oQlIi ^ aWEUNIVERJ/a >- .Jd3AINI13WV* %OJI1VDJO^ %OJI1V3JO^^ ^i:?130NVSO3^ "^iliAl ^lOSANCElfjV. o > ^OFCAlIFOff^ ^OFCAIIFO/?^ «A\^El)NIVER% .vWSA >- cc •^^ %Aavaani^ \..OFCAI ^^Aavaaiii^"^ ^xiijoNvsoi^ "^/sajAinn^wv' ^ISvaaiH'^ y^-lOSANCElfj-^ O ^lOSANCflfx^ o 39 _ _ I '^/ia3AINn-3WV^ ^^^IUBRARY(9/- ■^/sasAwn-suv^ ^ ^^Aijvaan-^^ ^ tJ " - ■ - ^(!/0dnV3J0^ ^ :lOS-AfJCElfJ^>, &AavaaiH^ ^(?A«vaaiii^ ^riuoNvsoi^ %a3AiNn-3UV ^ AMEUNIVERS-//, ^lOSAHCElfj>, -^^HIBRARYQc^ ^HIBRARYQc ^J'ilJDNVSOl^ '%a3AINa-3WV> %OJI1V3-30^ '^i 41 42 45. IONS, c 'JS(c). PLAN OF A IIOMF.-MAUE PRESS AND TLOUGH 'lS{i\). PIAGRAM OF KNIFE USED IN CUTTING . 29. BOARDS USED IN " ROUNDING THE BACK " . :<(). A MORE SIMPLE PRESS FOR CUTTING . 'M. THE BOOK READY FOR HAMMERING 'SI. STITCHING ROUND CORDS 'X\. THE ARRANGEMENT OF HOLES IN THE BOARD iU. THREADING THE CORDS .... '^S. THE SETTING-OUT OF A FABRIC COVER 36. HOW TO SET OUT A LINEN BOOK-COVER 37. A METAL CORNER, SHOWING METHOD OF FIXING 38. TWO BOOK-BACKS DECORATED WITH STENCIL DESIGNS . 39. PRODUCING SHARP BL.VCK LINES ON A CURVED BACK . 40. THE FACES OF HOME-MADE TOOLS FOR DECORATING A LEATHER COVER ...... .\RRANGEMENT OF LETTERING . DESIGNS PRODUCED BY USING THE TOOLS FIG. 40 ..... 43. A BOOK-COVER WITH PANEL INSET 44. A COVER DECORATED WITH BLIND-TOOLING A LINING TOOL .... 46. PASTING ON A HEAD-BAND . 47. BOOK IN THE PRESS READY FOR STITCHING A HEAD-BAND 48. DIAGR.\M TO ILLUSTRATE THE POSITIONS OF STITCHES . 49. STITCHING A HEAD-BAND (STAGE 1) . 50. ,, ,. ,, (STAGE 2) 51. THE FOLDING OF A LIBRARY FOLIO ..... 52. DIAGRAM TO SHOW HOW THE LEAVES ARE JOINED 53. DIMENSIONED DIAGRAM OF THE SETTING-OUT OF A POCKET WALLET ......... 54. METHOD OF FIXING HINGES FOR THE POCKET OF THE WALLET. ILLUSTRATED IN I'AGK 44 44 46 47 48 49 50 50 52 53 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 63 65 66 67 67 68 69 70 70 71 72 BOOKBINDING AS A HANDWORK SUBJECT CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. The possibilities of Bookbinding as a part of the " Handwork Method " do not appear to have been very generally investigated. By those who use Handwork as a means of supplying an environ- ment in which a child may find stimuli to creative effort, of providing situations to which a child shall adapt himself, this occupation will be found to possess decided value. One is almost inclined to the opinion that it is of greater value than many schemes of Wood- work, because in Bookbinding the end is a thing desired — not a teacher-imposed task. One reason why Bookbinding has not been taken up more in schools is to be found in the fact that there is a peculiar mystery in a well-bound book hanging round the number, nature and order of the operations which have been the means of producing such a compact and strong whole out of so many " bits," and " at such small expense, too." The operations involved in the construction of a well-finished book are very numerous. The work can be graded in difficulty to meet the varying capacities of children in the middle and upper standards of the elementary school, and in all the forms that take Handwork as a subject in secondary schools. Accuracy is a sine qua non — and accuracy of a much broader type than is obtainable from most other single subjects. The aesthetic value, as all will admit, is very strong and real. Bookbinding is an inexpensive occupation, yet even in its most economical working the results obtainable may be very good. At all stages Bookbinding may be made a means of social service. The children of the middle standards might make their own note-books, and scrap-books for the infants ; upper standards could repair and bind music. A friend of the writer's does not buy any exercise or drawing-books for his school ; the children make their own. Magazines presented to the school are bound, and form the nucleus of a school library. The facility with which the work 11 112 BOOKBINDING. connects itself to the lessons in art is so natural that a true correla- tion is established. The need is felt, for instance, for some decora- tion outside or inside the backs ; the design and cutting of a stencil plate and the application of colour ft)llo\v. There is purpose right through, and the child-pleasure in realisation has a very stimulating effect on the whole work. It is equally suitable for girls and boys. It can continue, or replace altogether, the work in cardboard ordinarily carried on, containing as it does many of the operations involved in that work. A child need not pass through a course of cardboard work to be able to bind books. Very simple work leading up to the substantial binding of books can be done in the first standard or in the top class of infants. Greeting and menu cards, or small folios of the Christ- mas card type, may easily be put together. The paper used in drawing with pastels is most suitable for this class of work. To make a small book of this kind, let the children decide on the kind of thing they want, the teacher guiding them by a little talk on the size, the number of leaves, the proportion, etc., most suitable for the particular article required. These details settled, paper of the proper colour is given out, and, after a few hints from the teacher, the children set out and cut with scissors, or tear very carefully to size. IK. ^ K /o Fig. 1. Small Greeting Card. Let us make a small greeting card : size, when folded, 5 in. by 4 in. ; number of pages, including cover, six ; tied up with ribbon INTRODUCTION. 