Finshing touches on the binding

Today's tasks are to finish work on the binding. It must seem like a lot of work has gone into this process. But honestly, it's not that complicated and very enjoyable if you enjoy glue. It's now time to work on gluing the end pages to the text block. The end pages are shaped like a greeting card. They are the same size as the text block and are used to glue the text block (the reading pages) to the cover pieces.

For this process, I needed to glue a small strip on the end pages' edge. You can see from the photo there is approximately a 16th of an inch exposed for the glue. 

Gluing the end pages

I the put the back end page on the text block making sure I pressed down on the outside and the inside for a firm grip. Then again the same process for the front end page. The photo shows what the book would look like when turned horizontally and open. Because the edge of the text block with new end pages won't be pressed within the press while it dries, making sure it stays put is important.

Pressing the end page well

You can see in this next picture what the end result looks like. It's clear to see the end page however, we're not putting it away yet. 

It's beginning to look like a book!

This next and final treatment of the binding process includes something called "mull" or binding tape. It's not really tape, but an acid free mess cloth material that is a little stiff. I purchased this from a book binders company called Hollander's. I like supporting places like this because let's face it, Amazon is a beast that imposes such a disruption for competitors it's criminal. Mine came in a 2 yard by 18" wide swath.

Mull or bookbinders tape

I then measured out the length of the text block making sure I left a few millimeters on each end free of the tape. The width is determined by how much you want to have to glue to the end pages. It was advised in the tutorial I am following to allow no wider than 2 cm or 3/4 of an inch for the over hang.

At this point I clamped the text block into the press with around 2 inches included in the binding to hang out. More glue is added to the binding, but not on the end pages yet. 

Glue applied as well as mull

Pressing down hard on the mulled binding I then had to apply more glue to the end pages where the mull would be laying over them. It was easily achieved by tilting the press and applying glue to the end pages. I then worked down the mull over the edge to the end pages on both sides simultaneously so the mull would be evenly applied to the end pages.

The end result

It's an exiting process to watch come together. There is one step that I have decided not to do after this. On one tutorial you are instructed to "round" the edges of the binding using a hammer. It's a gentle process that softens the edges. I've decided my edges are rounded enough from my own process. The next step is quite exciting. We will be working on creating the cover! So please stay tuned. 

Disclaimer, I am a total newbie artist and crafter. The process of book binding here you read about is knowledge I've learned through YouTube videos. At the end of the project, I'll be posting those videos I found helpful.

Removing excess string and what's next

 And we're moving on with the book binding adventure today with removing the string reinforcements. This old paper edition of The Hobbit is starting to look like a book again. I took off the old scrap covers which were protecting the original text block. The paper was easily removed when tearing off the book.

Removing scrap covers

By the way, I don't know if "scrap covers" is the technical term. It's just what I called them. I was left with the strings to remove. Upon inspecting them I can see I did a good job wedging them into my initial glued binding. Opening the book wide, there was really only a trace of the strings inside the books' binding crease. 

Nicely secured strings

Using a sharp craft knife it was easy to remove the excess string. As I had thought, I probably should have made the saw cuts deeper into the glued binding to make the strings even more effective at strengthening the binding. But all in all it's a great first attempt. 

All tidied up

What's next is quite exciting. The end papers, the pieces of paper or card stock that you glue on top of the front (or back) page and glue onto a cover. They are what holds the text block, the glued binding to the hardcovers. I'd like to incorporate an old Tolkien calendar from 2006 with illustrations from Tolkien into the end pages. But I must work on some experiments to see if gluing images to the paper type I've chosen will be suitable and look nice. More to come...

Old Tolkien illustrations

Disclaimer, I am a total newbie artist and crafter. The process of book binding here you read about is knowledge I've learned through YouTube videos. At the end of the project, I'll be posting those videos I found helpful.

Adding string reinforcements

 The next step in this bookbinding adventure is adding strings to the binding to strengthen it. I'm sure there are more technical terms to use but hey, I'm just having fun and learning something new.

