PASTING UP.
The first and last sheet of every book must be pasted up or down,—it
is called by both terms; and if the book has too much swelling, it
must be tapped down gently with a hammer. Hold the book tightly at the
foredge with the left hand, knuckles down; rest the back on the press,
and hit |37| the back with the hammer to the required thickness. If
the book is not held tightly, a portion of the back will slip in and
the hollow will always be visible; so I advise that the back be knocked
flat on the “lying press” and placed in it without boards, so that the
back projects. Screw the press up tightly, so that the sheets cannot
slip. A knocking-down iron should then be placed against the book on
its left side, and the back hammered against it; the “slips” or cords
must be pulled tight, each one being pulled with the right hand, the
left holding the slips tightly against the book so that they cannot be
pulled through. Should it happen that a slip is pulled out, nothing
remains but to re-sew the book, unless it is a thin one, when it may
possibly be re-inserted with a large needle. But this will not do the
book any good.
The slips being pulled tight, the first and last section should be
pasted to those next them. To do this, lay the book on the edge of the
press and throw the top section back; lay a piece of waste paper upon
the next section about 1/8 or 1/4 inch from the back, according to the
size of the book, and paste the space between the back and the waste
paper, using generally the second finger of the right hand, holding the
paper down with the left. When pasted, the waste paper is removed, and
the back of the section put evenly with the back of the book, which
is now turned over carefully that it may not shift; the other end is
treated in the same manner. A weight should then be put on the top, or
if more than a single book, one should lie on the top of the other,
back and foredge alternately, each book to be half an inch within the
foredge of the book next to it, with a few pressing boards on the top
one. When dry the end papers are to be pasted on.
[Illustration]
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