough paper
about one-fourth of an inch wide which are used to paste together the
leaves of a folio that have been torn apart, and to fasten plates into
the book. In case of the torn folio, the leaves are laid side by side in
the proper position and a guard, covered with paste, is placed over the
joint where the leaves come together. The leaves are then folded
together creasing the guard in the middle. This general rule as to the
placing of the guards is given in the form of a bull:—“If it is to be
guarded on the outside, put the guard on the inside; but if it is to be
guarded on the inside, put the guard on the outside.” That is, if it is
the outside folio of the section to be guarded, put the guard on the
inside of the folio, so that the ragged edges of the tear may be
gathered up by the glue on the back and that it may not interfere with
the sewing. But if it is an inside folio to be guarded, put the guard or
the outside of the folio. When guarding in a plate, a folio is opened
out, the plate placed on the proper leaf, and the guard put on as in the
case of a torn folio.
5. Cutting new end papers.
After all the foregoing steps, the book is ready to be pressed, placing
the sections upon each other and inserting tins and boards as described
in Case Binding.
When it comes to re-sewing the book and putting on new covers, the
practice is to use any method or any combination of methods that seems
to be demanded by the conditions and size of the book, and the character
of usage which it will probably meet. It is not unusual in commercial
binderies to sew books especially large, heavy books, on tapes or on
sunken cords without regard to the style of cover. This is done
especially where the book has large, thick sections that are difficult
to hold in place. Thus it is seen how far, under some conditions, we
depart from the standard types.
It sometimes happens that the folios are so badly torn at the folds that
to guard them would make the back unusually thick. In such cases, the
overcasting method is used. The back of the book is cut if it is in very
bad condition, and then instead of sewing through punctures over cords
or tapes, several of the leaves are taken and placed in the same
position as a section, and sewed through, whipping over and over, and
going around tapes or cords in the usual manner. It frequently happens
however, that a book is in good condition with the exception of the
cover, in which case, simply a new cover is put on. This necessitates
re-gluing of the back and putting on new super and end papers. Then the
question arises how to fasten in the end papers so that they may be
strong. One method, especially in the case of heavy books, is to put in
a cloth joint. This is a folded strip of cloth about one inch wide, at
each end of the book, with one side of the fold pasted to the outside
leaf. Then when the cover is put on, the other side of the cloth fold is
pasted to the board, Fig. 34. A folio of cover paper is then tipped
against the cloth and the outside leaf pasted to the board; or in many
cases, a separate sheet is used for the pastedown, leaving both leaves
of the end folio free.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 34._
]
[Illustration:
_Fig. 35._
_a, Cloth joints b, End sheets_
]
In the case of marbled endpapers, the folio is cut of paper to match the
book, a piece of super or canvass is put along the fold like a guard,
then the single sheet of marbled paper is pasted entirely over the first
page of the folio which is then tipped in to the cloth of the joint.
Where a book is to be resewed, sometimes single end sheets of heavy
cover stock, together with the cloth for the joint, are folded around
the backs of the first and last sections and sewed in with them, Fig.
35. Then when the boards are put on, the cloth is drawn back over the
edge as before.
Another method of attempting to reinforce and strengthen the first and
last parts of a book is to sew through the endpapers that are to remain
free as “flyleaves” and the leaves of the first half of the first and
last sections. This seems of somewhat doubtful value, although it may be
of some service in the case of a thick, heavy book.
A very practical and easy method of rebinding moderately thin books
which have torn backs, is to sew them in the manner described for a
fourth-grade Language Book, Fig. 40, page 55, and put on a new case
binding. In such cases, care must be used to make the joint wide enough
to allow the boards to come well in front of the stitches; otherwise,
the book would not open without tearing the cover.
Plate III shows a number of library books rebound in this manner by
seventh grade boys.
[Illustration:
PLATE III
Library Books Rebound by Seventh Grade Boys.
]
VI.
EQUIPMENT.
Equipment for elementary bookbinding, as already indicated in a
preceding chapter, can be made almost entirely to fit the purse.
The statement occurs in text books and has gone the rounds on “good
authority” that very little can be done in the way of bookbinding
without a large and unusually expensive equipment. It is difficult to
understand how such a statement could be made by anyone who is familiar
with craft binding and its simplified forms as they may be worked out in
the lower grades of our schools.
Of course, it is possible to spend any amount for bookbinding equipment,
but there are many schools where good elementary work is being done with
absolutely no equipment except pocket knives, scissors and such other
aids as may be picked up about any school building.
It is entirely possible to adjust the upper grade work so that only a
few will be handling the same processes at the same time, thus making a
small equipment answer the purposes of a good sized class.
