c/bookbinders

I used to think a bone folder was just for creasing paper until a workshop in Chicago

For my first two years, I only used my bone folder for scoring folds, thinking that was its whole job. At a workshop last fall, the instructor showed us how to use the rounded end to burnish leather, smoothing out tiny wrinkles without any heat. I tried it on a calfskin cover project the next week and it cut my finishing time by almost half. Now I keep two on my bench, one for paper and one just for leather work. Has anyone else found a simple tool can do way more than you first thought?

An old binder in Portland showed me his trick for worn corners

Met this guy, Frank, at a small shop on Hawthorne about ten years back. He was fixing a 1920s ledger and just used a tiny bit of wheat paste mixed with paper pulp to build the corner back up. Said he learned it from his dad in the 60s. Anyone still use that method or have a better fix for cloth corners?

My boss told me to use PVA glue for a full leather binding and it was a disaster.

He said it would be fine for a quick job, but after a year the spine cracked and the boards warped. Should I have pushed back harder, or is there a time when PVA is actually okay for leather?

Vent: My bone folder snapped in half on a commission last night

I was scoring the spine on a leather-bound journal and it just gave out. Had to finish the job with a butter knife from my kitchen. Anyone have a brand they trust for heavy-duty scoring?

Showerthought: My glue-ups went from a mess to clean in about a month

I kept getting those awful wrinkles in my bookcloth, and it was just wrecking projects. Started warming the PVA in a water bath for a few minutes before applying, and the difference is night and day. Anyone have a better trick for dealing with cold glue in a drafty workshop?

Stitching for hours left my fingers numb and tingling

Need to stretch more or I'll wreck my hands for good.

As a bookbinder, I insist on hand-paring leather for all my covers.

Machine-cut edges just don't hold up over time like hand-pared ones.

Shoutout to the old library book that taught me about spine repair

Fixing its torn spine taught me that grain direction is key for a good repair.

My shift to remote team lead in bookbinding is tougher than I expected

I oversee three binders who all work from different places. Keeping projects on track is a constant challenge without face-to-face chats. Our current system of weekly calls isn't cutting it for quick questions. How do you handle daily coordination and material checks with a scattered team?

Vent: My French link stitch project fell apart because I rushed it

Honestly, I was binding a journal for a friend and decided to try a French link stitch for the first time. Tbh, I thought I had it down after watching a few videos. Ngl, I did not do a practice run and went straight for the real thing. Big mistake. Halfway through, the threads got all tangled and the signatures were not lining up right. I had to cut all the thread out and start over, which wasted a lot of good paper. Now I see that even simple stitches need full focus and a slow hand. Lesson learned: always do a test on scrap paper first.

Stumbled upon a cheap clamp setup that works wonders for book pressing

I always struggled with books not pressing flat and leaving dents. On a random trip, I grabbed a few spring clamps from the hardware store. They put even pressure across the whole cover, which fixed my issue. For example, I used them on a thick sketchbook and a thin novel rebound. Both came out with no marks and the spines stayed straight. This little find made my work look cleaner without much effort. If you have pressing problems, these clamps are worth a look.

DAE have family members who save old books for you to fix?

My aunt keeps giving me damaged novels she finds at yard sales. I explained how some spines can't be saved, but she's determined. How do you handle well-meaning but impossible repair requests?

Binding a poetry collection taught me to love the slow parts

I just finished a handmade book for a friend's poems. The worst part was waiting for the paste to dry between each layer of the cover. It felt like forever, especially when I was excited to see it done. I learned that rushing it makes the paper warp, so now I set timers and walk away. This project made me appreciate how each step needs its own time. Has anyone else found peace in the waiting? I used to hate it, but now I see it as part of the craft.

Where do you all get your acid-free marbled paper? I'm having trouble finding consistent quality.

Made a custom sketchbook for my niece's birthday

Used some leftover leather for the cover, but it's a bit stiff. Any ideas on how to soften leather without damaging it?

Kyoto trip brought back memories of old bookbinding ways

Found a shop there still using hand tools. Made me think how rare that is now. Do you see traditional methods on your travels?

I finally taught my cousin to make a journal, and it was a total blast from the past

We were at my kitchen table, and she kept getting glue all over the pages instead of the spine. It was honestly pretty funny, watching her struggle with the needle and thread. That whole mess took me right back to learning in my mentor's basement workshop, where we used old, heavy presses. He'd have us fold paper for what felt like forever, just by hand. Now, I've got all these quick-dry adhesives and pre-cut boards, but the basics haven't changed. It was cool to see her face light up when she finally got it, even with the sticky fingers.

My vacation in Seattle wrecked a custom journal I made

The damp air there made the pages swell and the spine glue fail. I had to redo the whole binding after I got home. Pack your books in sealed bags if you're headed somewhere wet.

Glue instead of paste ruined my endpapers.

I thought glue would dry faster, but now all my endpapers are bubbled and ugly.

My neighbor's old book collection led to a surprising find about bindings

I was helping my neighbor clean out their attic last week. We found a box of really old books, and one had this weird stitching I'd never seen. It looked like the stitches were hidden under the spine, almost invisible from the outside. I tried to copy it on a practice journal, but the thread kept pulling too tight... Any ideas on how to manage that tension? I'm curious if this was a common method back in the day. Would love to hear from anyone who's come across something similar.