13 (prd foJdizd t//>. \ ^troa/ marks, //■?- of //jr \zz. ^J:ES) ^"^v _:'j_> oi ^j^j^ >- 44 BINDING THICKER BOOKS. 45 these, a nut is screwed on to each bolt for, say, a distance of 2| in. Now pass the bolts through the holes and screw other nuts to the right-hand ends. Screw up so that the nuts nip on to the wood. Now make another bolt-hole in the left-hand piece to take the long-screw bolt to be used as a handle. This hole should allow the screwed end of the bolt to pass through easily. Bore a corresponding hole in the right-hand piece. Now make a rectangular slot from the top of the left-hand piece, wide enough to receive a square nut and of sufficient depth to allow the bolt, when the nut is in position, to be screwed through. Fix a wooden handle on to the unscrewed end of the bolt. Bore a vertical hole through the shank of the bolt about If in. from the end of the handle, and pass the bolt through the right- hand piece. Drop the nut into the slot in the left-hand piece and screw the bolt through. Now drive an iron pin tightly into its hole on the left-hand side of the right-hand piece. (See Fig. 28 {b).) On turning the handle it will be found that the right-hand upright travels, according to the way the handle is turned, either away from or towards the left-hand upright. The cutting knife is made from a flat piece of good steel {e.g., an old chisel ground and sharpened to shape as shown in Fig. 28 {d) ) . To fix it, a dovetailed slot is cut in the sole of the movable upright, in size equal to the thickness and width of the knife. Two holes are drilled in the knife and countersunk to take 1 in. flat-head iron screws. Bore holes in the wood to receive these screws and fix up. The knife must be very often taken out for sharpening, so these screws must be carefully driven. The following arrangement will usually be found to answer quite satisfactorily. A pair of 9 in. G cramps, a piece of close- grained hard wood about a foot square and IJ in. thick, with edges trued, a piece about 10 in. by 1 J in. by 2 in. with two adjacent sides trued up, and a woodworker's 1 in. chisel are the requirements. Fix up as shown in Fig. 30. In fixing, the back of the book must be perfectly ahned with the edge of the board, and the top piece of wood fixed so that its true edge is at the front edge of, and parallel to the back of, the book. Put on the cramps and screw up as tightly as possible. Proceed to cut by laying the back edge of the chisel against the face of the fence, and draw along, pressing evenly and firmly, so as to cut through a few leaves at a time. Repeat until through all. Unscrew the cramps, turn the book round, and fix it so that the head is at right-angles to the side of the base board ; fix up the fence and cramps and cut the leaves. Repeat for the tail of the book. To cut a thick book is rather a laborious process for a boy, 46 BOOKBINDING. and the teacher may find it necessary to help, but for thin books there is no physical difhculty, and boj's can finish these quite well. Rounding and glueing the back is the next operation. It is often asked, " Why are book backs rounded ? " The answer is simpl}' this. The stitching process adds thickness by the addition both of the strips of paper with which the sections have been repaired, and of a certain amount of thread. This extra thickness is distributed over a larger surface than would be the case if the back were kept flat. The question of improved appearance we need not discuss. For rounding the back we must use our home-made press — see Fig. 13 or Fig. 28, which represents it in a reverse position. A pair of hardwood boards of design given in Fig. 29 will be required. Before putting the book in the press, it may be rounded by placing it flat on a table with the fore-edge — the open side — facing the body. Now press the fingers of the left hand into the middle of the fore- edge. This wnll force some of the sections out at the back into the form of a curve, and the process is assisted by spreading out the fingers of the right hand and pulling the backs of the top half of the sections towards the body. The back will now have the top half round and the bottom half still vertical. Turn over the book and do the same with the other half. Place the boards as shown in Fig. 31, put the book and boards in the press, taking great care that the arrangement is not disturbed, and screw up fairly tightly. It may perhaps be found necessary to take it out and correct it two or three times before satisfaction is obtained, but it is worth while to have patience and so secure a well-rounded back. Now apply hot glue, not too thick ; brush it well in, then rub it in with the fingers, and make quite sure that the back of each section 47 48 BOOKBINDING. is coated full length. Leave the glue to set until it is just past the " tacky " stage, i.e., until the fingers will just not stick. When the book is ready for hammering, a cobbler's hammer is a good sub- stitute for a bookbinder's hammer, which is rather expensive, or an ordinary woodworker's hammer with a slightly rounded face may be