When I was an apprentice bookbinder over 40 years ago, we had to make book cloth at TAFE, there were no sheets of paper used at all but different types of animal based glues. Rabbit glue is one of the glues we used. There was also another made from a plant too long ago for me to remember what it was called but was made into a paste. It was made on glass as this gave a smooth finish to the book cloth. Things have come a long way since then. But when working with restoration work of old books I think I will stick to the older methods as they are tried and true. For making of modern notebooks I think these new methods would be great.
I made bookcloth from fabric that I printed and used heat&bond. After that, I coated it with scotch guard. It seals it so you can wipe it and it doesn't hurt the ink.
Dear Sir...I wanted to take a moment to thank you for these wonderful, professional videos on a subject that fascinates me. I have made some fledgling efforts at book binding (and a multitude of errors...hopefully your generous instruction, recently found, will reduce future mistakes). I thought you might be interested in a quilters trick I have tried for backing thin cotton with paper...it seems to have worked for my simple purposes...it is freezer paper. Not sure what the product is called in Australia...most likely the same. One side of the paper (which comes in big rolls and is relatively inexpensive; it is used primarily for wrapping items that are placed in the freezer for food storage) is waxed and the other plain...I placed the waxed side down over the back of my book cloth and ironed. It seemed to adhere well and prevented the adhesive from striking through to the front of the cloth when I glued it to the book boards. There are instructional videos from quilters on the process if you are interested. Best regards from Kentucky in the USA. Stay safe and well. Violet
Omg that mermaid scale looking cloth at the beginning is so gorgeous. I can't wait to see what kind of book you make with it! This is really interesting since there are sights like spoonflower that let you print designs of your own make or other peoples onto fabric. There are tons of colorful designs on there that i bet would look amazing on books.
I've been looking for a detailed video like this for a while - I am also a quilter, so I have so many cottons I would like to use to cover books but didn't know how to before!
Great video! I am sure you've found the best way which works for you but as someone who sews regularly, I would just note that with fusible interfacing, you usually want to start from the middle of the fabric and work outwards. This should prevent some of the curling effect that you see sometimes :)
@@DASBookbinding Unrelated but something I also wanted you to know is that I used your coptic stitch tutorial to make my first ever bound book so thank you for sharing this knowledge with all of us so we can try something new :)
This will be a great series. You get extra credit for mentioning one of my favorite--and one of the most interesting--physicists to have ever lived: Richard Feynman!
As a physicist I have met many people who knew Feynman, and of course he was a big influence on me through his books. My special rel lecturer had been a student of Feynman. One day he came into class looking very serious and told us of Feynman's passing. It was a bit of fun to weave him into my bookbinding life, even if I had to simplify his actual explanation. All the best, Darryn
@@DASBookbinding How very cool! I only encountered him as an undergraduate engineering students watching a PBS series of him. Fell in love with his character. Thanks for sharing that.
I made my first bookcloth yesterday! It turned out very nicely, and I'm pleased with it. I've already got it glued onto the case of my first bradel binding, also from your tutorial, and as soon as I print the endpapers and put them in (and use them to join the case and textblock), it'll be a finished book! :D I used basically the method you described, except I used a cardboard box to glue it down on, and used PVA for the glue. I figured that not caring about the state of the box when I was done would mitigate the concern of PVA sticking too well to the work surface.
Thank you! I own a homesteading home possessing oodles of textiles from myriad fabrics, papers, and cardboards saved for crafting. All I see are instructions sending me to buy more of virtually the same materials I have or can combine and make. I have shelf and drawer liners I've used as liners or end leaves in books that were otherwise poorly repaired by me before instruction (so I could read them without further damaging them, not so I could preserve or enhance monetary value) proving they can be used along a hinge and probably not fail any more than commercial book products. Thank you so much. These are all book that will remain mine or be gifts to friends or family, as well. Not be put up for auction as 100% professionally repaired, let alone restored. I even have Scotchguard and other products I've used in craftsmanship for repelling dirt and moisture.
Fascinating Darren . Thank you, as always, for your wonderfully researched and practical tutorials. Think I went into a two week decline ( DAS miss) while you had a well earned holiday!
If some1 want to know hot to made this pasta at home, u can search another video from this channel: "Making Bookbinding Paste in the Microwave" This channel is amazing :)
Great video as always! I have had good success with the paste method, and slightly less with the iron-on interfacing - wrinkling was an issue at times and I was never totally confident of the long-term adhesion. I have even been able to print on paste method bookcloth with my ordinary inkjet printer (on plain cloth). And I’m very much looking forward to the next step, in which the bookcloth gains some water resistance. Oh, and the kangaroo cloth is lovely!
Wow I love that you explain the history AND you have the books about book cloth. Your videos are so informative! Thank you for your sharing your experience!
I found a cloth on my local store called blackout, is mainly used for curtains, the thing is that it has a smooth side/face already, which I'm guessing is for protecting the curtain from the sun and environment, so I just pasted the cloth on the board xd, I used your guides to make my first bookbinding, thank you for that, the book turn out great, for a first try, in case you are wondering. I bought recently a leather knife, like the one you shown on your previous video on trimming book edges, I'm gonna be using it on my next project, hoping that that fixes my issue with the trimming, that was the only part that I wasn't entirely happy with in the first attempt. Thanks, love the videos!
Thank you for this very detailed and well researched material. Always a pleasure to watch, listen, learn. I used the heat and bond method -in Germany it is called "Vlieseline" and has worked well. I am intrigued by then use of Methylcellulose, which I use to make marbled paper. I am off to your next video now! Thanks again
Well, I've finally got around to trying this with some cloth I've dyed with resist patterns. The first was less than successful - I didn't line up properly before I put the paper down and then ripped it when I tried to reposition. It also ended up having a few bubbles because I hadn't glued up the paper evenly, I checked the next ones by looking for the light reflecting off the glue which revealed any dry spots. The next ones turned out perfectly, so thanks once again for another great tutorial.
