DIY Book Binding and Restoration for Beginners
Think about the incredible development of books since their birth. Books began as simple clay tablets, dating back to the 7th Century BC, and as Papyrus scrolls in Ancient Egypt around 2400 BC. And look how far they’ve come! Surpassing the most common paper books we use today, we even have electronic varieties like the Kindle and the iPad.
With such a deep history, books are precious. Sacred texts like the Bible and other religious documents have been able to survive for centuries! This is because they have been looked after and undergone antique book restoration when needed.
Books hold the key to the past, so shouldn’t we be keeping them safe? Check out this book binding tutorial and information about antique book restoration, so you can keep your beloved books looking as good as new.
Book Binding Tutorial
Take this book binding tutorial step-by-step and the process won’t seem quite as daunting as it may do now! Of course, the more you practise, the more beautiful your books will become. This is like any hobby – no one starts off as an expert!
The list of items you need is pretty long, though most of it is available cheaply at an art store or hardware store. If that all fails, go online for your equipment.
You will need:
- Sheet of watercolour paper (hot press)
- Yard stick or ruler
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Bone folder
- A fine drill to puncture the pages
- Scrap cardboard
- Super cloth
- Cotton canvas
- Needle and thread (use linen binder’s thread for its strength)
- Binder’s tape
- Tear bar
- PVA glue
- Two small boards
- Chip board
- C clamp
- Plasters
- Safety goggles
The method
- Prepare the paper. Measure and tear out the paper you will use for your book. When unfolded, each page should measure 4″ x 11″. Lay your sheet of watercolour paper out on a hard surface and use your yardstick to draw a line lengthways down the middle.
- Mark the watercolour paper. You need to create guidelines at this point. Make markings on the top and bottom of your paper, each one 4 inches apart. The result should be a grid of fourteen 4″ x 11″ and two 2″ x 11″ rectangles extra. Use your tear bar to tear along the gridlines. Then tear each of your new rectangles in half. This will give you fourteen pieces of 4″ x 11″ paper.
- Fold the paper. You only need twelve of these pieces of paper. Fold the twelve in half and make three equal piles of paper.
- Puncture the paper. Next, you need to puncture holes in the paper. You can mark where you want the holes to be. You want the holes to be about half an inch apart from each other, and the distance should always be consistent. Throw on some safety goggles and open the pages flat-down on your scrap cardboard. Drill holes through each bunch of paper down the spine.
- Prepare the binder’s tape and needle. Thread the binder’s thread through the needle and secure with a large knot at the end. Double-up on the thread for better durability. Now you can sew the pages together. This can be a challenging process but stick at it and you’ll discover the best method for you. Use binder’s tape to help you along and keep the thread as tight as you can.
- Fold the pages. This will now begin to look like the inside of a book. Align the holes in each bunch of paper so you can stitch them all together. Pull the thread taught to make sure your pages are securely tied together. Sew the thread around the outside stitches for extra security.
- Cut your super cloth. Cut your piece of super cloth to about 1″ x 4″. It should be wide enough to cover the binding and a little shorter than your book length. Glue down the binder’s tape and then the super cloth. Smooth the cloth tightly around the bind and let the glue dry.
- Drying the glue. Use your C clamp to keep the pages in place while the glue dries.
- Make the cover. Meanwhile, you can start to get the cover ready. Cut the chip board so it is slightly bigger than the pages. Then cut out a thin strip, with the same width, for the spine cover. Place your pieces of chip board onto your canvas to trim it to size. Leave a tiny space between the spine cover and the outside covers so the book can open freely.
- Glue the chipboard to the canvas. Glue the chipboard and place it firmly onto the canvas. Trim away any excess canvas material. Smooth down any edges and glue them onto the sides of the chipboard.
- Add the pages. Glue the pages to the cover! You can do this easily by painting glue onto the outside of the front and back page and pressing them onto the cover.
- Decorate the cover. Now you can get creative! Use fabric cut-outs, paint or whatever you like to decorate the front and back covers. Re-clamp or use a weight to make sure the book can completely dry.
Antique Book Restoration
Antique book restoration is a delicate process. You have to be careful that you don’t decrease the value or take any meaning away from the original book. If you’re paranoid about ruining a particularly special book, then I’d advise hiring an expert to restore it for you.
If you’re ready to restore an old classic book by rebinding it yourself, here’s a tutorial in the most simple guidelines. You will need some of the materials we used for the book binding tutorial.
- Ensure the pages are lined up as well as you can get them, by using a straight piece of wood.
- Clamp the book together using a c clamp or some smaller clamps. This keeps the pages in place so you can begin drilling. Mind your fingers as you drill the spine. Begin drilling near the edge of the spine.
- Move the clamps away from the book carefully so it’s ready for the sewing step. Use extra thick thread to sew the bind together and pull it taught. Smear PVA glue over the glued edge of the spine, but make sure it doesn’t leak onto the pages.
- You can then restore the book’s original cover by gluing it face down onto the new fabric. Add the burlap inner lining so the spine has something to stick to.
Why Should you Do-It-Yourself?
Original is better
Antique book restoration adds character to your library! Often, newer books don’t have the same pictures or the original cover and thus, don’t have the same feeling that an old book can offer. Hanging on to your antique books and making them useable again can make sure you maintain that wonderful, classic effect.
Increase the lifespan of your book and pass it down the generations in your family.
Customise your scrap book
Follow the book binding tutorial and you’ll have a unique scrap book that you would never find in the shops. You can decorate it however you like, writing your name or creating a design of your choice. It’s great to give these away as gifts, too.
It’s a cheaper option
DIY book binding will cost you less than hiring a professional. Once you have all the materials to hand, it’s also cheaper than buying blank books in stationery stores because let’s face it, the mark-up on these is often extortionate!
Making Money from Book Binding and Restoration
If you want to make money from your new-found skill, it’s time to put it to good use!
A great way to really showcase your books is to set up a small market stall, so check out your local market and see how you can get yourself a table on there. That way, potential customers get to see and feel the texture of the unique books.
You can even take orders from your customers! They may want a customised scrap book for themselves or for a friend, so you can create their purchase as a made-to-measure book.
Another option is to offer your services to those looking for antique book restoration on their cherished, classic books. You may be able to restore the books more cheaply than a trained professional, but just be sure that you know what you’re doing! If you ruin their book, they may never forgive you!
They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but with this book binding tutorial, your covers will be so pretty!
Antique book restoration is a great way to ensure the past doesn’t rot away with the pages of a book, so why not start your new career today?
References
Bookbinding Tutorial {Brought to You by Jessica of Greenleaf & Blueberry}