For making the typical books under good conditions with a moderate
number of pupils in the eighth grade or high school, the following
equipment may be said to be elaborate, and can be had for about $75:—
1 10-inch Card Cutter,
6 Lying Presses,
1 Plow and Press,
2 Letter Presses,
12 Sewing Frames,
2 Paring Knives,
3 Pairs Backing Boards,
2 Back Saws,
6 Try Squares,
3 Hammers,
3 Doz. Pressing Boards and Tins,
6 Awls,
6 Paste Brushes,
12 Bone Folders.
Even this equipment may be very materially reduced. Many of the items
may be improvised, made, or furnished by the pupils.
For instance, the sewing frames are of simple construction and offer an
excellent problem for the class in woodwork.
The plow and press are not an essential even in high school work. Most
excellent work may be done by cutting both paper and boards with a sharp
knife guided by a trysquare or straight edge, against a cutting tin. Any
ordinary hammer will do for backing purposes. So this brings us back to
the repeated proposition that much and good bookbinding can be done in
the schools with almost no equipment.
VII.
SUGGESTIVE COURSE.
In the previous discussions of the three main types of books,
practically every process used in elementary hand-binding has been
described.
The following outline is the result of several years of effort on the
part of the author, to develop a series of problems involving the
bookbinding processes, meeting some of the constructive needs of the
various grades of the school, and relating in some vital way to the
regular school interests.
It was thought that confusion would be avoided by indicating the methods
and processes of a set of specific problems. It is understood that these
problems are only typical and that from these, a great variety of books
may be worked out in response to special needs. In the practical work of
the class, these problems are not dictated step by step and in detail,
to the pupils; but as far as possible each pupil plans for himself,
size, number of pages, proportions, color combinations, decoration, etc.
A very large part of the value derived from such work, comes from the
necessity of thinking and planning in advance, and from the privilege
and exercise of choice.
Let us assume that we are taking the problem of the fourth grade
spelling book, page 53, Fig. 38. The first thing necessary is the
spelling paper as a basis for our plans.
Each child is given a sheet of paper, say 3½×8 inches. The class is
questioned to bring out the general characteristics of the cover needed,
such as the direction of opening, the necessity for a hinge in the top
cover, etc.
Then the matter of the squares or the extension of the boards is taken
up and the pupils express opinions as to the amount of the extension.
After reasons are given for various opinions, the pupils calculate and
write on the sheets of paper the sizes the boards are to be cut.
Then comes the question of the distance the hinge is to be from the
back. One pupil may answer three inches and another one-half an inch.
Reasons are brought out why neither is satisfactory and also why it may
vary, say, from three-fourths of an inch to one and one-half inches, and
each child writes on his paper the distance he prefers. The same plan is
used with reference to the width of the hinge; and since this may vary
greatly, even from one-fourth to two inches, guided always by the ideas
of good proportion and fulfillment of purposes, the pupils are asked to
write down their preferences.
Then is taken up the question of the proportion of cloth to paper on the
covers. In the first place, it is apparent that constructive
considerations demand that the cloth must reach from the back some
distance beyond the hinge toward the foredge, but how far beyond is a
question of good proportion. It is always found that children vary but
little in their judgments of proportion in this matter. The author has
made this proposition to scores of children:—“Let’s have the cloth and
the cover paper meet at the middle of the cover,” and in the whole
number of children, there has never been one who would agree to any such
an arrangement. When the matter of the cloth has been determined, the
pupils calculate the sizes the pieces of cloth and paper must be cut,
allowing the proper turn-ins. These dimensions are written down with the
other decided points. From this information, the pupils make simple
drawings. From samples of various colors of cloth, paper, and cords, the
pupils select satisfactory combinations. In this, as in all other
matters, if pupils make wrong selections or show poor judgment, it is
the opportunity of the teacher to suggest and to convince them of the
wisdom of some other choice.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 36._
]
[Illustration:
_Fig. 37._
]
The material is next marked out and cut. Of course, this is done by each
pupil from the information he has written on his sheet of paper.
The actual pasting of the boards into the cloth and paper requires but
few suggestions or directions if the pupils have gone through the work
of the previous grades. If they have not, then they are asked to place
the board upon the cloth in the proper position, mark around it, and
clip out corners as at a, Fig. 36. When the cloth is pasted on, the same
process is used with the paper allowing it to lap one-eighth to
one-fourth of an inch on the cloth, b. When the covers are completed and
pressed, the punctures are made and the cord tied in.
[Illustration:
PLATE IV
1. Tilo Matting Poem Book 2. Nature or Sketch Book 3. Home
Book
]
FIRST GRADE.
1. Home Book.
This is made to contain the freehand cuttings of the house and its
furnishings, the family, the barn, the chicken house, all the animals,
machinery, etc., about the home. It is made up of sheets of manila paper
with colored sheets of the same size for covers. These are all tied
together with a heavy cord through two holes punched at one end. 3,
Plate IV.