Howdy, Happy New York. I didn't think of using heat/bond for this purpose. I have tons of this stuff. Live and learn. Thank you. As always very informative and thoroughly enjoyable.
A disadvantage i've found with purchased bookcloth is that it can be adhered to the paper "off grain". In other words it's skewed on a diagonal. This makes it really difficult to get a nice neat look on the spine. At least to my eye. I've found this with packaged bookcloths but not those purchased as yardage. In either case, it is difficult to determine the lengthwise grain of the cloth b/c it's already adhered to the paper. So another advantage of making your own is that you know which direction is lengthwise, which should parallel the paper and board long grain, as you said, if possible. (I sewed for work for many years.) Thank you for these videos. I can't tell you how much relaxation and joy bookbinding has brought me. It's a way to de-stress, like meditation.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills, you're my hero, along with Sage :) Looking forward to the next video. Now I am off to make bookcloth all night :)
I just fuse it directly to my book boards with the iron after applying the heat and bond. No glue. Makes super flat book covers, don’t have to wait for glue to dry. I have books over 7 years old that I use frequently, and the heat and bond is still tight and stuck to the boards.
I've been using the Heat'n'Bond for the paperback books I've been re-covering to take to my 1820s era camps... but I've been using tissue paper (all the videos I found on UA-cam recommended that) as the backing and having some problems with glue bleed through... I'm definitely going to try paper....
Tissue means different things to different people. For some people they mean Japanese tissue, which can be fairly thin and not bleed through. But most western tissues will be too thin. Good luck! DAS
@@DASBookbinding Love your tutorial thank you for sharing. I would love to see a video on the various tissue papers and their properties as they apply to bookbinding. Cheers Judy
An excellent video, as always! Before I got any commercial bookcloth I experimented by making my own, your video would have saved me a few lessons. Personally I don't like the heat set method. I don't think it is reliable enough. I found pockets where, for some unidentified reason, the materials did not stick. When I got some commercially made bookcloth I was surprised by how thin it is.
There is a huge variety of commercial book cloths. One of my favourites is Arbelave which isn't very thin, but a bit boring for most people. I just love how functional it is. All the best, Darryn
The heat and bond does work But if you're using heat transfer vinyl that you need to hold an iron down on top of, it will continue to react and discolor the fabric sometimes.
Which method would work with Wool best? i have some nice tweed i would like to cover a book with... im assuming i need to paper back it... or could i just cover the board with the wool fabric? should i use paste for this? and which paste is best? Many thanks
I was wondering, if as a bookbinder you have ever considered experimenting with the thermal plasticity (reactivation of adhesiveness by heat) of PVA adhesives? As a now retired custom furniture maker, I often had to work with numerous exotic wood veneers to meet various client requests. The ‘traditional’ method was to use hot hide glue with a brass edged veneer ‘hammer’, which is messy, time consuming and sometimes the results are quite unpredictable. In the late 1990s I learned a technique employed by furniture maker Frank Pollaro (arguably now the highest paid furniture maker in the world). It involved very lightly dampening the face of the veneer, taping it to the workbench with gummed paper veneer tape and applying one or two even coats of high quality PVA to the underside of the veneer. This was then allowed to dry. The veneer could then be positioned on the substrate, and working from the centre outward to the edges, it was simply ironed down slowly using a household iron set to cotton/ linen. I used this technique on dozens of different species of wood, including highly figured and irregularly grained, book matched veneers. I never had any problems either with a variety of finishes I used regularly, or had any veneer lift off (after almost two decades now). I have experimented with this technique since 2014 for backing my own book cloth with Kozo or other Japanese rice papers on a variety of cotton and linen fabric weights. I apply the PVA to the backing paper, which I tape to a scrap board of MDF. I have used both a brush and a roller for even glue application centre to edges. I use a thin second coat of PVA only on heavier or textured fabrics. I haven’t had any instances of bleed through into the outer surface of fabric thus far. It seems to me this is exactly the same as using an iron-on interfacing to back cloth for covers. Incidentally, the fabric on the first book cover I made with this technique is still completely secure. I would be curious to hear your comments.
I have experimented with PVA to make book cloth, but I was using it to impregnate the cloth completely. I thought it would give a good protective coat. I wasn't happy with the results but have plans to go back to it some day. I hadn't thought of using just on the back as you suggest. I don't use the backing to paper method much and this is where I'd use it most and I don't think I'd ever iron book cloth on to a book. But worth thinking about. Thanks. DAS
thank you so much for the wealth of information, i watch your videos over and over every time i bind 😄❤️ i would love to ask: do you think it's possible to both fill AND back a fabric so that i get the benefits of both? filling has great advantages but it doesn't prevent strikethrough. I've done it as an experiment once in a one-two step process: filling (dries with right side facing up), THEN backing (only sprayed the back, dries with right side facing down). do you think it's possible to do it in one step?
Yes, you can fill and back. But most filling materials will prevent strike through. Maybe straight starch is too water soluble, but with a bit of additional acrylic medium it should be fine. I use cloth I make myself that is only filled often.
Thank you! I had collected some silk ties from the used-clothing store ($2 per) for making small bookcloths, but they are so thin that I was uncertain whether paste will work or if I should locate methylcellulose. I had not thought if the fusible lining.
