I just accidentally pushed something on my screen and it said “feedback shared with creator”. I don’t know what it was but just in case it said it was something bad I wanted to comment and say I love this video. It’s extremely informative. Please disregard any bad things UA-cam may have told you. 😅
I like when you make a mistake because you explain how and why it happened, and, most importantly, how to fix it. You show that even a professional can make mistakes and still have a gorgeous final product. I love your videos and i will keep tuning in each week for more!
Thanks, but there are plenty of better binders than me that wouldn't make as many mistakes. But I do think it's a "feature" of my videos:) All the best, DAS
I love these videos. Thank you so much for doing them. I'm watching them as I go through "Book Making" at Harvard in the U.S, and they supplement what I learn. Your personality and commitment to fine bookbinding are truly special!
Thank you. And as others have said I appreciate that you share your mistakes along with your successes, we learn from mistakes and by your willingness and humble attitude I am learning the essence of true craft, persistence, determination and a humility towards the art of bookbinding. Thank you. And perhaps one day we can know your name. You are beautifully humble. Cheers.
I am currently taking a full leather binding class in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. United States (refresher) and your name has come up repeatedly by the students and the instructor as the go-to source for inspiration and technique (I am a subscriber). I just wanted to give you a glimpse of the support and admiration that you are receiving from across the world.
Thank you for the wonderful series of videos. It is a joy to watch them. I am an amateur bookbinder based in the Netherlands. Concerning the scraping off of paste you do in this video, I have been taught by Wilma van Driel to do this for a different reason. I do not wet the leather from the outside. Instead I make paste water, which is about one part paste to three parts water. I lay down the leather on a glass plate and wet it with paste water from the flesh side. Just use a brush and repeat this until the leather is completely saturated. This can easily be observed, since the outside of the leather is now also completely wet. Then use a bit of greyboard to scrape the flesh side to rid some of the paste water. If you do not do this then the leather is too wet and will not be ready for the paste. After scraping apply the paste and the leather is ready to use. It will not need wetting it while working, since it is entirely saturated. Thanks again for your great videos on bookbinding. Best wishes, Martijn
Hi Martijn. I really appreciate you sharing this. It's great to hear about other approaches and interpretations of what is happening in the processes. Bookbinding is based on tradition and interpretation is often presented as fact. Hearing another logical description makes one think about what you think you know. This has certainly made me think about wetting out leather. Thanks again. All the best, Darryn
Thnx for the courage to put this up with all the "forget" things/steps that all of us do. Also good for even more experienced bookbinders to see and have a "refresh" in technique. Can only help lift our own practise.
Totally enjoyed your video. I was also taught to scrape the paste off and reapply. I like the way you do the corners and will give it a try as I always have issues paring it thin enough to pleat well. Thank you.
I think it was from Maureen Duke (not directly, maybe through my teacher June) that I was told that you can pare the leather too thin for the corner. That the grain layer does not mould as well as when there is some corium as well. Obviously the way I cut the corner off it is only grain at the edge. But when I paring with the spokeshave before applying the cover I do try and not overdo the paring and leave some corium where I expect the corner to be. I've seen people really take the corners down. I think corners became a bit easier when I started doing this. But it is very subjective and I can't say for sure if this is a better way. All the best, DAS
One learns something new every day. I have never seen or heard of using a spokeshave to skive leather. I have several and will try it since I do not have a skiving machine and my hand skiving needs a lot of work.
Hi DAS, The Flood gave me a clue. If I remember you had a bookbinding shop in Molesworth St Lismore about 10 years ago. On our last two trips to Lismore since the floods your shop was closed. I have inherited several hundred books, of which 50 or more are in serious need of conservation. I am getting a few lessons from a person in Newcastle which is going well. Your videos are also a great importance as you are able to teach the basics and more so that these lessons can be applied to conservation work. My oldest book is a protestant religious tract (wood Cut) from about 1685.
No, I'm in Brisbane. I'm guessing you mean restoration. Conversation and restoration are different things. Most people want things restored. Having said that, you should only conserve things like the 1685 book. Good luck!
Interesting! Since I do raised bands (using the sewn in cords), I have been doing the leather application in two separate parts. I do the spine first, and leave it overnight tied up on my finishing press with pins - then I do the covers and endbands in a single session. I'll have to try doing it all in one go with wheat paste. I've used Planatol BB PVA exclusively recently, but I absolutely have to be careful I don't let things get too dry. Thanks for the video, again!
Thanks for sharing how you do it. I do know of people who take this approach even when using paste. One case when PVA is almost needed is when using chrome tanned leather, because it repels water. I think there are techniques and approaches very much aimed at this type of leather. I've had negative experience with chrome tan so will stay away from it. I don;t like using the finishing press with pins because I worry about crushing the leather. I did this on my second book with bands:( But in your case you probably leave the leather outside the press, is that right? Take care, DAS
Love the large ledger. Did you know the marbled edges on it serve two purposes? 1. Decorative. 2. To show clearly if any pages were removed. Very important in financial and legal ledgers as you can imagine. Great job on the binding!
Yes, I did. But the one about security may be a bit apocryphal. I think you can get a page out and not notice the disruption in the pattern. I have a huge old accounting ledger from a bank that was mostly not used. They removed the few pages that had been used before giving it away. You can't really tell. But ledgers always had numbered pages, and it's hard to hide missing pages this way. DAS
I did some leatherwork with pouches but never thought of doing it with books. It is quite daunting though you have demonstrated how it is executed with ease and elegance. Very impressive indeed!
I can attest to the double glue layer trick! In fact it makes the leather softer and molding the edges is much easier. What I learned from you is lightly soaking the exterior of the leather with water. This makes it even easier to shape the leather!
Very nicely done. I like that you leave in the difficulties that we are likely to encounter, which is something that other references rarely include. I have a lot of leather waiting to be used, and I've not gotten to working yet in leather. Your work is much appreciated.
Thanks! I do cut big issues out. You'll notice it's not the same text block that I finished the week before. But that was my fault for trying to use a leather from a supplier I've not used before. I think the books by Johnson and Town are good because they mention things like this and what to do. Most of the time it's because leather is a natural material and far from uniform and you just need to know how to adjust. It's also good to not think of problems as mistakes, but difficulties as you mention. All the best, Darryn
Howdy, oh ok - I see now what you mean by fill in. Thanks for that. Wow. beautiful work. And that leather is so handsome. I recognize the end papers I watched that episode- very cool.
I've just taken up bookbinding and I'm unsure which type of cover to go for: book cloth with a laminated image on it or go all the way and try using leather (which means I'd have to learn how to "carve" the title on it... which seems very unlikely considering I'm a beginner 😅😅😅). I'm literally stuck due to this dilemma! 😂 All I know is that I want the cover to sport a title. I've been watching your videos while going through the previous steps and it's helped, so thank you! Grazie davvero! Spoiler: I'm probably going to just make a laminated cover. 😂
Start with a paper cover. The binding in this video is an advanced project. Check out my videos on a binding style called Sewn-board binding. Much more beginner friendly. Good luck.
LOL is there a race track in yor back yard lololol I love the videos!! Very nice clean work. Thank you for allowing yourself to apply your art to something that made you cringe. I am considering even leather traditional binding crappy copies of books i print with my crappy mono laser brother hl2270. Its NOT putting lipstick on a pig well it is but its a cute pig and a nice lipsick application. Everyone wins.
Just reading the Annie Tremmel Wilcox book now. Thank you so much for the recommendation. It is really interesting, well written and gives a very clear of idea of what it's like to serve an apprenticeship in professional craft bookbinding. There are so many things in it. At the moment I am particularly struck by how different she found working in a craft discipline from working in the academic world. Her tutor, Bill Anthony, wasn't great at, or encouraging of note taking. He had been brought up to learn by watching and doing over and over again, so that the learning was inculcated through the hands rather than via the mind. You've got to have your wits about you, mind. I cringed when I read about a fellow apprentice conservator of hers who failed to check whether a document she was washing was waterproof. She came back to find a blank sheet she as the ink had dissolved. Any other recommendations for reading matter on this theme?