The process for this task is a bit scary. I had to use a coping saw to cut grooves into the newly glued binding for the strings to be inserted. To start, the book was then clamped into the press allowing 1" to the edge. Taking the saw I cut 7 grooves into the glued binding. After the first cut I realized the glue on the binding was pretty durable so I only needed to hold the scrap covers and binding together avoiding ripping them off.

Sawing the binding

 

Because I am using what's on hand in my house, the string actually would have been too think for grooves made by the saw. So I had to remove one of the strands leaving two to do the job. 

 

Regular string

 More glue! Another layer of glue and extra to add into the newly made groves for the strings. Upon thinking of this binding with just the amount of glue alone the book should last a long time.

More glue...

Adding the string reinforcements was easy enough. With a see saw motion I wedged the string in as far as it would go. In hindsight I probably could have sawed deeper into the binding to totally immerse the string. 

Using that handy plastic tool

The end results looks encouraging. Time for more drying. If there is one thing I've learned it is that bookbinding is not a fast process. Which suits me just fine. 

Waiting to dry

Tomorrow we'll remove the strings and the scrap covers.

Full disclosure I am a complete novice at bookbinding. I used YouTube videos for the inspiration and know how. At the end of this project I'll share a post of those YouTube videos which helped me on my first book binding adventure. As you can see, I'm not going into deep descriptions, as I feel you are best suited to watch the YouTube videos.

Removing the text block

It was odd and slightly cathartic taking a book apart. But here is the process at the beginning.

 

To start I needed to remove the pages from the less than adequate text block. As I mentioned in the first post here the pages of my paperback edition of The Hobbit had started coming off the binding in clumps. As I removed the cover I realized the binding was a hot mess. 

The glue was really thick and in some ways it was easy to remove the pages because of it. There were a fair number of pages with globs of glue so I had to find some kind of tool in the art closet to remove the glue from the edges of the page. I found a plastic tool with a flat side I used to scrap the glue off of the pages. Yay art closet!

 At the end of the book the last few pages were not just glued on the edges but also the glue had bled onto the pages them selves. Separating them was very difficult resulting in having to sacrifice the edges of a few. This left me with a reconstruction project to recover the page edges so they would someone match the existing pages. I used gift tissue paper and pva glue (I used Elmers) to recreate the pages edges.

 

Because the pages' inside edges won't be seen by the reader I wasn't too worried what they looked like. With this process I was able to give these once damaged pages some strength to then glue onto the text block as a whole.

The next step is the gluing of the binding back together. This is the first step to reinforcing the text block for binding. I then used two pieces of scrap paper, one for the front and one for the back to protect the book. 

Clamped into the press with the edges exposed I then used a paint brush to paint on the glue. This process was repeated twice after which the glue dried in between reapplication of the glue. This picture shows the rough edges and the binding after the last drying. The next process I'll add strings to make the binding even stronger. 

Full disclosure I am a complete novice at bookbinding. I used YouTube videos for the inspiration and know how. At the end of this project I'll share a post of those YouTube videos that most helped me on my first book binding adventure. As you can see, I'm not going into deep descriptions, as I feel you are best suited to watch the YouTube videos.

Bookbinding, a new thing for me

Each year I reread The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This year I decided to reread The Hobbit first. It had been some time since I read The Hobbit so I picked up my paperback Houghton Mifflin copy opened the cover. To my surprise a large chunk of the text block, pages, came out in my hand. The batch was still glued together. 

As I started to read and become re-acquainted again with a youngish Bilbo the book continued to fall apart. This edition was old but I loved the painting by Alan Lee that adorned the cover. Now that I am "semi-retired" (let's face it... I'm not working for money any longer) I thought I'd try my hand at a craft I've always been interested in. Bookbinding is one of those "old" crafts that intrigues me. There is something about taking a whole lot of pages and creating something you love to hold in your hands. The outcome is a tactile experience in itself. 