2. Nature or Sketch Book.
Made of the same material as the Home Book except that only one colored
sheet is needed. But the sheets are all folded in the middle and three
or four punctures are made with a darning needle or a punch along the
fold. A cord threaded into a large needle is run into the top puncture
and out at the bottom puncture; then back into the second puncture from
the bottom around the thread and out at the same puncture. This is
repeated at each puncture until the top one is reached, where the ends
of the cord are tied together, 2, Plate IV. The book may be made by
finding the middle of the paper, punching the holes and tying the cord
before the folding is done.
3. Portfolio.
This is made of two sheets of paper, one of which is one-half inch
narrower and one inch shorter than the other. The small one is placed
upon the large one in such a way as to leave a half inch strip around
three sides. The two corners of the large sheet are cut out and the
edges pasted and folded over upon the small sheet.
SECOND GRADE.
1. Portfolio.
Made of one piece of tough paper by simply cutting rectangles from the
lower corners of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 37 A, and folding the
rectangles a, b, c on dotted lines. The two smaller rectangles are
pasted to the larger one, c.
2. Scrap Book.
Made of single leaves with a two-inch fold at one end. Covered with a
folio of Bristol, reinforced at the back with strip of book cloth, and
tied through five punctures with heavy cord. Fig. 37. See 6, Plate IV.
3. Nature Book.
Cover same as Scrap Book with the addition of pieces of cover paper
pasted on the covers, reaching from the cloth to the foredge. Book made
of folios sewed like 2, grade one. Pasted into cover.
4. Spelling Book Cover.
Made of light boards which are covered with cover paper. Pieces of cover
paper are pasted on the inside as end papers, and are decorated by the
children. The two sides of the cover are fastened together by inserting
rings or cords in holes punched at the end. 5, Plate IV.
5. Language, Poem or Arithmetic Book.
Single leaves covered with folio of crash or burlap, tied with cord
through three punctures, cover lined with one piece of cover paper, and
edges and design of cover worked with coarse thread. 4, Plate IV.
THIRD GRADE.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 37A._
]
1. Spelling Book.
Single leaves with separate boards, covered with book cloth pasted all
over. The top board is cut into two parts, leaving a flexible hinge near
the back. Boards lined with cover paper. Tied through two, three or four
punctures by Japanese method, Fig. 38.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 38._
]
[Illustration:
_Fig. 39._
]
[Illustration: Spelling Book]
[Illustration: Language Book]
2. Literature Illustration Book Cover.
Half cloth. Narrow boards, leaving wide limp back of book cloth. Back
reinforced with super and boards lined with cover paper. Two or three
boles are punched from side to side, and tied with heavy cord or
fastened with rings. Fig. 39.
3. Portfolio.
Made of one long, narrow piece of cover paper or Manila board. The
bottom third is folded up to form the body of the portfolio, and the top
third is folded down for the hap or cover. Two strips of cloth are
folded and pasted to the ends of the portfolio to hold the front and
back together.
4. Nature Book.
One section sewed with five punctures, same as number 2, grade one,
covered with heavy marbled boards, with buckram back, super put on, and
first and last leaves used as pastedowns.
5. Poem Book Cover.
Made of two boards. Joint made in top board as in Spelling Book. Boards
are covered with crash and lined inside with cover paper. Tied with
heavy cord through four punctures.
6. Japanese Book.
The book part is made by folding a long piece of paper first one way and
then the other until it is all folded accordion fashion. Boards are
covered with cover paper and pasted to the first and last pages.
FOURTH GRADE.
1. Portfolio.
Made of heavy cover paper, with some method devised by the class for
increasing and decreasing the thickness of the portfolio.
2. Clipping Envelope.
Made of one piece of heavy cover paper or light Manila board. Rectangles
a little longer than half the body of the envelope, are folded over and
pasted. The small flap at the bottom is folded up and pasted. See Fig.
39 A.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 39A._
]
3. Spelling Book.
Same as that of third grade except with half instead of full cloth
covers. See Fig. 38.
4. Language, Geography or History Notebook.
More than one section. Sheets folded and cut. Sections arranged in book
form, and a colored folio tipped in to the second endpaper on each side.
The book is marked up for a sawed puncture one-half inch from each end,
and for stabs immediately under the sawed punctures and every half inch
along the side and about one-fourth of an inch from the back, a, Fig.
40. The stabs are made with a sharp punch or awl.
A needle is put on each end of a long linen thread. Then with the thread
lying in the head puncture, a needle is inserted from each side into the
head stab and the thread drawn through. The needles are then run into
the next stab and then into the next, until the foot puncture is
reached. Here the threads are brought up and tied so that the knot sinks
into the sawed puncture.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 40._
]
A piece of super is now thoroughly pasted upon the back and about one
and one-half inches down the endpapers. These outside leaves of the
endpapers are cut off at the front edge of the super and a piece of the
cover paper as long as the book and as wide as the super is glued on, b,
care being taken to have it fit flat across the back with sharp turns at
the edges.