Glad to hear you liked the book. I related to the not note taking. I tend not to take many notes either. A lot of bookbinding is the same thing applied in a different order or different in some other way. So I only note when things are different. But I do find it frustrating when I look at old notes and wish they'd been more detailed. You might like Don Etherington's book, subtitled A Sixty-Year Odyssey of Art and Craft. This book is more from the masters perspective. All the best, DAS
This is a fantastic video! I keep laughing at myself though because I know it's been sped up, but I keep holding my breath every time you use your blade because I'm afraid you're going to cut yourself lol.
Thank you so much for all the interesting tutorials you post for us. I’ve been learning so much. I even used your ‘sprinkled gold edges’ on one of my assignments. Could I ask you another couple of questions though? 1. By what brand is your China pencil. 2. What is blotting (?) paper and what do you use it for? Thank you! Enjoy your break. PS. My suggestion for a very short video; How to fold wrappers for the protection your text-block. 😉
I hope the assignment did well! I don;t think the brand matters, but mine is Sanford. No idea when or where I got it. I used to use chalk but lost it somewhere and I had this pencil. I had not thought about it until now but there is some sort of wax in those pencils. I think I'm going to go back to chalk. Blotting paper is an absorbent paper that used to be common on blotters. I just looked up blotting paper and got lots of hits for make-up removal paper. It's not that. For wrapping the text block do you mean capping up like I show at 20:00 mark in the second forwarding video, or something else? All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding I went beautiful! I used a 'clear' background so it looked like the gold was flacking off (I wanted an old look). Right now, I am not posting any photo's of exam projects but I will link you once I do. Yes, that word we use in Dutch for China pencil will give me many wrong results, so it is easier for me to look up a brand and see where it leads me. And yes, the blotting paper gave me the same problem! That, and being a women who wears make-up I was thinking like 'blotting paper'?! Thank you for clearing that up. A bit in lost in translations here, but I mean the blue paper that magically appears to keep your text-block clean? It might be a simple thing, but I was never taught those... But have you explained those already? Sorry! Cheers!
Hi, I have old encyclopedia with very best leather binding. Since papers are spoiled. I can remove paper. There are no molds and binding is intact. Will it work, do you have any videos for this. I am a regular viewer of this channel, please keep up your good work. Thanks for your videos.
I'm looking to get started into book binding as a hobby. I have some paperbacks that I'd like to convert to hardbacks. But instead of using real leather, I'm thinking of using faux leather (Rexine, PU mix). Would love to read/hear any insights you might have regarding that. One of the things I'd like to ask is would it be necessary to moisten the faux leather sheet just like you do the actual leather. Faux leather does not seem to dry up as real leather does & is rather moisture proof.
Turning paperbacks into hardcovers isn't the best way to start bookbinding. Try some pamphlets, sewn-board binding or square backed Bradel bindings. No, you don't moisten fake leather. It is water proof and nothing strikes through.
*Another superb instructional video! But we're gonna have to talk about this "taking a couple of weeks off business"; you didn't clear that with your viewing audience, DAS.*
Ops, I've got a harsh boss!! I'm sure there will be something, just not a full leather binding. Making these videos is a bit addictive. All the best, and yes sir! DAS
I enjoy your videos immensely and I've worked with leather before doing purses and wallets but my downfall is paring leather. Will you share with us what was the tool you used and where to find it for parking and shaving or thinning out the leather? It's the one that you have to use two hands. I'm getting into covering Bibles in leather and could really use this tool. Thanks again for sharing your expertise with us.
I went to that website but that was not the tool I was speaking of. At least I saw no pics of the tool you we’re using. The tool I’m talking about is the one where you use two hands. Thanks for replying to my question.
I found it I found it!!! Thanks so much. I’ll look into this and probably purchase one! Hopefully it will be a big help to my inadequate paring skills! 😂
Sorry I don't remember what I said in the video, but a feathered edge is one that goes to nothing, which I'd aim for at the head caps. Everywhere else down to paper thickness is fine. Hope that helps! DAS
😍 love it. I want to take sketchbooks of that quality on my art expedition. I made my first book the past few days. It’s on my YT channel. Why did the header and footer end caps collapse?
It's a been a long time since I did this. I just looked at the book and the endocarps are fine. Was it the outside layer of the spine tube? Did I use kraft paper that went a bit soft and was hard to work with? I keep meaning to find a better heavier paper to use for tubes. Sorry, don't remember. Yours, Darryn
Hi. I am using a sithetic leather with paper backing (they say it is polyurethane) and I have bog issues when using adhesives. The back is easy to glue with PVA but on some areas (I am making boxes) I need to glue the flaps of the PU leather. One side is paper and the other side is the front of this artificial leather. PVA do not work and I tried many other adhesive types. Do you know an adhesive that works well on this? Contact adhesives are making me nauseous. Do you know this type: FLEX-COVER SANTINA? I also have issues with covering materials like PVC and Vinil. Same situation. :( It is really depressing. Thank you.
Hi DAS! This is a really great video and a beautiful book. Can you please detail a link to the video/ details on how to make the 'text block with laced on boards and a hollow back' that you begin with? Thank you :)
If I may suggest, a good reason for removing your first coat of paste is NOT actually to remove the paste, but it is actually to ensure it has evenly and appropriately penetrated the leather material. I noticed you employed a scraping technique similar to squeegeeing. That squeegee technique would have forced a very thin amount of paste into the leather, thereby ensuring that there was no possibility of your coating of paste failing to impregnate the natural leather, leaving a dry spot or air bubble. The second coat of paste ensure that you have sufficient bonding glue, and that things remain wet enough to permit slight movement, both for adjustment and as the leather tightens as it dries. Bearing in mind, of course, that you'd previously wetted the face side, which would prevent the squeegeed paste impregnating too deeply into the leather, so alleviating any risks of the natural leather sucking the moisture from some areas of the paste, as well as stopping it going too deep into the leather, where it might discolour the finish. I'm also curious as to whether wetting the leather causes an intentional very slight shrinking - or tightening - of the finished cover; much like the technique of water 'stretching' of paper used by water colour artists? I could see this as being useful to ensure that, once dried, the leather cover really does 'fit like a glove'. Thank you for a superb demonstration tutorial of your technique. Very useful and interesting!
A lot of feed back:) Yes, the goal is not to simply remove the previous paste but to improve the application of the next. Paste is considered a penetrating adhesive, though a lot of these wisdom-down-the-ages ideas are seldom scientifically investigated. I have done some tests that do indicate the paste does penetrate compared to glues such as PVA. The wetting does stop tide parks from moisture striking through. But the most important reasons for doing it is to provide the open time needed and some moulding ability for the leather. Yes, it would limit the absorption of the paste to some extent, but obviously not enough to stop it working. Regarding the stretch of the wet leather, this is one of the major problems with leather in that it is hard to control the pull from the drying leather. It's essentially unavoidable and the techniques have developed with this in mind. The main thing to avoid is stretching the leather such that when it dries the board does not pull out to the extent it can't be counted with inside draw sheets.
@DAS Bookbinding sounds good. You reminded me about a lot of stuff I learnt back in the late 70s - early 90s. Stuff I'd forgotten, but which will prove very useful. I'm now working my way through your other videos in the series. Thank you for so generously sharing.
Bravo! Wonderful video. Thank you for showing the techniques that you do. I have just one question this time. You said that you wished that you had added a little moisture before pairing the leather. How would you add that moisture? I live in a very dry climate and my leather seems to be very dry. I am afraid to moisten the leather for fear of leaving tide marks. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you for the careful explanation about the pasting in. I have trouble with that for my leather books so it was good to see how you do it.
