Spine Cleaning and Re-lining.
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 19. 06. 2024
- In the third episode in this series, I poultice and remove the animal hide glue on this oversized family Bible. The book is then re-lined to stabilize it before I assess the textblock for damage. The damage is flagged for repair in the next episode.
0:00 intro
0:07 poulticing and cleaning animal hide glue from the spine (so satisfying)
9:27 applying the first lining of paste and thin long fiber paper
13:30 assessing the textblock for damage (to be mended in the next episode)
"Spine Cleaning and Re-lining." is episode 3 in this series on oversized book repair.
Kathryn Wright is the owner/conservator of Southern Book & Paper Conservation, LLC, a private practice lab in Macon, Georgia: www.southernbnp.com/
đ TOOLS & MATERIALSđ
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ARCHIVAL STORAGE
4-flap enclosure: tinyurl.com/rvdjhss6 (Gaylord site)
Polyester L-sleeves for photos & documents: geni.us/mZbn (Amazon). If you have a water incident and these get wet, carefully cut the two sealed sides and remove the top piece of poly so the item can have a opportunity to dry - otherwise it will mold extensively in the plastic
Boxes, various sizes: geni.us/dmN3h (Amazon)
Folders, A4 and legal available: amzn.to/3gZgmqY (Amazon)
Cotton tying tape for weak or detached book boards and covers: geni.us/l5f5U (Amazon).
SMALL BENCH TOOLS
Teflon Bone Folder Set: geni.us/NmPNb (Amazon)
Gingher 8" shears: geni.us/d694 (Amazon)
Iris scissors: I have the curved pair. geni.us/dxmMWT (Amazon)
Olfa Silver knife with refill blades (Art Blade, 30 deg): allows for more precise cuts than the original Olfa Silver. geni.us/nXN5itG (Amazon)
Starrett 12" ruler: geni.us/dTZoy (Amazon)
Starrett 3" dividers: geni.us/Ec4A (Amazon)
Glue brushes: geni.us/WfLaVXX (Amazon)
EQUIPMENT
I got pretty much all of my equipment used on eBay, and Iâve been happy with everything.
Paper cutter (Kutrimmer): ebay.us/BkjrJk
Nipping press. My dimensions: 10âx13â bed/2.75â of daylight: ebay.us/LLT3KZ
Laying/finishing press: I actually prefer a machinistâs press (a 6â Kurt) ebay.us/PQnDZq
Traditional wooden finishing press: ebay.us/XYSMbk
Lectrojog: ebay.us/CDfyxd
Tormek SuperGrind 2000: ebay.us/zHt0Uc
MATERIALS & SUPPLIES
The go-to company for conservation supplies in the US is Talas: www.talasonline.com/.
If youâre a hobbyist bookbinder, book artist, and/or practicing by conserving discard books, Iâll include links below to Amazon, and other vendors who provide materials that are perfect for those pursuits.
Japanese long fiber paper from Hiromi Paper.
Tengujo: tinyurl.com/4yrepkx8
Senka-shi Thick: tinyurl.com/7za85uu2
Leather: www.pergamena.net/
Marbled and Decorative Papers: hollanders.com/
Book cloth: hollanders.com/search?q=cialux
Text and cover weight papers: I usually use Mohawk papers. www.thepapermillstore.com/
Smaller Mohawk sizes: geni.us/tvS8VM (Amazon)
PVA: geni.us/uc8J (Amazon)
Wheat Starch Paste: geni.us/Mcdq (Amazon)
Klucel-G leather consolidant: geni.us/CAswqOY (Amazon)
Isopropyl alcohol (99.9% pure): geni.us/Y2vKHbD (Amazon)
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Channel topics:
antique book restoration, antique restoration, old book restoration, book restoration, antique book binding repair, old book binding repair, antique book repair, old book, old books, paper repair, antique paper repair, bookbinding, book binding, binding repair, book repair, repairing books, restoring books, repairing old books, restoring old books, antique manuscripts, manuscript, manuscripts, narrated, asmr video, asmr
I truly love watching your TLC when you handle them. These books hold our future between its pages that are being lost and then so are the precious books we hold. Thank You for helping to keep our History alive. Future generations someday will have questions regarding the answers they will hold. God Bless you.
Loved this video. The level of detail you go into is essential for anyone who has a bible to repair. Very useful and superb skills. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Another interesting & informational video, thanks for letting us into the world of a book restorer. đ
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for tuning in đđ
Took me a while to figure out what you were doing with that "Poltice" stuff, I've never heard of that, I did it the hard way using sand paper on a block
watching this is my therapy, escape from my mundane day to day work load. what an amazing art...... would love to learn this.
Once again, thank you for going through the examination of the problems with the book... see you next week.
I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching đđ
Scraping off the glue seems like it'd have the same satisfaction as peeling off skin from a sunburn.
As satisfying. Much less painful đ
This series is excellent! You name each thing you do and the products you use. Thank you!
A thorn is not the weirdest thing you found in a book, but what is then? You can't leave us hanging! :)
Again, another superb quality video with clear voice-over. Perhaps you could do one teaching other CZcamsrs how to produce quality videos like yours.