Paste or MC will work fine for silk, though may strike through. In Japanese bookbinding the silk would be full saturated in adhesive from both sides and then backed. It is often used just for the head and tail in pouch bindings and thus you don't need much and a tie should be enough for this application. Have fun! DAS
I'm still confused about fabric ... I have some that I want to back with paper but it's quite thick and it's fraying on edges. Does backing prevent fraying ?
We did this in my bookbinding group a few years ago, and we used rice paper to back the cloth (both for the heat n bond method and the paste method). I don't really remember what the supposed benefit of using rice paper was, though.
Thank you very much for sharing with your mastery experience and doing these fantastic videos! I have one , probably very basic question. I'm not a native English speaker and I'm thinking what exactly is this PASTE? Google translator shows me many possibilities:)
Just found your channel. Awesome information, btw. I'm curious....I have some 1000D Cordura. Have you ever used any type of Cordura for bookcloth and if so, did you have to back it with paper or just use it as is?
Forgive me, may I ask: you taught me the highly embossed or gilded bookcloths were replaced with more economical, paper-backed cloths. Were the embossed ones that came before paper-backing filled with the plastic-like oils you mentioned prior to the addition of foil etc. or were they just thicker cloth or backed with something else? Thank you very much for your time and efforts.
It might not be exactly what I was trying to get across. Early bookcloth was not backed with paper. The filling materials gave the stiffness and stopped strike through. I believe it is easier and cheaper to make book cloth by backing with paper and thus this has become the more common bookcloth. But there are still many types of bookcloth not backed with paper. Arbelave buckram is an example. There are also reasons where backing with paper is the best option. You can preserve surface finish and texture and use thin fabric such as silk. Embossed book cloth mostly just went out of fashion rather than being a cost thing - I think. There might be a few rare exceptions, but book cloth was not sold with gild (or foiled) designs. Hope this makes sense.
Is it possible to use normal cloth on a book? Perhaps something heavier, like a denim? At the very least, could I use a plain cotton for binding the spine of a book in place of something like Japanese paper? Thank you.
Is there a two sided fusible webbing that can be used to back the fabric, then ironed onto the boards? I know this exists for fabric, but does anyone use it in bookbinding?
This is fascinating! I am a book publisher of bibles and my thoughts were, since my teenage bible was a Good News Denim soft RAG cloth bible by Nelson Publishing, why not try to publish one of our bibles in a similar a soft cover as a smyth sewn bible, but I cannot find anywhere information on how they stiffened the natural denim cloth for that 1976 denim bible without adding another paper or interface to it. Any comment on how I could go about finding such materials, what the process is called for stiffening and/or the fabric name for it?
That's an interesting question. I collect these limp covered bibles and have a lot of them. But my focus is pre 1940. I don't remember coming across a denim covered bible by Nelson. I would assume it is the same as most of the bibles and something like a 10pt card weight paper/cardstock is used to stiffen it. It is often embossed to look like cloth, but is paper. English versions will use a paper which was called Cobb paper, which has not been made in a long long time.I would suggest something like Hahnemuhle Bugra, or for something a bit heavier, the 250gsm Stonehenge. If you just want a stiff material, this is essentially what bookcloth is and I would contact the Holliston Mill for something special. holliston.com/product-tag/book-cloth/
What is laminating paper in the context of bookbinding? I'm only familiar with it in terms of covering paper in plastic. It sounds like a useful technique for soft cover notebooks, which is something I'm wanting to make.
Thank you very nice video ! In linen fabric what do you think ? HeatnBond or paste, what would be better ? and something else Bond paper and bondina paper is the same ? Also if for backing paper we use something like handmade paper(kozo or thai mulberry paper) about 20 gsm is it appropriate ?
Both methods will work with linen, but I would use the paste method because I know the long term stability. Bond paper is just ordinary office/copier type paper. I believe Bondina is a non-woven polyester fabric, so not the same thing. 20gsm is a bit on the light side and adhesive may bleed through it. Kozo etc does make good backing paper and if you have 20gsm then give it a go. But if you're buying it I would go for 40gsm. Good luck! DAS
I'm not sure what you are asking. I use a lot of commercial bookcloth. My favourite is Arbelave. But they are not very decorative and this is why I occasionally make my own.
I don't prefer either. They each have different uses. Hopefully you are able to see this post I made recently. It has a presentation attached. www.patreon.com/posts/56703859 DAS
It does work! I'm only about a minute into the video - but SeaLemon has a very popular video about how to create a book cloth with any kind of material (that you could find in a Joann's or other fabric store). I almost exclusively use her tutorial to create my book cloths - with amazing results. You can get all of the tools you need in a regular craft store.
I tried making some bookcloth using cotton and paste based on a different video. Didn't come out very good mainly down to lack of experience I think (curled up into a really tight roll as soon as released from the glass). As with all things partice is the key. I'll have to have a look at SeaLemon's video - hers are usually very easy to follow/understand.
