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Binding the Book
The last section of the preservation process entailed leathering to
the book. I followed steps found in ABC of Leather Bookbinding: A Manual for
Traditional Craftsmanship by Edward R. Lhotka as well as Bookbinding: Its
Background and Technique by Edith Diehl. (Both books are mentioned above
around the headbands section.)
This photo shows the application of PVA to one of the boards. A piece of wax paper rests between the textblock and the board to protect places where glue was not meant to get.
The leather was then stretched over the pasted board.
Then the leather was secured onto the boards using a bone folder to ensure that no air bubbles lurked beneath.
I pasted the spine next, being sure to paste the hinges, and pulled the leather
over tightly. Then I bone folded along the cords and later covered the remaining
board as well.
Tucking at the spine was a bit difficult (partially because my headbands were a
tad short.) I cut the leather at the outside of the spine on each side in a
curve. The cut should leave at least an eighth of an inch so that the boards are
completely hidden. Using a micro-spatula, I carefully tucked in the excess
leather, previously brushed with PVA where the leather was to hug itself, being
sure to reveal the headbands.
After pasting the leather to the inside of the boards and bone folding them down, I was ready for the corners. Again using PVA on the underside, I pleated them as flat as possible using the bone folder.
