International studio (33.1907/1908(1908))

Practical Bookbinding

P

RACTICAL BOOKBINDING—V.
BY MORRIS LEE KING

Finishing: After the book has been
brought thus far—that is, after the leather
cover has been put on—the forwarding is com-
plete and the book is ready to be “Finished.”
This term includes many processes; each will be
taken in order and briefly described.
Filling in: As the book now lies before the work-
er, the inner sides of the covers have an irregular
strip of leather around the edges of a greater or
less width. This must be trimmed to an exact width
and the level of the board in the center brought up
to the level of the leather at the edges.
With the compass take the width of the narrowest
part of the leather margin, and, fixing the legs of the
compass firmly, a line is drawn along each edge and
parallel to it, and by means of a straight edge and
sharp knife, held perpendicularly, the leather is
cut to the same width all around.
The central portion of the board is now filled in
with several thicknesses of a porous paper (called
card middling), one pasted on top of the other until
the level is brought up to that of the leather, so that
when the finger is run over the joint there will be no
apparent difference. The best way to do this filling
in (these remarks apply to a book without a leather
hinge) is to ascertain by experiment just how many
thicknesses of paper are needed for the purpose;
then fold that number of sheets together to a size
slightly larger than the space to be filled in (but not
so large as the cover itself). The cover lying open
on a finishing block, place these sheets over the
space to be filled in, with a weight at the center;
the same compass (spaced for cutting the leather
edges) is used to mark points around the edge which
will correspond exactly with the width of the
leather.
The sheets are then removed to the cutting
board, care being taken not to disarrange them,
and all are cut at one operation; it will be found
that they will fit the space exactly if this has been
carefully done. Before pasting them in, however,
it is necessary to allow for a small amount of expan-
sion when they are dampened with the paste, and
it is therefore necessary to cut a narrow sliver from
the top or bottom. A little experimenting in this
direction will show what is necessary.
As the filling paper lies before the worker, it is
cut squarely on three sides—that is, the head, the
tail and the fore edge, and fits the space exactly.
It should be wide enough to extend a quarter of an
inch beyond the inside of the board itself. Each

piece of paper, as it is pasted in place, should be
thoroughly smoothed down with a folder (through
another piece of paper). This smoothing down
should be particularly well done at the inside edge
of the board. After they have all been pasted, one
on top of the other, the board should be left open
for a few hours to dry thoroughly, so the filling in
may draw the board enough to counteract the
drawing of the leather on the outside. After it is
thoroughly dry the paper will be found to be quite
unyielding at the inside edge; take a sharp, pointed
knife, and, running it along the inside edge of the
board (edge up), the various thicknesses of the
paper are cut through, making them quite square
with the inside edge of the board. The book is now
ready for the real work of “Finishing.”
Paste-washing: The covers—especially if the
leather be at all porous—should now be thoroughly
“paste-washed” as follows:
Mix a little paste with water, making a thin,
milky solution which feels rather sticky to the
fingers, and wash the leather once or twice and let
it dry. This is done so that the minute interstices
of the leather may be filled up, thus helping to
render absolutely smooth the surface on which the
gold is finally to rest. After it has dried it should
again be sponged off with water, or preferably
vinegar, to remove the pasty feel from the surface.
Many leathers have a very rough surface, which
surface it is necessary to render somewhat smoother
before applying a design, particularly if the latter
be composed of fine lines or elements.
The leather, inside and out, should be moistened
with water or vinegar and polishing tins placed
inside the covers; the book should then be placed
between a pair of polishing plates and put in the
press. The amount of pressure 'to be used in this
operation must be a matter of experiment with
each individual worker, but not much pressure is
to be used; the leather is not to be crushed, but
rather flattened a little. It is not necessary to use
much pressure nor to leave the book in any great
length of time. Light pressure and a half-hour’s
time will answer the purpose. After coming from
the press the book should be allowed to dry be-
tween a pair of plates with a small weight resting
on it; this in order to prevent the boards from
warping.
Design: There is no question but that the de-
sign itself is of as much importance as the quality
of the work. A striking but simple design, based
on sound principles of art, is much more valuable
and much more effective than more elaborate work
done in a haphazard and inartistic manner. I

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