@@daveturnbull7221 I tried doing it as well, thou the glue traspassed the cloth and made it ugly. I know how to do it know, thou i wasnt sure if cotton would be good. I'll try again I guess
All the fabrics I used in the video are cotton. Natural fibres work the best for the wet adhesive method because the fibres are rough and the adhesive have something to grab on to. This is why I would try and use the heatnbond on synthetics, the smooth fibres won't take adhesive well. If it is a very loose weave it is difficult to stop the adhesive striking through to the front. You just have to try and be careful and not put pressure on it that will force the adhesive through the weave. All the best, DAS
With things like this where every situation is different you just need to experiment. Ideally the cloth will stretch about the same amount as the paper when is is moistened. Then when they dry and shrink, they both do it at the same rate and this stops or reduces the curling. But fabrics have all sorts of different weaves and can react to moisture in different ways. In some fabrics the warp thread will swell and then the weft threads have further to go around them and the fabric will shrink in the weft direction when wet. Good luck! DAS
Doesn't have to be fancy unless you have special requirements for the finished product. Any typical office/bond type paper 80gsm or lighter (20lb) will be fine. Just pay attention to grain direction. I have a link to the paper I used in the description. DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you! I've watched other videos and all of them were talking about some type of paper or other (which are kind of expensive to get here), so I'm glad to know other more accesible types are good as well. 😃
I’m curious if anyone has any insight on whether it’s better to pre-wash fabric before either of these methods, the same way it’s usually recommended if one was using the fabric for sewing (though from my research there’s plenty of people who don’t even pre-wash for that, at least for some fabrics). Obviously we’re not laundering our books, but I wonder if it might mitigate warping/shrinkage during the process of backing it or over time in the final book. I’ve seen at least one person try the paste method without pre-washing the fabric only to realise there was sizing or some other coating that made it water resistant and therefore very difficult to adhere the paper backing.
I think it depends on the fabric. As you mention, there might be a size or coating on the fabric. I have wonder this and done some experiments and it didn't make a difference.
@@DASBookbinding Thank you for replying :) I’m planning on using a cotton quilting fabric (fat quarters/flats) for an upcoming project. I suppose I’ll do a little more research on what kind of sizing is likely used on it before I decide how to proceed, but it’s good to hear that your experiments at least haven’t shown much difference.
What is the type of paper used in backing the cloth in heat bond method (first one method in vedio) and glue method (second one method in vedio)? What is the GSM of the paper.
9:30 - are we really invoking Feynman in regards to bookbinding? I mean I'm sure the law of entropy applies to books as well, but I'm not convinced that it's incredibly applicable in this case. XD
Hi Darryn, thanks again for yet another amazing video! This is great as the only suppliers of bookcloth in NZ have a MOQ of 5 metres. I teach box making / cartonnage workshops, and this year want to add in journal covers to try and attract younger people. I tried the heat n bond yesterday without a paper backing, and it’s great - I have a heat press which makes it really easy. I also bonded the bookcloth to my test journal cover to see if it would work, and it stuck so well I can’t peel it off. It didn’t seem to affect the board in any way. Can you think of a reason why that’s not a good idea (maybe reduced longevity of the cover) and does it have to be bonded to paper before being used? Here’s what I make. Thank you! musicandarts.co.nz/event/an-introduction-to-cartonnage/
Hi Tracey, Your boxes look wonderful. I would certainly not have thought of putting the cloth straight onto the board. I imagine getting a good bond on the edge of the board for the turn-in may be a bit tricky. If you're overlapping with commercial bookcloth you might need to be careful not to melt it. If the cloth is light and the board is grey, the colour may not look as good without a paper backing. Otherwise, go for it! You come from a wonderful part of the world. I used to travel to the ice through CHC every year and Hanmer Springs was a favourite place to decompress when coming back out! All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding thank you very much for your input, it's really appreciated. I am going to Chch today and will call in to see a bookbinder who has offered to sell me just a metre of cloth. You talk about "ice" and I'm assuming you used to work in Antarctica - my dream to visit there one day, how lucky you were! Yes, Hanmer is beautiful - pop in for a cuppa if you ever pass through again 😊 Thanks again.
When I was an apprentice bookbinder over 40 years ago, we had to make book cloth at TAFE, there were no sheets of paper used at all but different types of animal based glues. Rabbit glue is one of the glues we used. There was also another made from a plant too long ago for me to remember what it was called but was made into a paste. It was made on glass as this gave a smooth finish to the book cloth.
Things have come a long way since then. But when working with restoration work of old books I think I will stick to the older methods as they are tried and true. For making of modern notebooks I think these new methods would be great.
9:31 As a physics graduate, I appreciate the Feynman reference. 😊
I made bookcloth from fabric that I printed and used heat&bond. After that, I coated it with scotch guard. It seals it so you can wipe it and it doesn't hurt the ink.
Everytime I look at your videos it suprises me the quality and how professional they are. Thank you for your knowledge, it's worth everyone's while.
Dear Sir...I wanted to take a moment to thank you for these wonderful, professional videos on a subject that fascinates me. I have made some fledgling efforts at book binding (and a multitude of errors...hopefully your generous instruction, recently found, will reduce future mistakes). I thought you might be interested in a quilters trick I have tried for backing thin cotton with paper...it seems to have worked for my simple purposes...it is freezer paper. Not sure what the product is called in Australia...most likely the same. One side of the paper (which comes in big rolls and is relatively inexpensive; it is used primarily for wrapping items that are placed in the freezer for food storage) is waxed and the other plain...I placed the waxed side down over the back of my book cloth and ironed. It seemed to adhere well and prevented the adhesive from striking through to the front of the cloth when I glued it to the book boards. There are instructional videos from quilters on the process if you are interested. Best regards from Kentucky in the USA. Stay safe and well. Violet
Waxed paper is a thing of the past here. I've looked everywhere. All the modern equivalents here are silicone coated. But thanks for sharing! DAS
@@DASBookbindingyou'll find it in quilting shops outside of the states
This is very helpful! Thank you for posting this here, I think I'll have to give it a try.
Omg that mermaid scale looking cloth at the beginning is so gorgeous. I can't wait to see what kind of book you make with it! This is really interesting since there are sights like spoonflower that let you print designs of your own make or other peoples onto fabric. There are tons of colorful designs on there that i bet would look amazing on books.
I've not heard about these places where you can design your own fabric pattern. I'm looking into that! DAS
Thank you for the advice! I hadn't heard of this before, but I see now that they have very beautiful prints! Will definitely check it out!