made to serve. Screw up tightly as possible ; hammer lightly, and, as the aim is to fan out the sections from the middle to each side, the blows must be placed in the direction of the arrow marks in Fig. 31. Hammer over to an even curve, and leave to set, say, twenty-four hours. In the meantime, prepare the boards as already described, and, when the book is ready, attach them and finish with cloth or leather and paper as before. Put the finished book under pressure for a day or two. With children it is generally advisable to glue and round the back of the book before cutting. This makes it much easier for the child to fix up for cutting, but it is necessary to knock the " back " flat before fixing, and to retain this flatness during that operation. When the " front " is cut and the book taken out of the press, the back recovers its roundness, and so shows the hollow front edge. CHAPTER V. SEWING ON CORDS. Some books, it will be observed, have raised semi-cylindrical bands on the backs. These books may or may not (sometimes the bands are simply stuck in for effect) be sewn on cords instead of on tapes. The arrangement of the stitches is different from that used in tape sewing. (See Fig. 32.) Instead of three tapes, fiv • cords are used, -i (^ ($> « JL Fig. 32. the attachment to the stitching-frame being exactly the same as in the former case. In stitching, be careful to keep the cords square across the back. There is a special hempen cord for this work, but, provided that the fibre is long, any string may be used. Rounding the back follows cutting, etc., as in the tape sewing. The boards are prepared as before, except that the two thin boards which make one are glued all over and stuck together. Strong boards of single thickness may also be used with advantage. Holes are then punched through each board as in Fig. 33. The first line of holes is about I in., and the second line 1 in. from the back ; the first line opposite the cords, the second a little to one side. A groove should be cut from the back edge to each hole in the first line. This will allow the cord to be made level with the surface of the board. Each of the second Hne of holes must be gouged out to, say, half the thickness of the board. (Again see Fig. 33.) On taking the cord-sewn book out of the stitching-frame, the ends are cut off about 2 in. from the book, just as in the tape-sewn book. Fray out these ends with a bodkin or any such sharp-pointed tool, and reduce their bulk a little so that the ends may be worked up to points. Paste these fibrous slips and work to a point by twisting them at the tips. Thread through a hole in the first line, passing in on the top surface, beneath the board, and then out at the second hole (Fig. 34). Cut off about J in. from the surface of the 49 50 BOOKBINDING. board, and hammer well down, resting the board on some hard surface, an iron block being best. When hammered flat, the cords should fill the grooves to the first, and the conical depressions round the second line of holes. @ @ @ ® @ Fig. 33. Fig. Take care that the hammer falls square, or the cords will be cut. When covering with leather the back of a book sewn on cords, it is necessary to rub the paste well into the leather and leave it to SEWING ON CORDS. 51 soak for a little while. This makes the leather much easier to work, and is necessary in order that, when being fixed to the boards, it may be modelled down upon the cords. This modelling requires considerable digital strength, and may be beyond the physical powers of most children. Experience will help one to a decision. Nip up the bands to make them sharp and square across the back, having previously slightly softened the rounded back with a coating of paste. Put the book in the press, allowing the back to project about 3 in. Take the leather, place it carefully so that the book- back is exactly in the centre of its length and width, press the leather firmly to one side and draw the loose part over the back, pulling slightly. Press down on the second side. Stretch the leather a little lengthways, press down again and model firmly to the back and the bands with the fingers and a flat bone or boxwood folder, working any superfluous leather into the sides. Using the pliers, nip the leather on the bands, preventing, with the fingers of the left hand, any tendency to pull away from other parts. Rub well down in every part to ensure the attachment of all the leather, turn in at the head and tail as before. Leave to set, and then fit the corners and covering paper or cloth, and finish. For work with children it is better to use thin leathers. This does away with the need for paring, a difficult operation for young fingers. The edges of the leather may be thinned down by means of coarse glass-paper wrapped round a flat piece of wood and apphed to the wrong or flesh side of the leather. CHAPTER VI. WHOLE BINDING AND CASE BINDING. " Whole " binding may be done in cloth or linen. Leather is too expensive for " whole " binding in school. Where girls are being taught, many beautiful effects can be obtained by previously embroidering some appropriate design on linen, etc. In arranging any such design, care must be taken to ensure the correct placing of the ornament on the cover. When these covers are