The boards having been covered separately, except lining, are now pasted
on about three-eighths of an inch from the back or one-eighth of an inch
in front of the stitches. The book is now put lightly into press. When
dry, the colored endpapers are pasted to the covers and the book again
put into press.
[Illustration:
Fig. 41.
]
FIFTH GRADE.
1. Nature Book.
One section. Large sheet folded and cut or torn to proper size. Sewed
through five punctures. Bound in full or half cloth. Case binding. Super
put on and first and last leaves pasted to covers by closing the cover
on the paste-covered endpapers. Fig. 41.
2. Spelling Pad.
Made like the top cover of the spelling book shown at Fig. 38, except
that it has cloth corners, which are put on the same as the leather
corners of the Extra Binding, Fig. 31. Four punctures are made and the
narrow part is turned over and tied as at Fig. 42.
[Illustration:
_Fig. 42._
_Spelling Pad_
]
[Illustration:
_Fig. 42A._
]
3. Soft Leather Cover.
This makes a nice gift for Christmas. The cover is removed from a small
book, a folio of cover paper is tipped to each side for end papers, and
the book is pasted into a cover of velvet sheep skin.
4. Re-cover.
Some library book or book of the pupil’s.
New super put on, new endpapers tipped in, and a new half cloth case
binding made and laid on. Boards as wide as the book and three-eighths
of an inch longer. Cloth as wide as desired and one and one-half inches
longer than the boards. Cover paper as long as the cloth and
seven-eighths of an inch wider than the distance from the back cloth to
the foredge of the board. Cloth is folded lengthwise and creased only at
the ends, as at a and b, Fig. 42 A. A line c d is drawn ¾ from one end.
Lines h f and g e are drawn. The distance of these lines from a and b is
half the thickness of the book, plus one joint. The boards are pasted
into the angles d h f and c g e, and the cover is put lightly into
press. The cover paper is marked up and pasted on exactly as described
in Library Binding, page 30.
5. Post Card Book.
Loose leaves of cover paper 7″×11″. Cover made exactly like the fourth
grade spelling book at Fig. 38, except that it must be much larger in
order to accommodate the larger leaves.
Various devices may be used to hold the cards, but the best method
perhaps, is to cut slits for the corners.
6. Rebind Straight Back Book.
a. Old cover torn off.
b. Sections cut apart.
c. Mended and guarded.
d. Endpapers cut.
e. Sewed all along with five punctures. Consult Case Binding, Fig. 14.
f. Back glued.
g. Half cloth case binding made and put on.
7. Magazine Cover.
Case binding in full cloth. Inside of back lined with a strip of book
cloth. A one inch piece of cloth or leather runs lengthwise inside of
each board to hold the leaves of the magazine. These strips are fastened
by turning the ends and pasting them under the end papers, similar to
that shown in photograph, Fig. 52.
8. Art Book.
Several sections sewed all along. Heavy gray paper for mounting drawings
and pictures. Original work on cover, using combinations and
modifications of previous problems. After the book is bound, a
sufficient number of leaves may be cut out along through the book to
prevent too great thickness at the back.
SIXTH GRADE.
1. Portfolio.
Simply a case binding in half or full cloth, with a cloth pocket inside
of each cover. Each pocket is made by taking a piece of cloth one inch
wider and two inches longer than the board, and folding the edges of one
side and the two ends and pasting to the board. Then the cover is
finished according to the method of making a case binding.
2. Memorandum Book.
One section with a small folio of Manila board outside. Cover is made of
one piece of buffing, which is cut ¾″ longer and wider than the finished
cover. A piece of tough paper exactly the size of the finished cover, is
pasted on the inside of the buffing, leaving about a three-eighths inch
margin all round. A piece of Manila board as wide as the paper, is laid
on the paper at each end. These boards should be short enough to leave a
three-quarter inch space at the middle of the leather for the back.
The projecting edges of the leather are now turned over and pasted to
the Manila board. End papers as long as the Manila boards and one-fourth
inch narrower, are now pasted on. After the cover has dried in press,
the ends of the outside folio of the book are inserted under the
unpasted ends of the Manila boards of the cover.
3. Binding from Original Printed Sheets.
Small book like “Printing and Bookbinding,” “He Knew Lincoln,” “Man
Without a Country,” or “The Other Wise Man.” Arrangements can be made
with publishers to furnish unfolded printed sheets at reasonable prices.
Sheets are folded and pressed—not cut.
Sewed all along with five punctures.