Spoonflower is awesome, I have a feeling there's a place in Australia now that does it also, but I might be wrong.
I've been looking for a detailed video like this for a while - I am also a quilter, so I have so many cottons I would like to use to cover books but didn't know how to before!
Great video! I am sure you've found the best way which works for you but as someone who sews regularly, I would just note that with fusible interfacing, you usually want to start from the middle of the fabric and work outwards. This should prevent some of the curling effect that you see sometimes :)
Thanks for the tip. As someone who uses an iron extremely rarely it is useful:) DAS
@@DASBookbinding Unrelated but something I also wanted you to know is that I used your coptic stitch tutorial to make my first ever bound book so thank you for sharing this knowledge with all of us so we can try something new :)
This will be a great series. You get extra credit for mentioning one of my favorite--and one of the most interesting--physicists to have ever lived: Richard Feynman!
As a physicist I have met many people who knew Feynman, and of course he was a big influence on me through his books. My special rel lecturer had been a student of Feynman. One day he came into class looking very serious and told us of Feynman's passing. It was a bit of fun to weave him into my bookbinding life, even if I had to simplify his actual explanation. All the best, Darryn
@@DASBookbinding How very cool! I only encountered him as an undergraduate engineering students watching a PBS series of him. Fell in love with his character. Thanks for sharing that.
I made my first bookcloth yesterday! It turned out very nicely, and I'm pleased with it. I've already got it glued onto the case of my first bradel binding, also from your tutorial, and as soon as I print the endpapers and put them in (and use them to join the case and textblock), it'll be a finished book! :D
I used basically the method you described, except I used a cardboard box to glue it down on, and used PVA for the glue. I figured that not caring about the state of the box when I was done would mitigate the concern of PVA sticking too well to the work surface.
This was so fascinating. Thank-you. I also appreciate you sharing the books at the end.
I love your videos, thank you for your hard work and for teaching us.
I hope you keep making videos. I recently found your channel and it’s the most informative book binding diy one I can find. I love your videos!
Thank you! I own a homesteading home possessing oodles of textiles from myriad fabrics, papers, and cardboards saved for crafting. All I see are instructions sending me to buy more of virtually the same materials I have or can combine and make. I have shelf and drawer liners I've used as liners or end leaves in books that were otherwise poorly repaired by me before instruction (so I could read them without further damaging them, not so I could preserve or enhance monetary value) proving they can be used along a hinge and probably not fail any more than commercial book products. Thank you so much. These are all book that will remain mine or be gifts to friends or family, as well. Not be put up for auction as 100% professionally repaired, let alone restored. I even have Scotchguard and other products I've used in craftsmanship for repelling dirt and moisture.
Thank you for your work.
Fascinating Darren . Thank you, as always, for your wonderfully researched and practical tutorials. Think I went into a two week decline ( DAS miss) while you had a well earned holiday!
Thanks! It's a struggle getting back into. Once the kids go back to school I'll have less distractions and hopefully get easier! All the best, Darryn
Thank You for the information !!!
If some1 want to know hot to made this pasta at home, u can search another video from this channel:
"Making Bookbinding Paste in the Microwave"
This channel is amazing :)
Thank you so much for this video! Much wished and longed for! Can't wait for the one on protecting the book cloth too.
Great video as always! I have had good success with the paste method, and slightly less with the iron-on interfacing - wrinkling was an issue at times and I was never totally confident of the long-term adhesion. I have even been able to print on paste method bookcloth with my ordinary inkjet printer (on plain cloth). And I’m very much looking forward to the next step, in which the bookcloth gains some water resistance. Oh, and the kangaroo cloth is lovely!
Thank you so much for this video. learnt alot as an ameture book binder. 🙏
Wow I love that you explain the history AND you have the books about book cloth. Your videos are so informative! Thank you for your sharing your experience!
I've used heat'n'bond for years, it's so good and convenient
Thank you very much! Your videos are very professional. For me, this idea with fabric is very timely!
I love making my own bookcloth!
I found a cloth on my local store called blackout, is mainly used for curtains, the thing is that it has a smooth side/face already, which I'm guessing is for protecting the curtain from the sun and environment, so I just pasted the cloth on the board xd, I used your guides to make my first bookbinding, thank you for that, the book turn out great, for a first try, in case you are wondering. I bought recently a leather knife, like the one you shown on your previous video on trimming book edges, I'm gonna be using it on my next project, hoping that that fixes my issue with the trimming, that was the only part that I wasn't entirely happy with in the first attempt. Thanks, love the videos!
Thank you for this very detailed and well researched material. Always a pleasure to watch, listen, learn. I used the heat and bond method -in Germany it is called "Vlieseline" and has worked well. I am intrigued by then use of Methylcellulose, which I use to make marbled paper. I am off to your next video now! Thanks again
Well, I've finally got around to trying this with some cloth I've dyed with resist patterns. The first was less than successful - I didn't line up properly before I put the paper down and then ripped it when I tried to reposition. It also ended up having a few bubbles because I hadn't glued up the paper evenly, I checked the next ones by looking for the light reflecting off the glue which revealed any dry spots. The next ones turned out perfectly, so thanks once again for another great tutorial.
This was excellent! A very well done tutorial.
Howdy, Happy New York. I didn't think of using heat/bond for this purpose. I have tons of this stuff. Live and learn. Thank you. As always very informative and thoroughly enjoyable.
