Bookbinding and The Care of Books
Douglas Cockerell with Drawings by Noel Rooke and other
Illustrations New York 1902
Book binding Chapter IX Part 4
as to prevent the board from shutting freely, not
left so loose as to make a perceptible interval in
the joint of the book. The pasted slips having
been laced in, their ends are cut off with a sharp
knife, flush with the surface of the board. The
laced-in slips are then well hammered on a
knocking-down iron (see fig. 51), first from the
front and then from the back, care being taken
that the hammer face should fall squarely, or the
slips may be cut. This should rivet them into the
board, leaving little or no projection. If in lacing
twisted, no amount of
hammering will make
them flat, so that it is
important in pointing
the ends for lacing in,
that only the points are
twisted just sufficiently
to facilitate the
threading through the
holes, and not enough to
twist the whole slip.
To lace slips into
wooden boards, holes
are made with a brace
and fine twist bit, and
the ends of the frayed
out slips may be secured
with a wooden plug (see
fig. 52).
Old books were
sometimes sewn on
bands of leather,
modern cord is a far more trustworthy material than modern leather, it is better to use cord for
any books bound now.
When the boards have been laced on and the slips hammered
down, the book should be pressed. Before pressing, a tin is put
on each side of both boards, one being pushed right up into
the joint on the inside, and the other up to the joint, or a little
over it, on the outside. While in the press, the back should be
covered with paste and left to soak for a few minutes. When
the glue is soft the surplus on the surface can be scraped off
with a piece of wood shaped as shown in fig. 53. For
important books it is best to do this in the lying press, but
some binders prefer first to build up the books in the standing
press, and then to paste the backs and clean them off there.
This has the advantage of being a quicker method, and will, in
many cases, answer quite well. But for books that require nice
adjustments it will be found better to clean off each volume
boards in the standing press, putting the larger books at the bottom. It
must be seen that the entire pile is exactly in the centre under the screw, or
the pressure will be uneven. To ascertain if the books are built up truly, the
pile must be examined from both the front and side of the press. Each
volume must also be looked at carefully to see that it leis evenly, and that the
back is not twisted or out of shape. This is important, as any form given to
the book when it is pressed at this stage will be permanent. Any colored or
newly printed plates will need tissues, as in the former pressing; and any
folded plates or diagrams or inserted letters will need a thin tin on each side
of them to prevent them from marking the book. Again, the pressure on
hand-printed books must not be excessive. The books should be left in the
press at least at night. When taken out they will be ready for head-banding,
unless the edges are to be cut in boards.
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