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Attaching the Boards
After sewing was completed, the excess thread was snipped off leaving a tidbit
so it would not unravel. Next, while lightly tugging the first and last pages
separately, the spine was beat with a hammer in a circular motion to
reduce swelling. The textblock was then tightly placed back in the laying press,
and a mixture of PVA glue and Rice Starch glue was brushed and poked on the
newly sewed spine, making sure the short remainders of thread were aligned
vertically with the kettle stitch, and left the spine to dry. The next day,
using a hammer rounded the edges of the textblock, which was still in the
laying press, to make shoulders that are indentions where the boards meet the
spine.
Then, with an awl, I poked the holes (holing-out), into the pre-measured and cut particle board, also known as Davey Board, where the corresponding cords will be laced through (lacing-up.) Then I trimmed the cords to a little over an inch and frayed them with a dissecting needle until they looked quite like fine, blond hair, and finally fanned and glued them onto the inside of particle board (to be covered by pastedowns). With the textblock held off the table, these frayed and pasted cords were hammered to the particle board, a table underneath, and in the same manner, the outside of the boards were hammered where the cords met the holes to ensure the lacing was secure for the hinge.
I would like to note that this is an unusual way to lace the boards for the time, but it is the way the original book was first done, so I am using it here to stay true to the original. In ABC of Leather Bookbinding 2 an extra row of holes are poked about an inch out so that the cords can be laced-up from the binding through the board and back up to the top of the board again and then glued (with the fray on the outside rather than the inside of the boards). This one-inch stitch is grooved or channeled so the cord blends into the board. Beyond this, the steps used the paragraphs above do not change.
Proceed to Headbands and Spine Liner