A disadvantage i've found with purchased bookcloth is that it can be adhered to the paper "off grain". In other words it's skewed on a diagonal. This makes it really difficult to get a nice neat look on the spine. At least to my eye. I've found this with packaged bookcloths but not those purchased as yardage. In either case, it is difficult to determine the lengthwise grain of the cloth b/c it's already adhered to the paper. So another advantage of making your own is that you know which direction is lengthwise, which should parallel the paper and board long grain, as you said, if possible. (I sewed for work for many years.) Thank you for these videos. I can't tell you how much relaxation and joy bookbinding has brought me. It's a way to de-stress, like meditation.
Thank you, I found this very helpful.
Great idea. I’ll try this
Thank you! This is very helpful and simple which births elegance.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills, you're my hero, along with Sage :) Looking forward to the next video. Now I am off to make bookcloth all night :)
Burns poetical works, great lecture!
Never read it:) DAS
Es Usted un gran maestro; muchas gracias por sus videos!
You're very welcome! DAS
I just fuse it directly to my book boards with the iron after applying the heat and bond. No glue. Makes super flat book covers, don’t have to wait for glue to dry. I have books over 7 years old that I use frequently, and the heat and bond is still tight and stuck to the boards.
I've been using the Heat'n'Bond for the paperback books I've been re-covering to take to my 1820s era camps... but I've been using tissue paper (all the videos I found on UA-cam recommended that) as the backing and having some problems with glue bleed through... I'm definitely going to try paper....
Tissue means different things to different people. For some people they mean Japanese tissue, which can be fairly thin and not bleed through. But most western tissues will be too thin. Good luck! DAS
@@DASBookbinding Love your tutorial thank you for sharing. I would love to see a video on the various tissue papers and their properties as they apply to bookbinding. Cheers Judy
An excellent video, as always! Before I got any commercial bookcloth I experimented by making my own, your video would have saved me a few lessons. Personally I don't like the heat set method. I don't think it is reliable enough. I found pockets where, for some unidentified reason, the materials did not stick.
When I got some commercially made bookcloth I was surprised by how thin it is.
There is a huge variety of commercial book cloths. One of my favourites is Arbelave which isn't very thin, but a bit boring for most people. I just love how functional it is. All the best, Darryn
So useful! Thank you!
The heat and bond does work But if you're using heat transfer vinyl that you need to hold an iron down on top of, it will continue to react and discolor the fabric sometimes.
Great video as usual
14:09 Is that an X-mas themed wallaby bookcloth? Love it! 😊
I can vouch for the thermal plastics. It forms a nice moisture barrier.
Which method would work with Wool best? i have some nice tweed i would like to cover a book with... im assuming i need to paper back it... or could i just cover the board with the wool fabric? should i use paste for this? and which paste is best? Many thanks
I was wondering, if as a bookbinder you have ever considered experimenting with the thermal plasticity (reactivation of adhesiveness by heat) of PVA adhesives?
As a now retired custom furniture maker, I often had to work with numerous exotic wood veneers to meet various client requests. The ‘traditional’ method was to use hot hide glue with a brass edged veneer ‘hammer’, which is messy, time consuming and sometimes the results are quite unpredictable.
In the late 1990s I learned a technique employed by furniture maker Frank Pollaro (arguably now the highest paid furniture maker in the world). It involved very lightly dampening the face of the veneer, taping it to the workbench with gummed paper veneer tape and applying one or two even coats of high quality PVA to the underside of the veneer. This was then allowed to dry.
The veneer could then be positioned on the substrate, and working from the centre outward to the edges, it was simply ironed down slowly using a household iron set to cotton/ linen. I used this technique on dozens of different species of wood, including highly figured and irregularly grained, book matched veneers. I never had any problems either with a variety of finishes I used regularly, or had any veneer lift off (after almost two decades now).
I have experimented with this technique since 2014 for backing my own book cloth with Kozo or other Japanese rice papers on a variety of cotton and linen fabric weights.
I apply the PVA to the backing paper, which I tape to a scrap board of MDF. I have used both a brush and a roller for even glue application centre to edges. I use a thin second coat of PVA only on heavier or textured fabrics. I haven’t had any instances of bleed through into the outer surface of fabric thus far.
It seems to me this is exactly the same as using an iron-on interfacing to back cloth for covers. Incidentally, the fabric on the first book cover I made with this technique is still completely secure.
I would be curious to hear your comments.
I have experimented with PVA to make book cloth, but I was using it to impregnate the cloth completely. I thought it would give a good protective coat. I wasn't happy with the results but have plans to go back to it some day. I hadn't thought of using just on the back as you suggest. I don't use the backing to paper method much and this is where I'd use it most and I don't think I'd ever iron book cloth on to a book. But worth thinking about. Thanks. DAS
There is a product for water proofing fabric called Odie coat. Might be useful.
thank you so much for the wealth of information, i watch your videos over and over every time i bind 😄❤️
i would love to ask: do you think it's possible to both fill AND back a fabric so that i get the benefits of both? filling has great advantages but it doesn't prevent strikethrough.
I've done it as an experiment once in a one-two step process: filling (dries with right side facing up), THEN backing (only sprayed the back, dries with right side facing down). do you think it's possible to do it in one step?
Yes, you can fill and back. But most filling materials will prevent strike through. Maybe straight starch is too water soluble, but with a bit of additional acrylic medium it should be fine. I use cloth I make myself that is only filled often.
Thank you! I had collected some silk ties from the used-clothing store ($2 per) for making small bookcloths, but they are so thin that I was uncertain whether paste will work or if I should locate methylcellulose. I had not thought if the fusible lining.
Paste or MC will work fine for silk, though may strike through. In Japanese bookbinding the silk would be full saturated in adhesive from both sides and then backed. It is often used just for the head and tail in pouch bindings and thus you don't need much and a tie should be enough for this application. Have fun! DAS
Thank you; I will start experimenting.