I have a spray bottle at the bench. You can see me use it when I wet the grey board to make springs for springbacks. To relax paper I will spray a fine mist above the paper - not onto it - to let some moisture evenly settle on the paper. I would do the same for leather, on the flesh side not the grain/hair side. Might need a few goes to bring it up a bit and give it hours to even out. If you ever need to flatten paper, another careful way is to sandwich it between a material like Reemay with a slightly moist blotter paper outside this and some light weight. Check for ink solubility first. Great for flattening things that have been folded or rolled for a long time. Take care, DAS
Great video, thanks Darryn. I have a question: I have been using paste made from Silver Star Starch for my leather book spines (tight back), using the method described here. Unfortunately there has been some lifting of the leather after the spines have dried. What would you suggest? Would a paste/eva mix fix this problem?
Hi Beck. Good question. This happens to us all some times and is very frustrating. Many people will size the spine with PVA before applying the leather, which usually stops this. But I've found that since I swapped to wheat flour paste for leather I've never had this happen. The bit of gluten makes the adhesive significantly stronger. I think it also can be a sign the leather wasn't drawn on quite enough. This is a fine balance as you don't want to stretch it - maybe just a bit - but want good contact. Raised bands makes it even harder.
Hello Sir! Why put leather after casing the block in the cover? Are there any expected troubles in case of putting leather on boards of the cover and then casing?
A case binding and boards-attached binding are very different bindings. I've never done a cased full leather binding. Yes, to quarter and half covering styles. Probably because I lean towards traditional approaches. You would have to treat leather like it was paper or cloth and then the leather I use is probably not the most suited. You would work dry and use PVA instead of paste. There would still be the issue of adhesive striking through the leather, and thus a different leather would be more suited. The book would not be anywhere near as strong and durable. Anything can be done. But this approach I think makes a much better book.
I loved this series it has been great to learn from and you have done an excellent job in walking through the project. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you. One question; you use a cutting. Block or something that you pare the leather on at 8:49 into the video what kind of block is that? It doesn’t look like wood?
All the ye olde books will tell you the best surface for paring on is a lithographic stone (an extremely flat and smooth limestone block), and since everyone is moving to offset lithography they are everywhere for the taking. In these modern times these stones are rare as hens teeth and if you find one, worth a fortune. If you get a chance to buy one without having to mortgage your house, jump at it. Otherwise a thick piece of glass or a marble pastry board ($50 on eBay) works very well too. All the best, DAS
I need help with the pleated corners. You made the 45 degree cut effortlessly. It's the board width plus a bit? I spend so much time getting that right. And I can't quite tuck that little bit of leather at the tip and sticks out. Any advice?
Board thickness plus a bit. Some leathers are harder to pleat than others. Of course it has to be wet. Siegel goat leathers are an easier leather than most to do pleated corners, and really nice and well priced. Hard to beat.
You mentioned that 1mm is on the thicker side. What thickness should I look for when purchasing leather to bind a book? Also, in your adhesives video you mentioned you use traditional pastes for working with leather, but is using methyl cellulose for leather ok? What disadvantages are there in comparison to a wheat paste?
MC is a great adhesive but it is not very strong compared to wheat flour paste. And there is nothing more disappointing than having leather lift after it dries, especially on the spine. Thus why I generally use MC, but for leather go to the trouble of making up paste. Bookbinding leathers are generally 0.6 to 1mm thick. Most of the general purpose leathers will be around the 0.8mm mark.
Thank you. There is a lot of valuable information in this video. I appreciate it cause there is the thought that leather binding can only be learnt by face-to-face training and you prove this may not be entirely true. I have a doubt about corners. In the video dealing with half leather library binding you showed two ways of doing leather corners. One of them, square, similar to the ones made with cloth corner. The other one, pleating the leather on a rounded corner board. In the present video however you make a mix of both approaches: the corners are pleated on square corner boards. Is there any reason for this? Regards
There are lots of ways to do leather corners. It is one of those frustrating areas of bookbinding where it can go right or wrong, and who knows why. It's good to have a few techniques up your sleeve and use the one that you think will work best and is most appropriate for the situation. Or as Karen Hammer says, you go down to the cross roads and sell your soul to get perfect corners every time. DAS
Yes. The leather does pull a bit head to tail, but in this case mostly fore-edge to spine so I wanted the stretch of the bank paper in this direction to pull back against it. All the best, DAS
It's still the paperback at heart. The quality of the paper hasn't improved. You can put a leather cover on it, but it does not come near the quality of a real leather bound book.
Hooray, shops finally opened and I've got a brand new paring knife! Can't wait to try it over the weekend! Awesome video, as always, thank you. And how do you call the other paring tool you use here, please? I didn't quite catch it. Thank you.
It's a woodworking spokeshave. ua-cam.com/video/9J7_l9itzmI/v-deo.html All the best and good luck with the new knife. If it's your first paring knife remember that it will take awhile to tune and get working for you. Lots of practice!! DAS
Is the attached above and below the kettle stitches? How are you able to get the tuck-in to go around the edges of the tube as it heads toward the boards? Thanks
Such complex questions in the comments:) The short answer is yes, with a hollow you normally have fake or false bands. How would you mould the hollow over the cords? But there is a restoration technique used for books that were originally tight backed with raised bands where hollows are added between the bands and a new thin layer of leather applied, but not adhered to the bands. The reason this is done is for attaching an original spine back on to an old book, but the original spine is too fragile to flex as required of a tight back. This allows the original spine to be put on top of the new spine leather and not get damaged by excessive flexing. I guess you could adapt this to a new book.
So what do you do when your book is really thin and the tube doesn't open very far? I have a book I made that's very small and the heavy kraft paper tube doesn't really open and I can't fit the fabric for the turn ins on the top/bottom spine.
That is a really good question. Thin book syndrome. The tube is split so it will bend back away from the book at the head and tail to do this turn-in. But it is hard not to damage this flap of paper doing the turn-ins as it is small and fragile. I tend to case bind small books even if I want to do them in leather. About the only time I do case bind with leather. Hope this helps. DAS
Your videos about making hard copy's out of paperbacks inspired me to order some supplies to begin learning. Coincidentally, I walked past a bookbinder here in Berkeley that after 100 years recently retired. They gave me some old stock for book covers. I have lots books from the 1800's that are in rough shape and quotes were around $200 a piece to refurbish. Finances don't allow it and I'm sure others are in the same situation. I use these books for scholarly research and I wonder if you've done a video on what can temporarily be done to make them more usable until finances are better while not damaging them for real refurbishing? For example, many are missing a covers, front/back/spine. Thanks for the great videos.
I'm adding this type of info to newer videos. Very time consuming updating old videos but I'm working my way through them. Check out the channel guide for videos on adhesives and tools. The adhesive for putting the leather on is paste, specifically wheat flour paste. There is a video on making this. As for buying tools, here is a list of the suppliers I use. dasbookbinding.com/2020/03/27/bookbinding-suppliers/ Ciao, DAS
Thanks for this video, it was very informative. I have been working with leather for a few months now and I was looking into making journal covers. I feel like your video has given me what I need to get started and begin to learn. This is probably a really silly question, but do you (or anyone here) know if there are any rules surrounding making/ selling notebooks with branded paper? For example if I made a notebook with Clairefontaine or Tomoe River paper, would I need to contact the paper manufacturer for permission?