to be put on, it is best not to round the back of the book, but to leave it flat and cover it with a piece of stiff paper, cut to the width of the back. A piece of thin card, of exactly the same width as the paper itself and just about the same length as the book, is pasted and stuck on to the exact centre of the embroidered cover. (See Fig. 35.) Do not use more paste than is absolutely necessary, as it is hkely to work through the texture of the material and perhaps spoil the work placed on it. The writer has found the following method very effective for dealing with fabric covers. Fig. 35. Brush a coating of hot thin glue over the boards and back of the book, and leave it to set until the " tacky " stage is reached. Lay a pad of cotton wool so as to cover the outside of each board, fitting over the head, front and tail edges just enough to " soften " them, i.e., to do away with the hard sharp line of the edges of the boards. The outside edges of the boards may be softened by rounding off with a file. Take the covering cloth, with the piece of thin card in position ; place it with the card centrally down the back of the book, rub very lightly, but so as to ensure good attachment, glue the inside of the boards for about | in. or | in. all round, and leave it till just " tacky " as before. Now pull the cloth gently but firmly over the back, turn in the edges and rub them well down on to the glued portions of the boards. Repeat on the opposite side and 52 WHOLE BINDING AND CASE BINDING. 53 leave to set. When set, paste the end papers back, insert a zinc plate at each end, close the book, put it under a light weight and leave it to set. Case Binding. It may sometimes be desirable to put only a paper or some other kind of temporary cover on to a properly stitched, or wire-stitched book, or the covers for a certain publication may be supplied ready-made. This class of work is known as " case-binding," and is the usual kind employed on cheap editions. After stitching, cut the tapes, glue the back, cut the edges, and fix the muslin to the tapes, but not to the waste paper as explained in Chapter II. If a paper cover is to be attached, set out the size and cut it out. Paste a 4 in. strip down the middle of the inside surface of the cover. Take the book, place the back carefully on the centre of the cover and press down. Press the muslin carefully back on to the cover, rub well down, and leave it to set. Paste the remaining part of the cover, turn back the end-papers, rub well down and again leave to set. When ready-made cardboard covers are to be attached, the centre back is not pasted. Paste a margin on each side of the centre back to receive the muslin and tapes. Press back the muslin as before and leave to set ; then fix the end-papers. Single boards may be attached on this principle by placing a piece of waste paper under the muslin, rubbing hot glue on to the latter and then carefully adjusting the board in position. Leave about i in. space between the back of the book and the edge of the board. Rub well down, repeat on the other side, leave to set and finish as before. A Book-cover. A simple book-cover may be made as shown in Fig. 36. This may be made in silk, linen, cahco, bookbinders' cloth or leather »___0-_ o"xr Lj O _ _>^ Fig. 36. 54 BOOKBINDING. and ornamented in silks, wool, cotton, or oil or water-colour, and is very useful for keeping a good book-back clean. The size will depend on the size of the book to be covered and should be about J in. longer than the book. Tlie middle portion to cover the back of the book should be about i in. wider than the tliickness, and the distance from the vertical line XX to the line of the hinge about i in. wider than that of the corresponding dimension on the book. Of the overlaps, ABXX should be about | in. and CDXX about 2| in. wide. From the measurements obtained in this way set out as follows — Turn AB over on XX and stitch it down. Turn CD over on XX and stitch along XO, leaving CD open to receive the cover of the book. CHAPTER VII. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BOOKBINDING AND OTHER SCHOOL SUBJECTS. There is a great deal written of the connection of Art to Handwork, and to Bookbinding in particular. The writer is quite well aware of the value of Handwork as a means of teaching the fundamentals of many school subjects, but there are schools where no use whatever is made of Handwork as a general school method, where it is not used to help in teaching other school subjects. Such schools deal with the work merely as one of the subjects in the curriculum — a cur- riculum, it may be, which is cut up into so many self-contained compartments that no overlapping of subjects is allowed. It is often left to the teachers of the special " hand and eye " subjects to make any connection they care to make with one another's work. The correlation of Handwork and Art is, perhaps, the most easily accomplished, and of greater value than can be secured in most other combinations. A few minutes weekly spent in conference between the Handwork and Art Masters will be most valuable and stimulating. Both must be prepared to give and take. Through such conversations the children can be made to see the connection between, and the direct apphcation of, what