I'm still confused about fabric ... I have some that I want to back with paper but it's quite thick and it's fraying on edges. Does backing prevent fraying ?
Backing or being filled with something prevents or reduces fraying. But the edge of the cloth is usually covered in most finished books. DAS
I definitely need practice. And a piece of plexiglass. Heat N Bond can be expensive.
We did this in my bookbinding group a few years ago, and we used rice paper to back the cloth (both for the heat n bond method and the paste method). I don't really remember what the supposed benefit of using rice paper was, though.
It is a very good backing material for fabric because it is very thin. But it is hard to handle once wet. Ciao, Darryn
Think the paper is also pretty neutral ph
Thank you very much for sharing with your mastery experience and doing these fantastic videos! I have one , probably very basic question. I'm not a native English speaker and I'm thinking what exactly is this PASTE? Google translator shows me many possibilities:)
Paste is made from starch. It can be refined starch or just wheat flour. Methyl cellulose can be used as a starch replacement for paste.
Just found your channel. Awesome information, btw. I'm curious....I have some 1000D Cordura. Have you ever used any type of Cordura for bookcloth and if so, did you have to back it with paper or just use it as is?
No I haven't. It is fairly stiff and water proof. So probably can use as is. Maybe a bit heavy.
Thank you! will the backing with the wheat flower paste work with synthetic fabrics like polyester?
There are so many variables - type of synthetic, weave, etc. You just have to try it out and see. Good luck!
how do you avoid getting air bubbles on the paste method?
Forgive me, may I ask: you taught me the highly embossed or gilded bookcloths were replaced with more economical, paper-backed cloths. Were the embossed ones that came before paper-backing filled with the plastic-like oils you mentioned prior to the addition of foil etc. or were they just thicker cloth or backed with something else? Thank you very much for your time and efforts.
It might not be exactly what I was trying to get across. Early bookcloth was not backed with paper. The filling materials gave the stiffness and stopped strike through. I believe it is easier and cheaper to make book cloth by backing with paper and thus this has become the more common bookcloth. But there are still many types of bookcloth not backed with paper. Arbelave buckram is an example. There are also reasons where backing with paper is the best option. You can preserve surface finish and texture and use thin fabric such as silk. Embossed book cloth mostly just went out of fashion rather than being a cost thing - I think. There might be a few rare exceptions, but book cloth was not sold with gild (or foiled) designs. Hope this makes sense.
Is it possible to use normal cloth on a book? Perhaps something heavier, like a denim? At the very least, could I use a plain cotton for binding the spine of a book in place of something like Japanese paper? Thank you.
Yes, just turn it into DIY bookcloth with one of the methods I demonstrate.
Nice!
Can you do a video about foil, please? I keep wracking my brain on doing it and I keep coming up blank.
What are you trying to do with it? Do you have any finishing tools? What surface are you applying foil to? Ciao DAS
Is there a two sided fusible webbing that can be used to back the fabric, then ironed onto the boards? I know this exists for fabric, but does anyone use it in bookbinding?
This is fascinating! I am a book publisher of bibles and my thoughts were, since my teenage bible was a Good News Denim soft RAG cloth bible by Nelson Publishing, why not try to publish one of our bibles in a similar a soft cover as a smyth sewn bible, but I cannot find anywhere information on how they stiffened the natural denim cloth for that 1976 denim bible without adding another paper or interface to it. Any comment on how I could go about finding such materials, what the process is called for stiffening and/or the fabric name for it?
That's an interesting question. I collect these limp covered bibles and have a lot of them. But my focus is pre 1940. I don't remember coming across a denim covered bible by Nelson. I would assume it is the same as most of the bibles and something like a 10pt card weight paper/cardstock is used to stiffen it. It is often embossed to look like cloth, but is paper. English versions will use a paper which was called Cobb paper, which has not been made in a long long time.I would suggest something like Hahnemuhle Bugra, or for something a bit heavier, the 250gsm Stonehenge. If you just want a stiff material, this is essentially what bookcloth is and I would contact the Holliston Mill for something special.
holliston.com/product-tag/book-cloth/
What is laminating paper in the context of bookbinding? I'm only familiar with it in terms of covering paper in plastic. It sounds like a useful technique for soft cover notebooks, which is something I'm wanting to make.
Laminating is just joining 2 flat materials. It doesn't have to be plastic. In this case I laminate paper and cloth. DAS
Thank you very nice video ! In linen fabric what do you think ? HeatnBond or paste, what would be better ? and something else Bond paper and bondina paper is the same ? Also if for backing paper we use something like handmade paper(kozo or thai mulberry paper) about 20 gsm is it appropriate ?
Both methods will work with linen, but I would use the paste method because I know the long term stability. Bond paper is just ordinary office/copier type paper. I believe Bondina is a non-woven polyester fabric, so not the same thing. 20gsm is a bit on the light side and adhesive may bleed through it. Kozo etc does make good backing paper and if you have 20gsm then give it a go. But if you're buying it I would go for 40gsm. Good luck! DAS
What about "made book cloth" vs "manufactured/premade /pro/sourced book cloth" something like that
I'm not sure what you are asking. I use a lot of commercial bookcloth. My favourite is Arbelave. But they are not very decorative and this is why I occasionally make my own.
@@DASBookbinding oh sorry, I meant as a term to differentiate homemade book cloth vs book cloth made "properly" or "professionally"
Many timber cases were covered with a material called Rexine back in the day. Is it a similar product?
Sounds like a Holliston Mills product. I'm more familiar with their Roxie which is a "pyroxylin impregnated binding fabric".