I've started my journey and I'll record it here as a complete novice. I suspect if I enjoy the process, which I have no doubt I will, I'll be looking for more books to rebind from my library. Stay tuned for a journey with me. Oh, BTW, Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo!

Feeling vintage

 After two days of shoulder pain I'm able to hold a pencil again. I've been feeling like I'd use vintage fairy art to do my daily sketches. I have a few of the Dover Publishing royalty free design books that have simple designs and famous paintings too. I found a few fairies from Richard Doyle's In Fairyland, 1870 illustration to tackle. These fairies are floating down a brook or river in lily boats. 

This little fairy was the first one from this morning. Honestly, I chose him because I wasn't feeling confident and wanted to do a simple line drawing. He was fairly quick to do though I must admit I felt very rusty this morning. The second fairy drifting down the river proved more challenging.

This little lady is down right a mess. lol Her billowing ribbon and her legs are fine. The rest of this poor thing needs an over haul. She's got quite the upper arm build there. Oh well, these are rough sketches after all. 

The next is just a mushroom I found in a John Anster Fritzgerald painting called The Intruders. 

It's a simple enough mushroom and I do love mushrooms and fungi. Overall, I found this morning's drawing session quite frustrating. I look at my older work  and it's so different. I'm even debating to create Throwback Thursday posts from my past art endeavors just to have a reminder of what I'm capable of doing to myself.

A slow beginning

 I was totally ambitious to get the ball rolling and then something happened I didn't expect. I lost momentum and hit a brick wall. It took me a few days to realize that my old daily art life was missing in the equation. I didn't realize the routine of being physically creative each day was a "habit". 

Physical art and digital designing are totally different animals. With designs as I was using them they weren't my own. I would take digital pieces and create with them. But the habit of actually using my drawing or printing skills went to sleep during the past four or so years.

I've learned that new habits form after doing them for 30+ days. Today is day one. No pressure to myself, I've decided to either at least draw or sketch once a day. No limits and any subject that moves me is fair game. Perhaps in this way I'll expand on the days I feel inspired. 

For today the drawing is a simple troubled gnome. He's a bit worried looking but that is no fault of mine. That's just what is became in the 15 minutes it took to sketch him. I do like sketching gnomes so don't be surprised if you see him again.

 

On shaky legs

 As I mentioned before, it's been some time since I had been creative. When I last left this journey I had been working in print art. The medium I had chosen was linoleum blocks. You know the kind, stiff mustard colored linoleum mounted on a chip wood block covered in burlap. At the very end I had purchase the new medium of pink stamp sheets to cut. The pink materiel felt easier to cut but honestly, to get a crisp line was more difficult. 

I decided to pick up where I had left off trying to get back in the swing of things. My last project was to make a Art Noveau inspired bookmark. With vines, leaves and flowers I started the cutting and stopped mid way through. Last week I found the half finished project and took up the tools to finish it.

I felt really unprepared using the tools again. It wasn't the old "like riding a bicycle" saying. The techniques were there but the smooth lines had to be remembered. A nick off a leaf here or oblong motif that should have been a circle were control issues I faced. After a short while I finally finished the old rubber block.

Now another challenge... working the ink to the right consistency. The inks had separated so it took a bit of squeezing and shaking the tubes to mix well enough to use them. I then inked the bookmark block and was horrified to see the sloppiness of the cuts. I continued to cut what I didn't want to appear on the bookmarks. 

As I started to print off the bookmarks I realized the prints looked muddied. Perhaps the inks weren't mixed well enough or the pink rubber cut prints off mushy outcomes. I think working more with the medium is necessary for me to have an educated guess as to why I didn't like the results of this one particular project. 

These are only bookmarks and little effort went into making them. It was fun to at least start to get back into the swing of being creative with my hands and a different medium other than the computer.

I look forward to the next adventure starting today with my newly purchased Gelli plate.