Every family has favorite books passed down from generation to generation. Old books are relentlessly decaying over time - and the most destructive effect of time affects the binding. Old bindings are crumbling, losing their brightness, and the book needs updating. In this article, we'll show you how to bind a book yourself. Binding repair is a simple science, and anyone who loves their books can master it.
Instructions
Step 1
To repair a book, take 2 mm thick cardboard, colored paper, starched gauze, calico and PVA glue. You will also need scissors, a wooden rail, a press, brushes, nylon white threads, a long needle, a sharp knife, a mallet and an awl.
Step 2
Open the book on the front and back endpaper and tear them off. Use a knife to cut through the gauze and separate the block of sheets of the book, including the title page, from the old cover. Divide the book into separate notebooks by cutting the threads that intertwine them with a knife.
Step 3
Place your notebooks in a pile. Sew a line along the fold of the last notebook with a needle, leaving a small end 5-7 cm. Take the next notebook, the penultimate one, and sew it in the same way as the first. Tie the two notebooks together using the ends of the threads hanging from both sides of each notebook.
Step 4
Continue sewing the notebooks in the fold and tying them together until you have collected a full stack and formed a block. Tighten all the nodes and coat the spine from the folds with PVA glue. If any sheets are sticking out, trim them with scissors. Place a piece of cardboard on top of the block and place a weight on it.
Step 5
When the glue is dry, take a mallet (wooden mallet) and round the top and bottom edges of the spine. Cover the spine with a strip of starched gauze. On the top and bottom edges of the spine, glue a piece of fabric with bulges at the ends - you can see them in any other book.
Step 6
Cut out two sheets of plain colored paper to serve as double endpapers for the new binding. Cut out two parts of the binding from thick cardboard, as well as a separate strip, the width of which should be 2 mm wider than the width of the arch of the spine, and the length should be equal to the height of the book.
Step 7
Place the cardboard covers on a section of the calico, and put a strip for the spine between them. On each side, the calico should have a 15 mm allowance for overcasting. Cut all corners obliquely to make it easy to fold and glue the edges of the fabric.
Step 8
Glue the folded edges from the inside to the cardboard with PVA glue and smooth it carefully, then place the load on top. Glue the cover to the endpapers, one side of which is already glued to the first and last page of the book block, and then place the finished glued book under the press for 12 hours.
Step 9
On the front cover of the book, you can glue a plaque with the book's title and author's name, or write the title and author's name by hand in neat handwriting.
