c/bookbinders

Shoutout to the person who pointed out my grain direction mistake

I've been binding for about a month and my covers kept warping slightly, just enough to be annoying. A binder at the local craft fair in Springfield looked at my work and gently asked if I checked the grain on my book board. I realized I'd been cutting it based on the board's shape, not the paper's grain, for every single project. Now I spend that extra minute to test it before I cut. Anyone else have a simple step they overlooked at first?

Watching my kid fold paper airplanes made me rethink my board scoring.

He was creasing each fold with his thumbnail, not a bone folder. I realized I'd been pressing way too hard, leaving marks on the paper. Anyone have a gentler technique for scoring cover boards?

Serious question, I had to pick between a Japanese hole punch and a traditional awl for a 300-page project. I went with the awl and my hands are still sore.

A customer in my Chicago shop said hand stitching is a waste of time now. He told me to just use a machine.

I finally gave that 'quick-dry' PVA glue a shot on a leather-bound journal

It dried so fast the leather puckered before I could even smooth it out, totally ruined the cover. Anyone know a slower-setting adhesive for full-grain goat skin?

My boss in Portland told me to always use a bone folder for creasing, but my hands work better after 3 years of ignoring him.

He said my books would look sloppy without one, but I get cleaner lines just using my thumb and a ruler, so has anyone else ditched the 'right' tool for something simpler?

Heard a customer at the library call a paperback 'just a glued block' and it got me

I was picking up a book from the local library in Springfield and this guy next to me was talking to his friend, holding a cheap paperback. He said, 'It's fine, it's just a glued block of paper, who cares if it falls apart.' I almost turned around and gave him a whole speech, lmao. It made me think about how most people don't see the craft at all, they just see a thing to read. I spent like three hours yesterday fixing the spine on a 1950s cookbook, sewing new signatures and everything. That 'glued block' comment stuck with me all day. It's not anger, it's more like a funny reminder of why we do this kinda niche thing. Has anyone else had a moment where someone's total lack of knowledge about binding made you chuckle?

I went with a 3mm backing spine over a 5mm one for a recent commission

Everyone at the local guild in Charlotte said the thicker spine was standard for a 400-page text block, but I felt it made the book too stiff. I used a lighter-weight linen and a thinner board, and the openability is perfect. Has anyone else had pushback on using thinner spines for larger books?

Just realized my old way of rounding spines was making my books look lumpy

For about a year, I was rounding my spines with a basic wooden hammer and a lot of guesswork. The curves always came out uneven. Last week, I watched a video from a binder in Chicago and saw them use a proper backing hammer and work in smaller, measured sections. I tried it on a practice text block, doing maybe five light taps per section, and the difference is night and day. The spine is a smooth, even arc now. Do you think the right tool or the technique matters more for a clean round?

Vent: A client in Portland gave me a 1920s hymnal to repair and said 'just make it feel loved again'

That one line, while I was looking at the torn spine and foxed pages in my shop last month, completely shifted how I approach every restoration job now, has anyone else had a simple request change their whole process?

Hot take: Watching a librarian in St. Louis repair a 1902 hymnal with wheat paste made me ditch PVA for my own paste-ups.

I saw her gently coax a torn page back into place with a brush and that slow-drying paste, something my usual PVA would have just grabbed and warped instantly.

Cleaned out my studio and found I've saved over 300 endpapers from old projects.

It's a stack of memories from twenty years of work, each one a book I brought back to life. Does anyone else hold onto little pieces like that, or am I just a sentimental packrat?

PSA: My bone folder snapped right down the middle on a tight corner fold

It happened yesterday while I was working on a leather cover for a journal. I was pressing down hard on a stubborn, thick fold and heard a quiet crack. The thing just gave out, which was a real surprise because it was a pretty solid one I've had for a while. I had to finish the job carefully with the back of a spoon (not ideal, but it worked in a pinch). Has anyone found a truly heavy-duty bone folder that can handle tough material without breaking?