There may be some technicality, but it is common practice to say what paper you use. Someone would only care if they thought it impacted their business, and then they can ask you to stop. I see no moral issue, which is my main guide in such circumstances. For paper makers I think the OW rule holds, the only thing worse than being talked about is not. Ciao, DAS
Yes, big difference. I'll have a video on adhesives some time in the next few months. Glue in bookbinding traditionally means animal protein type glues. The modern equivalent is PVA. Paste is a starch based adhesive. In most cellulose based uses paste can be substituted with methyl cellulose adhesive (the type designed for bookbinding). Paste and glue have very different properties and are used according to which is needed at the time. For traditional covering in leather starch based adhesive is always used. Ciao, DAS
@@DASBookbinding thank you for answering to my question. I will make contact with you on FB because i have a lot more questions about that skilled work.
Can you use a regular glue on leather? I am thinking of doing the exact same thing on my book.Also,what can i do to have a smooth perfect leather cover.Thanks in advance.
I think paste is a "regular" adhesive. But for this type of binding you can't use PVA as you need to the open time to do the operations required and the stretch of wet leather. DAS
Hello! I'm starting off and I've watched a few of your videos, though I'm still left with a doubt: when working with leather you've led me to understand that it's traditional to use starch paste. However, is it common nowadays to use methyl cellulose or it's mix with PVA/EVA with that leather??
For traditional leather bookbinding it remains standard to use starch based paste for covering with leather. I think it would be rare to see mix or MC used. PVA/EVA can get used with leather but not for covering as it doesn't allow time for manipulation of the leather. I was originally taught to use the same refined starch paste for leather as I'd use for paper repair. But I've swapped to using wheat flour paste for covering in leather and I talk about this in my videos on adhesives and on making wheat flour paste.
I learnt book binding, along with traditional typographical typesetting, as an art student many years ago. Very lucky to have seen it, as the world was moving into to computer age, and many traditional skills were being lost. As for PVA adhesive. In a word, NO. You need your adhesive to be very slow-drying. This is crucial as you're using natural leather which must be allowed to move, both in the wrapping process, and as it shrink-dries to fit like a glove. Using PVA is akin to using superglue! If you read my earlier comment, you'll see why.
I’m puzzled about turning the header leather into the tube of the spine and yet not snipping it to also behind the block, to be continuous with the fold over the head or bottom edge. The tube itself must get in the way? How you do dat?!
I'm not sure I follow. I hope I show how to slit the tube about 1 inch which allows the turn-in to go inside the tube. But the bit of tube on the outside can be a ain in the neck if it decides to wrinkle while tuning in. But working with paste you have time to start again. All the best, DAS
That's really interesting. I have no doubt there is some long history to this and would love to know what it is. What part of the world you from and where did you train and get told this? But I don't believe it. You have to cut the leather with some form of steel. I've sure scissors have been made from drop forged or stamped steel for well over 100 years. I image iron scissors would wear very fast. And in regards iron content of steel, I can't imagine why that would migrate to leather any differently than a paring knife or other form of knife. I'll certainly be keep an eye out for this in the future. All the best, Darryn
@@DASBookbinding I served an apprenticeship of 6 years and gained my City and Guilds. I think that the iron content came from the scissors when they were sharpened, which I had to do quite often. Also, calfskin was prone to rot but that would take many years to happen. My main task was finishing the book, i.e., gold lettering and tooling. One of my efforts now sits in the Chapel of St. George in Windsor Castle near London. I worked with some of the most gifted young binders in Scotland. Sadly craft binding in the UK is dying.
@@TheJohnscot Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm afraid finishing is my weakness and thus why there is none in my videos. I can get by I guess. I mainly rely on the blocking press. Hopefully craft binding can make a comeback. I guess SoB is going through a rough patch. Yours, Darryn
Check out my videos on different adhesives, especially the overview video. In bookbinding context paste is a starch based adhesive while "glue" traditionally was an animal protein based adhesive, but these days is replaced with synthetics, usually PVA.
Thank you, with all gratitude, for your gracious response. I have ine last question: you seemed to put on 4 or 5 coats of pva on the leather for the especially dry hide. How much would you recommend for a hide with a more common amount of moisture? Thank you again for your responses. They are greatly appreciated.
I'm applying starch paste, not PVA to the leather. I very rarely use PVA directly on leather. For this binding it really wants paste on the leather, which soaks into the leather, and thus why multiple coats are applied. It also does not dry quickly which allows time to work the leather. 2 or 3 applications of paste is normal. Good luck, DAS
I just accidentally pushed something on my screen and it said “feedback shared with creator”. I don’t know what it was but just in case it said it was something bad I wanted to comment and say I love this video. It’s extremely informative. Please disregard any bad things UA-cam may have told you. 😅
That would’ve been an accidental “thumbs down” press.
I like when you make a mistake because you explain how and why it happened, and, most importantly, how to fix it. You show that even a professional can make mistakes and still have a gorgeous final product. I love your videos and i will keep tuning in each week for more!
Thanks, but there are plenty of better binders than me that wouldn't make as many mistakes. But I do think it's a "feature" of my videos:) All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding hi,
Please tell me what TOOL U USE TO THIN LEATHER LIKE COWHIDE FOR BOOKBINDING. Thank you
I love these videos. Thank you so much for doing them. I'm watching them as I go through "Book Making" at Harvard in the U.S, and they supplement what I learn. Your personality and commitment to fine bookbinding are truly special!
Thank you for this video. This has inspire me to start leather book binding. It’s making craftsmanship ! Simple amazing!
Thank you. And as others have said I appreciate that you share your mistakes along with your successes, we learn from mistakes and by your willingness and humble attitude I am learning the essence of true craft, persistence, determination and a humility towards the art of bookbinding. Thank you. And perhaps one day we can know your name. You are beautifully humble. Cheers.
I like the idea of mystery man, man of no name. All the best, Darryn A. Schneider
I am currently taking a full leather binding class in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. United States (refresher) and your name has come up repeatedly by the students and the instructor as the go-to source for inspiration and technique (I am a subscriber). I just wanted to give you a glimpse of the support and admiration that you are receiving from across the world.
Thank you so much for this video
Thank you for the wonderful series of videos. It is a joy to watch them.
I am an amateur bookbinder based in the Netherlands. Concerning the scraping off of paste you do in this video, I have been taught by Wilma van Driel to do this for a different reason. I do not wet the leather from the outside. Instead I make paste water, which is about one part paste to three parts water. I lay down the leather on a glass plate and wet it with paste water from the flesh side. Just use a brush and repeat this until the leather is completely saturated. This can easily be observed, since the outside of the leather is now also completely wet. Then use a bit of greyboard to scrape the flesh side to rid some of the paste water. If you do not do this then the leather is too wet and will not be ready for the paste. After scraping apply the paste and the leather is ready to use. It will not need wetting it while working, since it is entirely saturated.
Thanks again for your great videos on bookbinding.
Best wishes,
Martijn
Hi Martijn. I really appreciate you sharing this. It's great to hear about other approaches and interpretations of what is happening in the processes. Bookbinding is based on tradition and interpretation is often presented as fact. Hearing another logical description makes one think about what you think you know. This has certainly made me think about wetting out leather. Thanks again. All the best, Darryn
Thnx for the courage to put this up with all the "forget" things/steps that all of us do. Also good for even more experienced bookbinders to see and have a "refresh" in technique. Can only help lift our own practise.
I will hide a real boo-boo like casing a book in upside down. Won't say which video that is:)
DAS Bookbinding g
I get a lot of people asking how to get into bookbinding and you are now my go-to response. Thanks for all your work and wonderful vids.
Totally enjoyed your video. I was also taught to scrape the paste off and reapply. I like the way you do the corners and will give it a try as I always have issues paring it thin enough to pleat well. Thank you.