I'm curious. Did you make your own glue or is there a certain brand that you use. How do I know if the paste has cellulose?
Check out my video on bookbinding adhesives. DAS
Do you prefer Wheat Paste to PVA glues? and why?
I don't prefer either. They each have different uses. Hopefully you are able to see this post I made recently. It has a presentation attached.
www.patreon.com/posts/56703859
DAS
Do you have any experience with cotton bookcloth? I have many cotton fabric but i dont know if it would work
It does work! I'm only about a minute into the video - but SeaLemon has a very popular video about how to create a book cloth with any kind of material (that you could find in a Joann's or other fabric store). I almost exclusively use her tutorial to create my book cloths - with amazing results. You can get all of the tools you need in a regular craft store.
I tried making some bookcloth using cotton and paste based on a different video. Didn't come out very good mainly down to lack of experience I think (curled up into a really tight roll as soon as released from the glass). As with all things partice is the key.
I'll have to have a look at SeaLemon's video - hers are usually very easy to follow/understand.
@@daveturnbull7221 I tried doing it as well, thou the glue traspassed the cloth and made it ugly. I know how to do it know, thou i wasnt sure if cotton would be good. I'll try again I guess
All the fabrics I used in the video are cotton. Natural fibres work the best for the wet adhesive method because the fibres are rough and the adhesive have something to grab on to. This is why I would try and use the heatnbond on synthetics, the smooth fibres won't take adhesive well. If it is a very loose weave it is difficult to stop the adhesive striking through to the front. You just have to try and be careful and not put pressure on it that will force the adhesive through the weave. All the best, DAS
With things like this where every situation is different you just need to experiment. Ideally the cloth will stretch about the same amount as the paper when is is moistened. Then when they dry and shrink, they both do it at the same rate and this stops or reduces the curling. But fabrics have all sorts of different weaves and can react to moisture in different ways. In some fabrics the warp thread will swell and then the weft threads have further to go around them and the fabric will shrink in the weft direction when wet. Good luck! DAS
Thank you for the tutorial. 😊
I have a question though; what kind of paper should be used for backing?
Doesn't have to be fancy unless you have special requirements for the finished product. Any typical office/bond type paper 80gsm or lighter (20lb) will be fine. Just pay attention to grain direction. I have a link to the paper I used in the description. DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you! I've watched other videos and all of them were talking about some type of paper or other (which are kind of expensive to get here), so I'm glad to know other more accesible types are good as well. 😃
I’m curious if anyone has any insight on whether it’s better to pre-wash fabric before either of these methods, the same way it’s usually recommended if one was using the fabric for sewing (though from my research there’s plenty of people who don’t even pre-wash for that, at least for some fabrics). Obviously we’re not laundering our books, but I wonder if it might mitigate warping/shrinkage during the process of backing it or over time in the final book. I’ve seen at least one person try the paste method without pre-washing the fabric only to realise there was sizing or some other coating that made it water resistant and therefore very difficult to adhere the paper backing.
I think it depends on the fabric. As you mention, there might be a size or coating on the fabric. I have wonder this and done some experiments and it didn't make a difference.
@@DASBookbinding Thank you for replying :) I’m planning on using a cotton quilting fabric (fat quarters/flats) for an upcoming project. I suppose I’ll do a little more research on what kind of sizing is likely used on it before I decide how to proceed, but it’s good to hear that your experiments at least haven’t shown much difference.
What is the type of paper used in backing the cloth in heat bond method (first one method in vedio) and glue method (second one method in vedio)?
What is the GSM of the paper.
I think I used Permalife 80gsm. But any bond/copier type paper would work fine. DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you very much for your clarification.
9:30 - are we really invoking Feynman in regards to bookbinding? I mean I'm sure the law of entropy applies to books as well, but I'm not convinced that it's incredibly applicable in this case. XD
Feynman has had huge impact on my life, so very applicable, for me anyway:)
Do you customizing.notebook
Sorry, no.
@@DASBookbinding it's okay...Will learn from you...and make..
@@DASBookbinding it's okay ...
Hi Darryn, thanks again for yet another amazing video! This is great as the only suppliers of bookcloth in NZ have a MOQ of 5 metres. I teach box making / cartonnage workshops, and this year want to add in journal covers to try and attract younger people. I tried the heat n bond yesterday without a paper backing, and it’s great - I have a heat press which makes it really easy. I also bonded the bookcloth to my test journal cover to see if it would work, and it stuck so well I can’t peel it off. It didn’t seem to affect the board in any way. Can you think of a reason why that’s not a good idea (maybe reduced longevity of the cover) and does it have to be bonded to paper before being used? Here’s what I make. Thank you! musicandarts.co.nz/event/an-introduction-to-cartonnage/
Hi Tracey,
Your boxes look wonderful. I would certainly not have thought of putting the cloth straight onto the board. I imagine getting a good bond on the edge of the board for the turn-in may be a bit tricky. If you're overlapping with commercial bookcloth you might need to be careful not to melt it. If the cloth is light and the board is grey, the colour may not look as good without a paper backing. Otherwise, go for it! You come from a wonderful part of the world. I used to travel to the ice through CHC every year and Hanmer Springs was a favourite place to decompress when coming back out! All the best, DAS
@@DASBookbinding thank you very much for your input, it's really appreciated. I am going to Chch today and will call in to see a bookbinder who has offered to sell me just a metre of cloth. You talk about "ice" and I'm assuming you used to work in Antarctica - my dream to visit there one day, how lucky you were! Yes, Hanmer is beautiful - pop in for a cuppa if you ever pass through again 😊 Thanks again.
Hi
Hi Loryn! Took me a bit to remember who Rainbow Obsidian is! Darryn