is learned in various subjects. Their outlook on particular subjects is considerably broadened. Their ideas of " fitness," " finish," " proportion," and " balance " are developed. As a simple illustration of what may be done in this direction, let us take a case where it was the original intention on the part of a child to " half-bind " a book, with corners of the same material as the back. The result is a shape that is, for a beginner, rather awkward to fill with a design. The child may, or may not, have reached that stage in design when his power is sufficient for him to arrange a pattern on such a space ; in fact, he may not be past the stage of designing for rectangles. It is sufficient for the Art Teacher to suggest that it would be better for the child's develop- ment in design if the cloth corners were omitted, producing rectangu- lar spaces. From the bookbinding point of view the effect is quite as good, if not better. The child has not lost anything fundamental and has gained considerably in Art. Bookbinding has gained in addition because the child learns something further about " finish." Designs may be arranged and cut for use as stencil-plates to be apphed to all kinds of bindings in fabrics (Fig. 38). There is a very wide scope in materials for this work. Children in the writer's classes have brought coarse canvas, Harriss linen, corduroy, calico, 4— (1042) ^^ 56 BOOKBINDING. velvet, and cot t (in ; all have been most successfully used in tlie way described, and many have been very prettily decorated. The great point here is that the child is making use of apparently waste materials, and is making them up into something of decided value. There is a great principle involved in this idea, and the stronger its application in all work, the better the training in true economy for our future citizens. Many schools do work in modelling metals — foil brass, copper, and aluminium. There are arguments against the use of these materials as substitutes for linen, leather, or paper in panelling book-backs. There is always the possibility that the metal on the back of a book may, when the book is put into the shelves, scratch the covers of adjacent books, and again, that high relief may be Fig. 37. crushed down. Avoid high relief. Back up the raised parts with a gesso mixture of glue and whiting or plaster of Paris ; or coat the back of the raised part with glue, fill the depression with sawdust, and then brush a coating of glue on a piece of stiff paper and fix down so as to hold in the sawdust. The corners of the boards may be covered with metal. The shape is exactly the same as in Fig. 16. Some simple design may be traced on them and worked by means of a bone folder, outlining on the face and modelling from the back. The work may be modelled on a thick pad of blotting paper. The metal is fixed on to the boards by means of an overlap, as in the case of cloth or leather corners, and two or three small pins, driven in from the face through the metal and board and clinched inside. (See Fig. 37.) A panel of metal may be fixed on to the cover of a " whole-bound " book as in Fig. 43. This can be kept quite flush with the leather BOOKBINDING AND OTHER SCHOOL SUBJECTS. 57 BOOKBINDING AND OTHER SCHOOL SUBJECTS. 59 cover by making a depression in the cardboard back. This depres- sion, with the thickness of the covering leather should be deep enough to receive the full depth of the relief on the metal, and so prevent both the crushing down of the modelhng and damage to other books on the shelf. The panel can be fixed with pins. Some simple decoration in leather can be carried out by means of a bone folder. By rubbing the thin edge of a folder along the edge of a ruler laid on the piece of leather to be decorated, dark indented lines are produced. These can be used to emphasize the tapes and cords on the back, and for " lining " the corner pieces or the edges of the leather covering the boards. On curved backs, sharp black lines can be produced by means of a piece of thin string pulled quicklj^ from side to side across the back. (See Fig. 39.) If the folder or string is moistened slightly when used, sharper effects are produced. This operation is called " bhnd-tooling," and any child can do it. Fig. 44 is an example of this class of work and can be executed by fixing the design to the book-back and going over all the lines with the point of a bone folder. This transfers the design to the leather. Take off the paper, and then, slightly moistening the lines of the design, go over again with the folder. This depresses the design still further and sharpens the whole effect. The writer has seen, in an elementary school, one or two splendid examples of blind-tooling. Another mode of decoration is that known as " cut work in leather." This style is most suitable for whole-bound books. The design is transferred to tracing-cloth, and the surface of the leather is rubbed over with a damp sponge to make it appear just moist. The tracing is fastened on to the face of the leather by means of drawing-pins, and the design is traced over with, say, an agate tracing-point, thus impressing the lines into the leather. The tracing-cloth is removed, the leather is placed on a slab of hard 60 BOOKBINDING. wood or zinc, and with a