Suggestion: Try using a heated damp, not wet, cellulose sponge (microwaved - hand hot) applied for about 10 seconds. Repeat a couple of times and the glue, with a little gentle rub, will eagerly leave the book and attach to the sponge whence it can be washed off and the process repeated for the next section of the text block. Works a treat on animal glue. No residual mess or wetness - just the occasional, slightly scalded finger. It must be a cellulose sponge.
As to strange objects found in old books, I occasionally find perfectly preserved, centuries old squashed head-lice. Yuk!
Gross! đ
I kind of like just leaving it to sit because it gives me time to play the clean-up game and to work on other books.
I'm glad you're enjoying the series!
I have watched a few of your videos. I am an amateur just beginning to care for my library. Do you have a video demonstration on how to replace end papers?
what other kinds of glue are used for book binding? im getting the sense that hide glue is more old fashioned, so would more recent glue techniques be removed in a similar fashion? (with the water soluble poultice)
Your videos are great! Thank-you. Do you have a list of of all the tools and materials I would need to restrore a large bible. I want to take on a project. Thanks, Ron
Hey Ron, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! What you're looking for is listed in the video descriptions and I'll copy/paste the list here, too. Some of these are affiliate links and so I earn a small commission on purchases made through these links. Let me know if you have any questions or if I've left any tools or materials out of the list.
SMALL BENCH TOOLS
Teflon Bone Folder Set: geni.us/NmPNb (Amazon)
Gingher 8" shears: geni.us/d694 (Amazon)
Iris scissors: I have the curved pair. geni.us/dxmMWT (Amazon)
Olfa Silver knife with refill blades (Art Blade, 30 deg): allows for more precise cuts than the original Olfa Silver. geni.us/nXN5itG (Amazon)
Starrett 12" ruler: geni.us/dTZoy (Amazon)
Starrett 3" dividers: geni.us/Ec4A (Amazon)
Glue brushes: geni.us/WfLaVXX (Amazon)
EQUIPMENT
I got pretty much all of my equipment used on eBay, and Iâve been happy with everything.
Paper cutter (Kutrimmer): ebay.us/BkjrJk
Nipping press. My dimensions: 10âx13â bed/2.75â of daylight: ebay.us/LLT3KZ
Laying/finishing press: I actually prefer a machinistâs press (a 6â Kurt) ebay.us/PQnDZq
Traditional wooden finishing press: ebay.us/XYSMbk
Lectrojog: ebay.us/CDfyxd
Tormek SuperGrind 2000: ebay.us/zHt0Uc
MATERIALS & SUPPLIES
The go-to company for conservation supplies in the US is Talas: www.talasonline.com/.
If youâre a hobbyist bookbinder, book artist, and/or practicing by conserving discard books, Iâll include links below to Amazon, and other vendors who provide materials that are perfect for those pursuits.
Japanese long fiber paper from Hiromi Paper.
Tengujo: tinyurl.com/4yrepkx8
Senka-shi Thick: tinyurl.com/7za85uu2
Leather: www.pergamena.net/
Marbled and Decorative Papers: hollanders.com/
Book cloth: hollanders.com/search?q=cialux
Text and cover weight papers: I usually use Mohawk papers. www.thepapermillstore.com/
Smaller Mohawk sizes: geni.us/tvS8VM (Amazon)
PVA: geni.us/uc8J (Amazon)
Wheat Starch Paste: geni.us/Mcdq (Amazon)
Klucel-G leather consolidant: geni.us/CAswqOY (Amazon)
Isopropyl alcohol (99.9% pure): geni.us/Y2vKHbD (Amazon)
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Methyl Cellulose: geni.us/xXw8 (Amazon)
Vulcanized Rubber Sponges: geni.us/WNcTDa
Amazing videos, thank you for the hard work that you put into them. Your knowledge and attention to detail is to be commended. I'm curious as to which Japanese papers you use for each task. Washi, Tengujo, Mulberry... there's a lot of options. You've mentioned using Tengujo to repair tears and for hinging, but I'm not sure which paper you used on the spine here... and also which paper you used later to color match and cover the spine.
Sorry for the very late reply. I use Tengujo in a heavy weight. It's from Hiromi Paper and you can find it if you search for "HM-37" on their site.
Whatâs the weirdest thing youâve found in a book?
The thing I find regularly that freaks me out is locks of hair. I'll be flipping through during the assessment and they always startle me. Completely irrationally, my first thought is that there's a tiny, dead animal pressed into the book. Don't know why I'm like this.
@@SouthernBookAndPaper "The thing I find regularly that freaks me out is locks of hair" - Yeah I can understand that, particularly in an old book. That person has long since departed. Hair is the only tangible thing left of their body.
I found in a book of shakespeare's plays a letter from a stage actor to a young actress,and between the pages about 20 four leaf clovers. I put them in an envelope in the front of the book.
