Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Librarians by Douglas Cockerell with Drawings
by Noel Rooke and other Illustrations
New York
1902
Book binding Chapter XX
Part 4
A good paste for mending is made from If a
teaspoonful of ordinary flour, two teaspoonfuls of
corn flour, half a teaspoonful of alum, and three
ounces of water. These should be carefully mixed,
breaking up all lumps, and then should be heated
in a clean saucepan, and stirred all the time with a
wooden or bone spoon. The paste should boil for
about five minutes, but not too fast, or it will burn
and turn brown. Rice-flour starch may be
substituted for corn flour, and for very white
paper the wheaten flour may be omitted. Ordinary
Corn flour paste may be used directly after it is made, and will keep good under ordinary
circumstances for about a week. Directly it gets hard or goes watery, a new batch must be made.
GLUE
It is important for bookbinders that the glue used should be of good quality, and the best hide
glue will be found to answer well. To prepare it for use, the glue should be broken up into small
pieces and left to soak overnight in water. In the morning it should be soft and greatly swollen,
but not melted, and can then be put in the glue pot and gently simmered until it is fluid. It is then
ready for use. Glue loses in quality by being frequently heated, so that it is well not to make a
great quantity at a time. The glue-pot should be thoroughly cleaned out before new glue is put
into it, and the old glue sticking round the sides taken out.
Glue should be used hot and not too thick. If it is stringy and difficult to work, it can be broken
up by rapidly twisting the brush in the glue pot. For paper the glue should be very thin and well
worked up with the brush before using.
The following is quoted from “Chambers' Encyclopedia" article on Glue:
"While England does not excel in the manufacture, it is a recognized fact that Scottish glue . . .
ranks in the front of the glues of all countries. A light-colored glue is not necessarily good, nor a
dark-colored glue necessarily bad. A bright, clear, claret colour is the natural colour of hide glue,
which is the best and most economical.
" Light-colored glues (as distinguished from gelatine) are made either from bones or sheepskins.
The glue yielded by these materials cannot compare with the strength of that yielded by hides.
"A great quantity is now made in France and Germany from bones. It is got as a by-product in
the manufacture of animal charcoal. Although beautiful to look at, it is found when used to be
far inferior to Scottish hide glue."
email: info@aboutbookbinding.com