small knife the outlines of the pattern are sharply cut to a depth of about half the thickness of the leather. When the pattern is cut, moderately damp the surface afresh, and with the tracing-point go over the outlines, thereby widening them and giving them a strongly marked appearance. The ground may then be punched as a woodcarver punches his ground to throw up the pattern. This is all that is necessary and advisable. Many people model up from the back, but any relief in leather complicates matters considerably, and is generally beyond the powers of children. Some teachers may be able to requisition tools and materials for tooling in gold, silver, and aluminium. It is advisable to choose one's patterns for tools very carefully, and to make the first few tools required ; not because the tools will be better made than those bought at the merchant's, but because in this way one will learn more of the possibilities and limitations of a few tools in arranging designs for book covers. (Fig. 42 gives a few combinations put ^^ ^^ A o O ® < C o c ♦ + 4' ♦ ▼ i I Fig. 40. together by using some of the tools whosiie faces are represented in Fig. 40. See also the Frontispiece, whnteh is a design executed wholly by means of home-made tools.) Round bar brass, | in. in diameter, is, with the aid of a few small files of different sections, very easily made into tools. The end of each piece of brass is filed to form a tang, which fits into a plain cylindrical handle, and the other end should be rubbed smooth and fiat on pieces of emery cloth, finishing off with the " flour " degree of fineness. For this class of work the following are essential. An alphabet of handle letters, leaf gold, silver, or aluminium, glair, and a velvet pad. The alphabet will cost from 10s. upwards according to size, good gold leaf can be obtained at 2s. 6d. for twenty-five sheets ; BOOKBINDING AND OTHER SCHOOL SUBJECTS. 61 silver leaf for about Is. per twenty-five sheets, and aluminium leaf at about the same price. Glair is obtained from white of egg diluted with vinegar. Albumen is now sold in the form of a yellow crystal- line substance, and in this form is more convenient for school use. It is made up into glair as follows — 1 oz. albumen to | pint of water, or in proportion ; place in a vessel in cold water and stir once a day ; on the third day it is ready for use. Do not make up more than a 2 oz. bottle full at one time, as, when kept a long time a very unpleasant odour is developed. To print, say, the title on the back of a book, decide on the spacing of the separate words ; which may have to be placed one above the other as in Fig. 41. Measure the back carefully and set HISTORY OF ENGLAND Fig. 41. out its width and the spaces between the words on a piece of thin paper. Sort out the handle-letters required, and put them on to a gas ring to heat. In order to prevent mistakes and save time, the tools should be placed in the order in which they will be required. Fix the piece of paper on a waste piece of leather, take up the first tool and cool it on a pad of damp cotton wool until it just ceases to hiss. Do not place the letter end of the tool on the pad, or the heat will afterwards run down from the body of the metal and cause the burning of the leather. Now place the tool in position on the paper and, keeping it vertical, press it down firmly to form a depres- sion. Put the tool back on to the stove. Follow on exactly in the same way with the other tools until the whole title is printed — bhnd-tooled — on the paper. Lift up the paper and fix it on the back of the book. Take up again the first tool, cool off and put it exactly into the depression in the paper and press firmly, leaving a depression in the leather. Again repeat with the other letters. ( 1 1 Fig. 42. 62 *^^flf 63 BOOKBINDING AND OTHER SCHOOL SUBJECTS. 65 until the whole title is blind-tooled into the book-baek. Brush over the letters with a fine brush dipped in glair and leave to dry. Now rub the leather, around and over the blind-tooling, with a pad of cotton wool slightly greased with coco-nut oil. Apply very little pressure (very little more than the weight of the cotton wool is necessary) or the grease will be rubbed into the depressions and prevent the adhesion of the gold. Take out a leaf of gold, place it on the cushion, cut off a strip with a knife and, picking up with a piece of slightly greased cotton- wool, lay it over the depressions. Repeat until all the tooling is Fig. 45. covered with gold. Take up the hot tools and repeat the impres- sions, taking care that the whole of the letter receives the pressure. Superfluous gold can be rubbed off with a piece of india-rubber. Bookbinder's rubber is best, as it lifts most strongly. Rubbing with clean cotton-wool is usually quite sufficient to take off super- fluous gold. If it is found that some gold has not stuck, re-glair and go over again with the hot tools. Solid brass wheels are made for running straight lines. (See Fig. 45.) These are essential when laying on gold leaf, as an ordinary lining tool such as could be used for blind-tooling would drag the gold and spoil the line. A wheel having a diameter about equal to that of a threepenny bit will be found to be an excellent tool for running free lines. A large