I think it was from Maureen Duke (not directly, maybe through my teacher June) that I was told that you can pare the leather too thin for the corner. That the grain layer does not mould as well as when there is some corium as well. Obviously the way I cut the corner off it is only grain at the edge. But when I paring with the spokeshave before applying the cover I do try and not overdo the paring and leave some corium where I expect the corner to be. I've seen people really take the corners down. I think corners became a bit easier when I started doing this. But it is very subjective and I can't say for sure if this is a better way. All the best, DAS
One learns something new every day. I have never seen or heard of using a spokeshave to skive leather. I have several and will try it since I do not have a skiving machine and my hand skiving needs a lot of work.
ua-cam.com/video/9J7_l9itzmI/v-deo.html
Indispensable advice 🙏🏼 Thanks mister
I discovered your channel recently and I love it. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. ✨✨✨
Hi DAS, The Flood gave me a clue. If I remember you had a bookbinding shop in Molesworth St Lismore about 10 years ago. On our last two trips to Lismore since the floods your shop was closed. I have inherited several hundred books, of which 50 or more are in serious need of conservation. I am getting a few lessons from a person in Newcastle which is going well. Your videos are also a great importance as you are able to teach the basics and more so that these lessons can be applied to conservation work. My oldest book is a protestant religious tract (wood Cut) from about 1685.
No, I'm in Brisbane. I'm guessing you mean restoration. Conversation and restoration are different things. Most people want things restored. Having said that, you should only conserve things like the 1685 book. Good luck!
i love book binding, thank you
Interesting! Since I do raised bands (using the sewn in cords), I have been doing the leather application in two separate parts. I do the spine first, and leave it overnight tied up on my finishing press with pins - then I do the covers and endbands in a single session. I'll have to try doing it all in one go with wheat paste. I've used Planatol BB PVA exclusively recently, but I absolutely have to be careful I don't let things get too dry.
Thanks for the video, again!
Thanks for sharing how you do it. I do know of people who take this approach even when using paste. One case when PVA is almost needed is when using chrome tanned leather, because it repels water. I think there are techniques and approaches very much aimed at this type of leather. I've had negative experience with chrome tan so will stay away from it. I don;t like using the finishing press with pins because I worry about crushing the leather. I did this on my second book with bands:( But in your case you probably leave the leather outside the press, is that right? Take care, DAS
Thanks for this video. You answered some things which I was not certain about from the classes I had taken.
Love the large ledger. Did you know the marbled edges on it serve two purposes? 1. Decorative. 2. To show clearly if any pages were removed. Very important in financial and legal ledgers as you can imagine. Great job on the binding!
Yes, I did. But the one about security may be a bit apocryphal. I think you can get a page out and not notice the disruption in the pattern. I have a huge old accounting ledger from a bank that was mostly not used. They removed the few pages that had been used before giving it away. You can't really tell. But ledgers always had numbered pages, and it's hard to hide missing pages this way. DAS
As always such beautiful work demonstrated with such a generous heart.
I loved this video. Keep up the good work.
Very nice I love traditional binding love from India
All the best, DAS!
At the end of this video.. the blue sheet color becomes white.. wow magic
Thank you for doing this video. I have learned so much! Warmest regards.
I did some leatherwork with pouches but never thought of doing it with books. It is quite daunting though you have demonstrated how it is executed with ease and elegance. Very impressive indeed!
Good luck! DAS
Excellent Darryn!!
Thank you kindly! Darryn
You, sir, are my hero. Your videos are trully saving my project. Thank you very very much.
Thank you so much for your videos! They are treasure chest of knowledge
Glad you like them! DAS
I can attest to the double glue layer trick! In fact it makes the leather softer and molding the edges is much easier. What I learned from you is lightly soaking the exterior of the leather with water. This makes it even easier to shape the leather!
Really skiving off in this video :)
Very nicely done. I like that you leave in the difficulties that we are likely to encounter, which is something that other references rarely include. I have a lot of leather waiting to be used, and I've not gotten to working yet in leather. Your work is much appreciated.
Thanks! I do cut big issues out. You'll notice it's not the same text block that I finished the week before. But that was my fault for trying to use a leather from a supplier I've not used before. I think the books by Johnson and Town are good because they mention things like this and what to do. Most of the time it's because leather is a natural material and far from uniform and you just need to know how to adjust. It's also good to not think of problems as mistakes, but difficulties as you mention. All the best, Darryn
Excellent ! ! !
Take care! Darryn
Very nice work and also great video!! Thank you!
Es de lo mejor que he encontrado en internet. Me encantó. Y gracias por compartirlo. Saludos.
You're the master of masters.
I’ve got a long way to go to being a master:)
@@DASBookbinding After all these covid stuff is over, I would like to join your master class.
Howdy, oh ok - I see now what you mean by fill in. Thanks for that. Wow. beautiful work. And that leather is so handsome. I recognize the end papers I watched that episode- very cool.
Very detailed, down to earth, great video.
Very Good and thanks for going into detail - that is important
These are great videos, I am learning so much. I am just starting in leather binding and am just not sure about the tools needed. This was great video
I've just taken up bookbinding and I'm unsure which type of cover to go for: book cloth with a laminated image on it or go all the way and try using leather (which means I'd have to learn how to "carve" the title on it... which seems very unlikely considering I'm a beginner 😅😅😅). I'm literally stuck due to this dilemma! 😂 All I know is that I want the cover to sport a title.
I've been watching your videos while going through the previous steps and it's helped, so thank you!
Grazie davvero!
Spoiler:
I'm probably going to just make a laminated cover. 😂
Start with a paper cover. The binding in this video is an advanced project. Check out my videos on a binding style called Sewn-board binding. Much more beginner friendly. Good luck.
Thank you! ❤ @@DASBookbinding
LOL is there a race track in yor back yard lololol I love the videos!! Very nice clean work. Thank you for allowing yourself to apply your art to something that made you cringe. I am considering even leather traditional binding crappy copies of books i print with my crappy mono laser brother hl2270. Its NOT putting lipstick on a pig well it is but its a cute pig and a nice lipsick application. Everyone wins.
Your work is impressive! Awesome!
Brilliant video, thank you so much
Super excited to try this new end paper technique! I also realized my leather was far too thick!
Good luck! DAS
Such a wonderful demo. Appreciate.
A very interesting and enjoyable watch!
Just reading the Annie Tremmel Wilcox book now. Thank you so much for the recommendation. It is really interesting, well written and gives a very clear of idea of what it's like to serve an apprenticeship in professional craft bookbinding. There are so many things in it. At the moment I am particularly struck by how different she found working in a craft discipline from working in the academic world. Her tutor, Bill Anthony, wasn't great at, or encouraging of note taking. He had been brought up to learn by watching and doing over and over again, so that the learning was inculcated through the hands rather than via the mind. You've got to have your wits about you, mind. I cringed when I read about a fellow apprentice conservator of hers who failed to check whether a document she was washing was waterproof. She came back to find a blank sheet she as the ink had dissolved. Any other recommendations for reading matter on this theme?
Glad to hear you liked the book. I related to the not note taking. I tend not to take many notes either. A lot of bookbinding is the same thing applied in a different order or different in some other way. So I only note when things are different. But I do find it frustrating when I look at old notes and wish they'd been more detailed. You might like Don Etherington's book, subtitled A Sixty-Year Odyssey of Art and Craft. This book is more from the masters perspective. All the best, DAS
Thank you for the Dom Etherington recommendation I'll look out for it.
Finally :) :) :)
That's how I felt once the video was done:) DAS
Спасибо за урок! Много полезного узнала для себя.
@@sithlord6119 Гульчатай, покажи личико?! Тогда и поговорим.
This is a fantastic video! I keep laughing at myself though because I know it's been sped up, but I keep holding my breath every time you use your blade because I'm afraid you're going to cut yourself lol.
Thank you so much for all the interesting tutorials you post for us. I’ve been learning so much. I even used your ‘sprinkled gold edges’ on one of my assignments.
Could I ask you another couple of questions though? 1. By what brand is your China pencil. 2. What is blotting (?) paper and what do you use it for? Thank you! Enjoy your break.
