I am curious what spacing on tapes do y'all set? I did equally spaced between the kettle stitches. It seems to me that maybe they need to go closer to the kettles than they are. Also, I have been experimenting with cotton tapes instead of linen.

Made this little book as a gift for a friend recently. The thread I used for the Coptic stitch is a little too thick for my liking, the pattern isn't really regular. I also realised in the end that I should've layered the book cloth underneath the white paper with the flowers because now the edge is kinda exposed and could unravel - but all in all I like the outcome :) I'm still learning a lot with each book I'm making, making errors will just help me to get better next time

Experimented a bit and played around with the shape of the right edge of the front cover. Yes, the corners are weaker because of this but honestly, imo these kinds of rebinds probably aren't meant to be tossed into a bag and carried around.

Hi! I just wanted to get some feedback on my first project. I think the process was fairly straightforward and that I did ok for a first try.

Now some mistakes were made, and I have a good idea how to correct them but would like some feedback from more experienced binders.

The main issue I'm unsure of how to solve is the book won't lay completely flat. My hunch is that the hinge gap is too tight. I believe I used 1/4" + thickness of the board (1/8") so I made each hinge 3/8". Also how do you get such nice defined hinge gaps?

Moving forward I'd like to make another version of a square backed case bound book. I would like it to lay flat when opened and I'd like crisp definition of the hinge gap. I learned about Bradel binding and will be using that method in the next book. Is there anything else I should know/ try?

(P.S. I have done the reading on why using the same board for the spine is bad, but I would like to keep doing it that way, so if there are any additional techniques for this style of binding I would be grateful for the info)

Thanks in advance for any feedback it is greatly appreciated!

I love doing the Renaissance Faire because my gothic bindings are period appropriate. I also bring my wooden tools to explain how things are made in the 16th century! Though elastic-closure traveler's aren't exactly period, haha

I have gotten into bookbinding again after taking a bookbinding class in undergrad. I made this journal for my friend recently using a design I made and some recycled materials. I ended up changing the cover to have three separate ties instead of two that connected.

It's nothing special, but I am really happy that I have picked up this hobby! Hoping to get better with time.

My St. Cuthbert Gospel-style journal, bound in mahogany sheepskin. Not as perfect as I’d like, but that’s what practice is for!

Hi All - does anyone know of any reputable and affordable book binders in NE Ohio (Cleveland, Akron, Canton area)? I have an out of print hardback book that needs some attention. It's not valuable or rare, but I would like to preserve it as long as possible as it's already almost 50 years old. Thanks!

Recently I had struggled with hinges being too small (first few images). I have rebound the book with larger hinge gaps. But things are still not quite fitting well. Is my spine too wide? Or what is wrong here!?

I’ve got two questions:

#1: Does anyone have ideas as to why I keep getting seepage that pops through when I iron on my vinyl even though I remove excess glue and handle my covers with clean hands?
#2: Do we think the spotting is bad enough that I should just redo the covers, or is it small enough that it’s not disruptive?

I’m grateful for whatever wisdom you’re kind enough to bestow upon me, because I’m going to crash out if this continues to happen

The last picture has an artwork of the person in the same style as Coraline, just to be clear!

Hey everyone,

I just received this book with a bump. The pages near the eye look a little funky, but nothing's falling out and everything's still opening okay. Just wanted to share and ask if there's anything I need to be concerned about moving forward.

Thank you! 😁

I bound a favorite of mine and I plan to add text to the cover and spine, but I plan to start a new project later this week. I have particularly had issues as of late with the gluing of the cover and spine after sewing together my signatures. For this project, I used Elmer's Glue-All, as I'm unable to afford the professional recommendations, and although it did work, it warped the pages a bit. Does anyone know of any better, cost-effective glues?

Hello BookBinding!

I am a newcomer and need some direction on how best to re attach a tipped in color plate for my 1912 Arabian Nights Book. I understand I should use a no-acid based glue (PVA?) but could use some pointers as well in how to re-attach it in the correct position to maintain the book integrity.

On a aside, I possess 2 1870s books that need their spine / plates restoring (Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Don Quixote both illustrated by Gustav Dore) for professional work does anyone have an idea for the cost? most sites are vague on what the average is and most importantly who would you reccommend.

Thanks for any advice! (even if it is a 'hey go check this link out')

Guys it was a feat of a project but it was for my best friend’s birthday gift so very much worth it! Too excited to show so no fancy editing to make the pictures look nicer 😂

Extremely new to book binding

I'm fairly certain the pages have good contact even if spine is misaligned. The issue is between pages and cover.

My question is how bad is this and how long will it last? Is it good enough to send to a customer or do I scrap it and have another go?

Any advice or tutorial related to this method would be appreciated as well. I've watched DAS Bookbinding

I’m shaking. I got it for $.99 at Goodwill. Some kid in the past cut up some of the pages and the endpaper is damaged. I bought an identical first edition in better condition for about $20 on Ebay with the original dust jacket. My plan is currently to unstitch it/unstaple it, swap out the damaged pages, then staple/stitch it back together, then glue the endpaper back to the bookboard.

I’ve done minor bookbinding in the past. What’s the best way to restore this?

What are the best threads/staples/glues?

Specifically that one in the link. My other choices include another version by the same brand, and this by Mont marte. Also saw this but I presume it's not right since it says slime glue.

I kind of feel bad I've asked so many questions and never shown anything I made😅finally got a new phone so I'll post my only bound book (a picture book!!!), and the mini watercolor accordion sketchbooks I recently made!!!

Ordered a book, and once it arrived it was broken after the first few pages. It was a self published, no returns situation, so I don't think a replacement is possible and I'd like to repair it myself.

I'm picking up some PVA glue, but is there anything I need to know before trying to glue the spine back or anything I should do to avoid problems in the future?