wheel, say 2 in. or 3 in. in diameter, is best for long straight lines. Gold may be laid on " Rexine " cloths in exactly the same way as for leather. CHAPTER VIII. HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. Head-bands. These are stuck or stitched on to the head and tail of tlie book to afford a finish, and, in the case of the stitched head-band, to strengtlien the ends of the book against which the fingers are generally placed when pulling the book out of the shelf. In most modern work the head-band used is cut from lengths of woven material and made to loop over a core of cane, string, or any other strong foundation. It is made in a large variety of colours, designs, and sizes, and can be obtained in cotton and silk from Is. per dozen yards upwards. For school work it is perhaps advisable for a good while to use this kind of head-band, especially as it may, if desired, be woven by the children themselves. The headbands are put on just before the fixing of the cloth, etc., which is to cover the back ; after the back has been rounded and the boards attached. Fig. 46 illustrates a piece of " made " head-band Fig. 46. stuck in position by means of paste. It is obvious that this arrange- ment will add but little to the strength of the head and tail of the book. To Stitch a Head-band. Obtain a piece of catgut, vellum, cane, or string, in thickness a little less than the projection of the boards over the book. Cut 66 HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 67 off about 3 in. Thread a needle with button-hole twist, choosing the colour to match the leather to be used in binding. Fix the book in a press or vice as in Fig. 47. Pass the needle in at X, and work it forward to the back, so that it comes to a point in a line with the inside face of the board, as at Y (Fig. 48). Push the needle through the back of the book at such a depth that it comes out just Fig. 47. Fig. 48. below the kettle-stitch. Draw the silk through until the needle end is about twice as long as the free end. Lift up the needle end and push in the needle again at the same place as before. This will form a loop into which the gut or cord will be placed. Pull slightly on both ends of the silk so as to hold the cord. (See Fig. 50.) 5— (1042) 68 BOOKBINDING. Holding the free end of the silk in the left hand, bring up from the back of the book with the right hand the needle end of the silk. Pass the latter into the left hand and hold taut. Take hold of the free end with the right hand, pass it across the needle end, under the cord, and pull tight. This forms a small bead on the top of the book. (See Fig. 49.) Now bring the free end over the cord, afterwards pass it into the left hand, and hold taut ; take the needle end in the right hand, pass it across the free end, under the cord, and pull tight as before. Fig. 49 Another bead will be formed, and these operations repeated will result in a series of beads right across the top of the book. The beads should sit quite close on the book. It is advisable to anchor down the cord after every three or four stitches. To do this, repeat the operation performed at the commencement of the head-band. Bring the needle from the back, over the cord, pass between the leaves and through the back, out below the kettle-stitch. When a line corresponding to XY has been reached on the opposite side, the silk must be tied off at the back. Cut and fray out the ends, and paste them down to the back. Cut the cord close up to the silk. Paste a piece of stiff paper over the stitches at the back to prevent any projection from showing on the leather cover. Having 69 70 BOOKBINDING. worked the licad-bancl on the " head " of tlic book, the latter is reversed in the press and tlie " tail " treated similarly. The chief ditftculty will be found in keeping the beads regular ; but a little practice, with care in keeping an even tension, will overcome all this. Construction of a School Library Folio. Although this article does not, strictl}' speaking, come into the class of bookbinding, a most useful folio in book form can be produced by working to the following instructions. The foho is built up in concertina fashion as in Fig. 51. Having Fig. 51. decided on the size and number of leaves (say 10 in. by 7 in. and fourteen leaves, giving thirty pages), cut two pieces of cardboard or millboard, lOJ in. by 7| in., and sixteen sheets of paper, 10 in. by 7 in. Bind the edges and cover the surfaces of the cardboard. Cut strips of binding cloth | in. wide and 10 in. long. Take two sheets of the paper, lay out side by side with | in. space between them. Paste one side of a piece of cloth, lay it on to the paper, and rub well down. Turn over the papers, paste another strip of cloth, lay it on exactly over the first strip. Rub well down and into the hinge. (See Fig. 52.) Take another sheet and two more Fig. 52. HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 71 strips of cloth. Lay the third sheet of paper alongside the two already fixed, paste the strip of cloth and lay it over the joint. Reverse the papers and lay on the covering strip. Repeat until all the sheets are fixed together. Fold it up carefully and leave it to set. When it is dry, bind the two end sheets on to the cardboard backs, paste the