PS. My suggestion for a very short video; How to fold wrappers for the protection your text-block. 😉
I hope the assignment did well! I don;t think the brand matters, but mine is Sanford. No idea when or where I got it. I used to use chalk but lost it somewhere and I had this pencil. I had not thought about it until now but there is some sort of wax in those pencils. I think I'm going to go back to chalk. Blotting paper is an absorbent paper that used to be common on blotters. I just looked up blotting paper and got lots of hits for make-up removal paper. It's not that. For wrapping the text block do you mean capping up like I show at 20:00 mark in the second forwarding video, or something else? All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding I went beautiful! I used a 'clear' background so it looked like the gold was flacking off (I wanted an old look). Right now, I am not posting any photo's of exam projects but I will link you once I do.
Yes, that word we use in Dutch for China pencil will give me many wrong results, so it is easier for me to look up a brand and see where it leads me. And yes, the blotting paper gave me the same problem! That, and being a women who wears make-up I was thinking like 'blotting paper'?! Thank you for clearing that up.
A bit in lost in translations here, but I mean the blue paper that magically appears to keep your text-block clean? It might be a simple thing, but I was never taught those... But have you explained those already? Sorry!
Cheers!
Hi, I have old encyclopedia with very best leather binding. Since papers are spoiled. I can remove paper. There are no molds and binding is intact. Will it work, do you have any videos for this.
I am a regular viewer of this channel, please keep up your good work. Thanks for your videos.
Sounds interesting. I don't think you can reuse the leather though. Sorry, I'm only doing work with new materials and no restoration. God luck! DAS
I'm looking to get started into book binding as a hobby. I have some paperbacks that I'd like to convert to hardbacks. But instead of using real leather, I'm thinking of using faux leather (Rexine, PU mix). Would love to read/hear any insights you might have regarding that. One of the things I'd like to ask is would it be necessary to moisten the faux leather sheet just like you do the actual leather. Faux leather does not seem to dry up as real leather does & is rather moisture proof.
Turning paperbacks into hardcovers isn't the best way to start bookbinding. Try some pamphlets, sewn-board binding or square backed Bradel bindings.
No, you don't moisten fake leather. It is water proof and nothing strikes through.
*Another superb instructional video! But we're gonna have to talk about this "taking a couple of weeks off business"; you didn't clear that with your viewing audience, DAS.*
Ops, I've got a harsh boss!! I'm sure there will be something, just not a full leather binding. Making these videos is a bit addictive. All the best, and yes sir! DAS
You mentioned you are using a paste not PVA - what is this paste you are speaking of?
Thank you for sharing this with us though!
Starch paste. It's a widely used adhesive by bookbinders.
ua-cam.com/video/8y1x8_eGtsA/v-deo.html
Happy binding!
DAS
I enjoy your videos immensely and I've worked with leather before doing purses and wallets but my downfall is paring leather. Will you share with us what was the tool you used and where to find it for parking and shaving or thinning out the leather? It's the one that you have to use two hands. I'm getting into covering Bibles in leather and could really use this tool. Thanks again for sharing your expertise with us.
Talas has a range of paring knives. They all nee a very good sharpen to use.
www.talasonline.com/Paring-Knives
Good luck with the bibles.
DAS
I went to that website but that was not the tool I was speaking of. At least I saw no pics of the tool you we’re using. The tool I’m talking about is the one where you use two hands. Thanks for replying to my question.
I found it I found it!!! Thanks so much. I’ll look into this and probably purchase one! Hopefully it will be a big help to my inadequate paring skills! 😂
leaning to do this you would say a new paper thickness on feathering on the edges
Sorry I don't remember what I said in the video, but a feathered edge is one that goes to nothing, which I'd aim for at the head caps. Everywhere else down to paper thickness is fine. Hope that helps! DAS
😍 love it. I want to take sketchbooks of that quality on my art expedition. I made my first book the past few days. It’s on my YT channel. Why did the header and footer end caps collapse?
It's a been a long time since I did this. I just looked at the book and the endocarps are fine. Was it the outside layer of the spine tube? Did I use kraft paper that went a bit soft and was hard to work with? I keep meaning to find a better heavier paper to use for tubes. Sorry, don't remember. Yours, Darryn
@@DASBookbinding , ah, that might be the problem. I didn’t use a tube on the back.
Excuse my ignorance, but this is such labour-intensive work, how is it economically viable? Or is it just a hobby?
No, I do it for a business. You're going to make me cry..... :) DAS
Hi. I am using a sithetic leather with paper backing (they say it is polyurethane) and I have bog issues when using adhesives. The back is easy to glue with PVA but on some areas (I am making boxes) I need to glue the flaps of the PU leather. One side is paper and the other side is the front of this artificial leather. PVA do not work and I tried many other adhesive types. Do you know an adhesive that works well on this? Contact adhesives are making me nauseous. Do you know this type: FLEX-COVER SANTINA? I also have issues with covering materials like PVC and Vinil. Same situation. :( It is really depressing. Thank you.
Hi DAS! This is a really great video and a beautiful book. Can you please detail a link to the video/ details on how to make the 'text block with laced on boards and a hollow back' that you begin with? Thank you :)
I've added it in the description. The best way to find videos is the channel guide
dasbookbinding.com/2019/12/14/youtube-channel/
Good luck!
DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you! This is really helpful. I got a bit tangled amongst all the videos! (Also very enjoyable). Can't wait to get started! :)
Thank you. very helpful video.
Tell me the name of the instrument at 9:00. First time I see.
Modified spokeshave.
ua-cam.com/video/9J7_l9itzmI/v-deo.html
If I may suggest, a good reason for removing your first coat of paste is NOT actually to remove the paste, but it is actually to ensure it has evenly and appropriately penetrated the leather material.
I noticed you employed a scraping technique similar to squeegeeing. That squeegee technique would have forced a very thin amount of paste into the leather, thereby ensuring that there was no possibility of your coating of paste failing to impregnate the natural leather, leaving a dry spot or air bubble. The second coat of paste ensure that you have sufficient bonding glue, and that things remain wet enough to permit slight movement, both for adjustment and as the leather tightens as it dries.
Bearing in mind, of course, that you'd previously wetted the face side, which would prevent the squeegeed paste impregnating too deeply into the leather, so alleviating any risks of the natural leather sucking the moisture from some areas of the paste, as well as stopping it going too deep into the leather, where it might discolour the finish.
I'm also curious as to whether wetting the leather causes an intentional very slight shrinking - or tightening - of the finished cover; much like the technique of water 'stretching' of paper used by water colour artists? I could see this as being useful to ensure that, once dried, the leather cover really does 'fit like a glove'.
Thank you for a superb demonstration tutorial of your technique. Very useful and interesting!
A lot of feed back:) Yes, the goal is not to simply remove the previous paste but to improve the application of the next. Paste is considered a penetrating adhesive, though a lot of these wisdom-down-the-ages ideas are seldom scientifically investigated. I have done some tests that do indicate the paste does penetrate compared to glues such as PVA. The wetting does stop tide parks from moisture striking through. But the most important reasons for doing it is to provide the open time needed and some moulding ability for the leather. Yes, it would limit the absorption of the paste to some extent, but obviously not enough to stop it working.
Regarding the stretch of the wet leather, this is one of the major problems with leather in that it is hard to control the pull from the drying leather. It's essentially unavoidable and the techniques have developed with this in mind. The main thing to avoid is stretching the leather such that when it dries the board does not pull out to the extent it can't be counted with inside draw sheets.
@DAS Bookbinding sounds good. You reminded me about a lot of stuff I learnt back in the late 70s - early 90s. Stuff I'd forgotten, but which will prove very useful. I'm now working my way through your other videos in the series. Thank you for so generously sharing.