A workshop in Chicago made me stop using PVA glue for everything

The instructor showed us a 150-year-old ledger bound with animal glue, and its spine was still perfectly flexible. Now I only use synthetic adhesives for modern case bindings, not repairs. Anyone else think we over-rely on PVA?

I was out of binder's thread but had a spool of old fishing line, so I tried it on a small notebook project.

It actually worked surprisingly well for the kettle stitch on a 48-page text block, though I wouldn't trust it for anything bigger than that, has anyone else ever used a weird substitute in a pinch?

Changed my mind about using PVA for everything after a workshop in Portland

Honestly, I used to think PVA glue was the only adhesive you needed for book repairs. A binder at the Pacific Northwest Book Arts Center showed me how it can actually make paper brittle over time, especially on older books from before 1950. Now I switch to wheat starch paste for anything with delicate paper or leather. Anyone else have a go-to glue they use for specific jobs?

My week went from awful to amazing after a client brought me a water-damaged 1870s family Bible to restore.

The spine was gone and pages were stuck together, but after slowly drying and re-sewing the sections with linen thread over three days, seeing the family's reaction when I returned it made the whole stressful process worth it, so has anyone else had a restoration project that just clicked?

Spent three hours trying to get a single piece of marbled paper to line up

I was doing a simple quarter binding on a journal last week, and the marbled paper for the spine strip just would not match the pattern on the boards. I kept cutting new pieces, rotating them, everything. My wife walked in after what felt like forever and just flipped the paper over, and the pattern lined up perfectly. I felt so dumb lol. Anyone else have a simple fix that took you an embarrassingly long time to see?

Shoutout to the weird glue I found at a flea market in Cleveland that actually worked on vellum

I was binding a small poetry book for a friend and used this old, unlabeled jar of adhesive on the vellum spine lining as a last resort, and it set with a perfect, flexible hold without any discoloration, so has anyone else had a lucky find with an unknown material that turned out great?

Just realized my cheap bone folder was costing me more in time

I spent $8 on a plastic one years ago and it never creased cleanly, so I'd redo lines. Finally bought a $35 Teflon folder last month and it glides right, cutting my finishing time in half. Anyone have a favorite tool that seemed like a splurge but actually paid off?

Talked with a librarian at the central branch about repairing 19th century ledgers and she said 'we're not preserving the object, we're preserving the access.' Kinda blew my mind.

Just realized my grain direction mistake after a whole edition of 50 books

I was binding a poetry collection for a local author, using a nice 120gsm paper for the text block. I cut all the sheets and sewed them up, but when I went to round and back the spine, the boards kept warping like crazy. Took me a full day to figure out I'd cut the paper with the grain running the wrong way, parallel to the spine instead of head to tail. I had to re-cut all the paper and start the sewing over, which set the project back almost a week. Has anyone else had a grain direction disaster this big, and how do you double check before you start cutting?

Switched from PVA to wheat paste for spine lining after a workshop in Chicago last fall.

I was sure the modern glue was stronger, but seeing how the paste allows for more flexibility over time totally changed my approach. Anyone else find a specific material that made you rethink a basic step?

A folded page in a 1920s repair manual made me change how I back my spines

I've been doing this for about fifteen years, and for most of that time, I was really sure about my spine backing. I'd use a stiff paste and a heavy brush, thinking more force meant a stronger hold. Last month, I was fixing up an old manual from the 1920s for a client in Boston. The book itself was a mess, but tucked in the back was a single, folded page of notes from some long-gone binder. It talked about spine flexibility and mentioned using a thinner wheat paste, applied in two light coats with a soft brush, letting it dry fully between. The note said 'the spine must breathe, not be armored.' I tried it on my next project, a poetry collection, and the difference was night and day. The book opened so much easier without any cracking sound. Has anyone else found old notes like that that flipped a method you were sure about?

I used to press my signatures for 24 hours, but after a humid week in Savannah ruined a batch, I switched to a 48-hour press with blotter paper.

Has anyone else found they need to adjust their pressing time based on the weather, or is there a better trick for dealing with humidity?