end papers down to the boards, as in Fig. 51, and leave it to set. The names of the books in the library may now be written on the pages. When opened out, this book will be about 9 ft. 6 in. long, and for use as a book which may be consulted by a number of children at the same time will be most valuable. It can be made to hang by fixing tags of cloth after every four or five sheets. It could be pinned on the dado rail along one wall of the class room. A stronger, but much bulkier, book could be made with leaves of cardboard covered with paper of any desired colour. Construction of a Pocket Wallet. Pocket wallets are very useful for children, and they might very well make their own in the following way. Decide on the size of the book and case, say 6 in. by 4| in. Cut three pieces of thin card and lay them out as shown in Fig. 53. Fig. 53. Allow an additional | in. all round and find the size of the piece of cloth required to cover all three pieces on one side and to fold Paste the cloth on and fold over. Take over ^ in. on the inside. a piece of elastic, | in. or | in. broad, and 10 in. long. Cut a slit in the centre of the middle piece of cardboard, and through this from the outside, pass both ends of the piece of elastic, leaving about I in. for turning back in opposite directions and gluing down. 72 BOOKBINDING. Allowing a margin of J in. or ^ in., cover the inside with strong paper or cloth. Cut two more pieces of cardboard, 5^ in. by 4^ in. ; cover each witli cloth, allowing about | in. for folding over. Glue or paste down the overlaps on one long and two short edges of one piece and one long edge only of the other piece. Take the latter, glue the overlaps on to the right side of the cloth, and place on B with the open side on the left so as to leave an equal margin on the three sides 1, 2, 3. Press down firmly. Cut two strips of cloth 4J in. long and 1 in. wide. Fold lengthwise into four equal folds. These will form hinges for the pocket. Glue them down to A as in Fig. 54. Take the remaining piece of covered 71 rt Fig. 54. cardboard and, gluing the top flanges XX of the hinge and the loose flange of the long side, stick them down firmly and leave them to set. Make a small book of thin plain paper as explained in Chapter I. Push one side of the book into the narrow space between the back of the wallet at B and the inside piece of cardboard. Close up, stretch the elastic band over all, and the wallet is complete. For fixing together such articles as these, many people prefer stitch- ing to gluing. For cloth and paper, glue will be found quite efficient, and it is not always possible, however desirable, to allow boys to sew in this way. Many variations can be made in this type of article. The children will be found ready with modifications and extensions. Needle-cases, card-cases, season-ticket holders, paper-money wallets, stamp purses, etc., are all varieties of the same type of construction. Inter Alia. Some children may commence stitching by laying down the end section first ; i.e., working from the back to the front of the book. Allow them to do this ; it makes no difference to the result and shows that they understand collation. HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 73 Look through all books during the course of the stitching to find out if any sections are upside down. When children are stitching properly and well, encourage them to take home their work and finish the operation. A great deal of valuable lesson-time is thus saved and another link provided between school and home. Watch carefully the construction of the kettle-stitch ; it will be neat if properly made, but when wrongly made, it tends to slovenliness in finish. A discarded " clicker's " knife makes an excellent tool for cutting cardboard. (A " clicker " is one who cuts out boot " uppers.") If bookbinding is being taken in the Handwork Room, the bench vices will be found quite efficient presses for small work. When working in glue on cloth or leather, thick Rexines or Pegamoid should be glued not pasted down. Quick workers should be encouraged to work in glue in preference to paste. When manipulating pasted or glued cloths, keep a towel to hand in order that the fingers may be kept clean. Should a spot of paste get on to, or work through the surface of a cloth, it will probably take off the gloss. This may be restored by means of a coating of thin varnish or a coating of glair. Paste made from rye-flour does not work through the texture of cloth so easily as that made from wheat-flour. When thin boards are used for backs and the end-papers are being pasted down, the easiest plan is to paste that surface of the end leaf which is to be in contact with the board, and then close down the board on to the pasted surface — not lift up the end leaf to the board. Accuracy of the " individual's " highest capacity must be demanded at every stage, and the results in very many cases will be of a very high standard of excellence. Printed by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., Bath, England Q — (1042) A 1 Ml Mi ■%a3AiNn-: ^^\\E11NIVER% UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. » 'ct "^•^mtm -j^^HIBRAR ^.OFCAlIf "^^Aavaa NO PHON|E RENEWALS )! 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