Bravo! Wonderful video. Thank you for showing the techniques that you do. I have just one question this time. You said that you wished that you had added a little moisture before pairing the leather. How would you add that moisture? I live in a very dry climate and my leather seems to be very dry. I am afraid to moisten the leather for fear of leaving tide marks. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you for the careful explanation about the pasting in. I have trouble with that for my leather books so it was good to see how you do it.
I have a spray bottle at the bench. You can see me use it when I wet the grey board to make springs for springbacks. To relax paper I will spray a fine mist above the paper - not onto it - to let some moisture evenly settle on the paper. I would do the same for leather, on the flesh side not the grain/hair side. Might need a few goes to bring it up a bit and give it hours to even out. If you ever need to flatten paper, another careful way is to sandwich it between a material like Reemay with a slightly moist blotter paper outside this and some light weight. Check for ink solubility first. Great for flattening things that have been folded or rolled for a long time. Take care, DAS
Can you show us how to cover a spiral book in leather?
That might be a bit outside my area sorry. DAS
How about two leather covered boards with holes reinforced with grommets. Then wind the spiral through them. Might be a decent project
Great video, thanks Darryn. I have a question: I have been using paste made from Silver Star Starch for my leather book spines (tight back), using the method described here. Unfortunately there has been some lifting of the leather after the spines have dried. What would you suggest? Would a paste/eva mix fix this problem?
Hi Beck. Good question. This happens to us all some times and is very frustrating. Many people will size the spine with PVA before applying the leather, which usually stops this. But I've found that since I swapped to wheat flour paste for leather I've never had this happen. The bit of gluten makes the adhesive significantly stronger. I think it also can be a sign the leather wasn't drawn on quite enough. This is a fine balance as you don't want to stretch it - maybe just a bit - but want good contact. Raised bands makes it even harder.
@@DASBookbinding thanks so much, Darryn, you've saved my bacon again!
Thank you for this instructional and enteratining video. Can I ask how long the process takes ?
I think about 8 hours for a plain book like this without finishing. Spread out over a week to let things dry etc. DAS
Hello Sir! Why put leather after casing the block in the cover? Are there any expected troubles in case of putting leather on boards of the cover and then casing?
A case binding and boards-attached binding are very different bindings. I've never done a cased full leather binding. Yes, to quarter and half covering styles. Probably because I lean towards traditional approaches. You would have to treat leather like it was paper or cloth and then the leather I use is probably not the most suited. You would work dry and use PVA instead of paste. There would still be the issue of adhesive striking through the leather, and thus a different leather would be more suited. The book would not be anywhere near as strong and durable. Anything can be done. But this approach I think makes a much better book.
I loved this series it has been great to learn from and you have done an excellent job in walking through the project. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you. One question; you use a cutting. Block or something that you pare the leather on at 8:49 into the video what kind of block is that? It doesn’t look like wood?
All the ye olde books will tell you the best surface for paring on is a lithographic stone (an extremely flat and smooth limestone block), and since everyone is moving to offset lithography they are everywhere for the taking. In these modern times these stones are rare as hens teeth and if you find one, worth a fortune. If you get a chance to buy one without having to mortgage your house, jump at it. Otherwise a thick piece of glass or a marble pastry board ($50 on eBay) works very well too. All the best, DAS
I need help with the pleated corners. You made the 45 degree cut effortlessly. It's the board width plus a bit? I spend so much time getting that right. And I can't quite tuck that little bit of leather at the tip and sticks out. Any advice?
Board thickness plus a bit. Some leathers are harder to pleat than others. Of course it has to be wet. Siegel goat leathers are an easier leather than most to do pleated corners, and really nice and well priced. Hard to beat.
@@DASBookbinding Thank you
You mentioned that 1mm is on the thicker side. What thickness should I look for when purchasing leather to bind a book? Also, in your adhesives video you mentioned you use traditional pastes for working with leather, but is using methyl cellulose for leather ok? What disadvantages are there in comparison to a wheat paste?
MC is a great adhesive but it is not very strong compared to wheat flour paste. And there is nothing more disappointing than having leather lift after it dries, especially on the spine. Thus why I generally use MC, but for leather go to the trouble of making up paste. Bookbinding leathers are generally 0.6 to 1mm thick. Most of the general purpose leathers will be around the 0.8mm mark.
Thank you. There is a lot of valuable information in this video.
I appreciate it cause there is the thought that leather binding can only be learnt by face-to-face training and you prove this may not be entirely true.
I have a doubt about corners. In the video dealing with half leather library binding you showed two ways of doing leather corners. One of them, square, similar to the ones made with cloth corner. The other one, pleating the leather on a rounded corner board. In the present video however you make a mix of both approaches: the corners are pleated on square corner boards. Is there any reason for this?
Regards
There are lots of ways to do leather corners. It is one of those frustrating areas of bookbinding where it can go right or wrong, and who knows why. It's good to have a few techniques up your sleeve and use the one that you think will work best and is most appropriate for the situation. Or as Karen Hammer says, you go down to the cross roads and sell your soul to get perfect corners every time. DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you!
I only hope my soul has such a high value...
can you glue the leather to the binders board before you glue that board to the text block?
That would be a different binding style, such as a case binding. There are many variations of case bindings too.
Thank you. When you added the bank papers to correct for the boards' warp, did you place the bank papers with grain head-to-tail orientations?
Yes. The leather does pull a bit head to tail, but in this case mostly fore-edge to spine so I wanted the stretch of the bank paper in this direction to pull back against it. All the best, DAS
Hi Das. Have you ever listened to the man Nas?
Had to look him. Not much in common. DAS
Thank you for thes video
Meery christmas i
Iraq bagdhad 🎂🌹
is it possible to turn a modern mass produced paperback book into a leather bound hardcover book?
It's still the paperback at heart. The quality of the paper hasn't improved. You can put a leather cover on it, but it does not come near the quality of a real leather bound book.
Do you live near a race track?-love love love watching your skills
That's how the bike riders treat our road:( DAS
Hooray, shops finally opened and I've got a brand new paring knife! Can't wait to try it over the weekend! Awesome video, as always, thank you. And how do you call the other paring tool you use here, please? I didn't quite catch it. Thank you.
It's a woodworking spokeshave. ua-cam.com/video/9J7_l9itzmI/v-deo.html All the best and good luck with the new knife. If it's your first paring knife remember that it will take awhile to tune and get working for you. Lots of practice!! DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you very much!
Is there a particular type of paper needed for the template?
No. Anything you have at hand will do. DAS
Is the attached above and below the kettle stitches? How are you able to get the tuck-in to go around the edges of the tube as it heads toward the boards?
Thanks
The hollow tube on the spine is split to allow the turn-in to go down inside it. This is done in the previous very on forwarding of this book. DAS
9:51 Is it possible to have raised bands with a hollow spine? Or would those have to be “faked” in that case?🤔
Such complex questions in the comments:) The short answer is yes, with a hollow you normally have fake or false bands. How would you mould the hollow over the cords? But there is a restoration technique used for books that were originally tight backed with raised bands where hollows are added between the bands and a new thin layer of leather applied, but not adhered to the bands. The reason this is done is for attaching an original spine back on to an old book, but the original spine is too fragile to flex as required of a tight back. This allows the original spine to be put on top of the new spine leather and not get damaged by excessive flexing. I guess you could adapt this to a new book.
So what do you do when your book is really thin and the tube doesn't open very far? I have a book I made that's very small and the heavy kraft paper tube doesn't really open and I can't fit the fabric for the turn ins on the top/bottom spine.
That is a really good question. Thin book syndrome. The tube is split so it will bend back away from the book at the head and tail to do this turn-in. But it is hard not to damage this flap of paper doing the turn-ins as it is small and fragile. I tend to case bind small books even if I want to do them in leather. About the only time I do case bind with leather. Hope this helps. DAS
Wow. I didn't know there are purple kangaroos.
They're Queensland kangaroos and it's actually maroon but the colour changes a bit in tanning:) DAS
Your videos about making hard copy's out of paperbacks inspired me to order some supplies to begin learning. Coincidentally, I walked past a bookbinder here in Berkeley that after 100 years recently retired. They gave me some old stock for book covers. I have lots books from the 1800's that are in rough shape and quotes were around $200 a piece to refurbish. Finances don't allow it and I'm sure others are in the same situation. I use these books for scholarly research and I wonder if you've done a video on what can temporarily be done to make them more usable until finances are better while not damaging them for real refurbishing? For example, many are missing a covers, front/back/spine.
Thanks for the great videos.
it's a good video BUT! need list with all tools, where to buy them what kind of glue,,,,
I'm adding this type of info to newer videos. Very time consuming updating old videos but I'm working my way through them. Check out the channel guide for videos on adhesives and tools. The adhesive for putting the leather on is paste, specifically wheat flour paste. There is a video on making this. As for buying tools, here is a list of the suppliers I use.
dasbookbinding.com/2020/03/27/bookbinding-suppliers/
Ciao, DAS
Thanks for this video, it was very informative. I have been working with leather for a few months now and I was looking into making journal covers. I feel like your video has given me what I need to get started and begin to learn.
This is probably a really silly question, but do you (or anyone here) know if there are any rules surrounding making/ selling notebooks with branded paper? For example if I made a notebook with Clairefontaine or Tomoe River paper, would I need to contact the paper manufacturer for permission?
There may be some technicality, but it is common practice to say what paper you use. Someone would only care if they thought it impacted their business, and then they can ask you to stop. I see no moral issue, which is my main guide in such circumstances. For paper makers I think the OW rule holds, the only thing worse than being talked about is not. Ciao, DAS
question, what paste you use? because i noticed you never say "glue" and you use allways "paste". Is there some kind difference?
Yes, big difference. I'll have a video on adhesives some time in the next few months. Glue in bookbinding traditionally means animal protein type glues. The modern equivalent is PVA. Paste is a starch based adhesive. In most cellulose based uses paste can be substituted with methyl cellulose adhesive (the type designed for bookbinding). Paste and glue have very different properties and are used according to which is needed at the time. For traditional covering in leather starch based adhesive is always used. Ciao, DAS
@@DASBookbinding thank you for answering to my question. I will make contact with you on FB because i have a lot more questions about that skilled work.
@@family_adventure23 Hi, best to contact me through my website contact page dasbookbinding.com I'm not very active on FB. DAS
What is the material used to stick the leather on the carton
Wheat flour paste. DAS
Is the finishing wax necessary? I like how it looks without it so I'm just curious...
No. There are some really nice leathers that don't need it. This leather was very dull and lifeless and the finish helped it a lot. Ciao, DAS
question - how do you print in the book now, or was it meant to stay blank
This is just a model. If it is a book with text, the text is printed before binding.
thank you, very nice work. @@DASBookbinding
What was the name of the edge skiving tool you used? Can't seem to find it anywhere. Thanks!
A paring knife. Here's a selection of different types.
www.talasonline.com/Paring-Knives
Ciao, DAS
Can you use a regular glue on leather? I am thinking of doing the exact same thing on my book.Also,what can i do to have a smooth perfect leather cover.Thanks in advance.
I think paste is a "regular" adhesive. But for this type of binding you can't use PVA as you need to the open time to do the operations required and the stretch of wet leather. DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you
Hello! I'm starting off and I've watched a few of your videos, though I'm still left with a doubt: when working with leather you've led me to understand that it's traditional to use starch paste. However, is it common nowadays to use methyl cellulose or it's mix with PVA/EVA with that leather??
For traditional leather bookbinding it remains standard to use starch based paste for covering with leather. I think it would be rare to see mix or MC used. PVA/EVA can get used with leather but not for covering as it doesn't allow time for manipulation of the leather. I was originally taught to use the same refined starch paste for leather as I'd use for paper repair. But I've swapped to using wheat flour paste for covering in leather and I talk about this in my videos on adhesives and on making wheat flour paste.
@@DASBookbinding thank you very much! I must've missed that bit
I learnt book binding, along with traditional typographical typesetting, as an art student many years ago. Very lucky to have seen it, as the world was moving into to computer age, and many traditional skills were being lost.
As for PVA adhesive. In a word, NO. You need your adhesive to be very slow-drying. This is crucial as you're using natural leather which must be allowed to move, both in the wrapping process, and as it shrink-dries to fit like a glove. Using PVA is akin to using superglue! If you read my earlier comment, you'll see why.
I’m puzzled about turning the header leather into the tube of the spine and yet not snipping it to also behind the block, to be continuous with the fold over the head or bottom edge. The tube itself must get in the way? How you do dat?!
I'm not sure I follow. I hope I show how to slit the tube about 1 inch which allows the turn-in to go inside the tube. But the bit of tube on the outside can be a ain in the neck if it decides to wrinkle while tuning in. But working with paste you have time to start again. All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding Ah, yes, I wondered, but missed where you said to make a split, Im sorry!
what if we don't have kangaroo? can we use cat? what happens if the cat runs away?
maybe goat would be the second best option.
I am a retired bookbinder and I was taught NEVER to cut leather with scissors. The iron in the scissors can rot the leather through time.
That's really interesting. I have no doubt there is some long history to this and would love to know what it is. What part of the world you from and where did you train and get told this? But I don't believe it. You have to cut the leather with some form of steel. I've sure scissors have been made from drop forged or stamped steel for well over 100 years. I image iron scissors would wear very fast. And in regards iron content of steel, I can't imagine why that would migrate to leather any differently than a paring knife or other form of knife. I'll certainly be keep an eye out for this in the future. All the best, Darryn
@@DASBookbinding I served an apprenticeship of 6 years and gained my City and Guilds. I think that the iron content came from the scissors when they were sharpened, which I had to do quite often. Also, calfskin was prone to rot but that would take many years to happen. My main task was finishing the book, i.e., gold lettering and tooling. One of my efforts now sits in the Chapel of St. George in Windsor Castle near London. I worked with some of the most gifted young binders in Scotland. Sadly craft binding in the UK is dying.
@@TheJohnscot Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm afraid finishing is my weakness and thus why there is none in my videos. I can get by I guess. I mainly rely on the blocking press. Hopefully craft binding can make a comeback. I guess SoB is going through a rough patch. Yours, Darryn
Where do you find blue cows?
Blue kangaroo. From the colder parts of Australia. DAS
I have to know, when you say "paste" what is that? Around where I am, "paste" just means glue, and there's a million different glues 😅
Check out my videos on different adhesives, especially the overview video. In bookbinding context paste is a starch based adhesive while "glue" traditionally was an animal protein based adhesive, but these days is replaced with synthetics, usually PVA.
What type of glue do you use?
I think I used wheat starch paste for this project. For covering in leather I've mostly swapped to wheat flour paste now. DAS
What kind of paper is that which you used with what to make the frame for cutting the leather? Can I use kraft paper instead?
Yes, kraft paper is fine. It gets thrown away after using, so quality of paper isn't important. Good luck, Darryn
Thank you, with all gratitude, for your gracious response. I have ine last question: you seemed to put on 4 or 5 coats of pva on the leather for the especially dry hide. How much would you recommend for a hide with a more common amount of moisture? Thank you again for your responses. They are greatly appreciated.
I'm applying starch paste, not PVA to the leather. I very rarely use PVA directly on leather. For this binding it really wants paste on the leather, which soaks into the leather, and thus why multiple coats are applied. It also does not dry quickly which allows time to work the leather. 2 or 3 applications of paste is normal. Good luck, DAS