You can clearly see, only is it old and fragile, but physically large and I imagine quite heavy. So even its own unsupported weight, could make it fall apart. 00:29 That is impressive, how the wheat starch paste, softened the old glue like that. The signatures are coming up very clean. 02:13
Kathryn, is it possible to "augment" rather than replace existing thread, so as to do the least disturbance to the text block? Particularly if the paper is brittle. Considering how old the book is, the foxing, if any, looks very light.
I could've done that, but there are a some reasons I didn't simply add more sewing thread at the appropriate tension. I'm afraid to add that much bulk to the textblock (even though it's only the bulk of the thread in the sections), and I'm also concerned that dragging thread through the semi-brittle paper would further damage the section folds. Also, I try very hard not to split the threads (sewing through the threads) when I sew - and I could've gone around the original thread (likely "above" when the book is laying flat during sewing). But it's likely that I would've accidently done so and that would leave a bigger mess for the next conservator.
@@SouthernBookAndPaper Yes, I can see what you mean. Anything you do like that, puts undue stress on the rest of the textblock structure, further compromising it. It is decisions like this, is what fascinates me about bookbinding and conservation.
Hi, thanks for your great videos, I have a question, why for making wheat-strach paste, we have to use wooden tools? Like a nylon sieve or a wooden spoon for mixing it?
I'm glad you like them! My guess is to avoid introducing iron particles (and eventually rust) into the paste, which could happen if you used metal utensils. I use a silicone spatula and a synthetic material (silk screen mesh) as a strainer. Both clean easier, and the silk screen mesh is inexpensive so I can replace used pieces regularly.
What mesh type do you use for the silk screen strainer?@@SouthernBookAndPaper
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those brittle wood pulp papers are a mess to deal with.
wouldn't a PVA adhesive be stronger for the spine?
I typically start with wheat starch paste and tengujo to create a physically reversible layer on sewn bindings. If I (or anyone in the future) needs to, they can peel off all layers above the tengujo (delaminating it). Then, the rest of the tengujo and paste can be removed via poultice - revealing a clean slate to work with.
Another concern with PVA, aside from a lack of reversibility, is that very strong adhesives and strong newly adhered materials have a tendency to break the weaker original materials at that attachment point. I'd rather have a failure of my linings (that can be redone), rather than a catastrophic failure of the original paper.
I typically use PVA to re-adhere double fan adhesive bindings as step one. It certainly has its place!
I love your videos. Just getting into this and have what may seem like a beginnerâs question. Is there a reason why you didnât push some of the signatures into place before clamping to create more of a consistent arc to the spine, rather than having some low valleys, prior to applying the first lining? Would that have made some of the lose signatures more secure, reducing the amount of tipping in? Thank you.
That's a great question. I usually do pull the textblock out of the press and wiggle any unaligned sections back into place. I hesitate to do this on large volumes unless It will correct a substantial rounding/structural problem. I really don't want to move that much paper around because its weight can damage the sewing while the spine is clean and unsupported.
Also, when I assessed this book's sewing before removing the linings and adhesive, I could see that most of the slightly loose pages were inside the sections so they probably wouldn't see enough contact with the first paste layer during relining to hold them in place.
@@SouthernBookAndPaper thank you so much for the explanation. Love your videos!!
@@joshuawade1074 Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying them!
How long does it take for the wheat paste to soften the animal glue before cleaning it?
That's a great question. I usually poke at it at around 10 minutes, but it's usually ready at 15-20. For thicker original applications of hide glue, I almost always have to rehydrate the very top, remove what's loose - then repeat with another layer of paste to remove the rest of the hide down to the backs of the sections.
Beginners question here, how do you make the poultice for removing the glue?
I use either wheat starch paste that's a little past it's peak or I use SCMC mixed at 4%. Sorry for the late response!
It's a real testament to the suitability of the spine lining methods you're using -- such a heavy volume with such weak paper could be a real minefield to navigate otherwise. Can't wait to see how similarly appropriate and nuanced are the internal repairs!
(I wonder if the families who press flowers in Psalms also tuck thorns in at The Parable of the Sower?)
Don't worry, this volume gets PVA and linen as the next layer! So far, I haven't had any failed linings using this technique. Pardon me while I knock on everything. I chatted with S. K. in this video's comments about why I tend to start with paste and tengujo if you want to read more.
No idea. I do find a lot of pressed flowers and plants, but there's usually many more pieces than that in the book!
@@SouthernBookAndPaper Oh, I'm not concerned that your treatment has any shortcomings at all -- on the contrary, a book like this treated less appropriately would possibly be in jeopardy, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how your repairs conserve the dynamic integrity of the spine -- that's something not very obvious to the uninitiated. I guess seeing how books fail is an important part of choosing better materials and methods!
do you have a reciie for the wheat paste? I have methylcellulose but would like to get into wheat paste. In "People of the Book" Geraldine Brooks' Character Dr. Hanna Heath intimidatingly says she spent 6 months in Japan learning to make wheat paste to have just the right tension to be qualified for projects like Books of Hours or the Sarajevo Haggadah, lol. I just want people to think I did an acceptable job on things like bibles and The Beautiful Story in the Golden Gems of Religious Thought series and things like that.
Paste tends to have better adhesion, in my experience, than methylcell.
People have different needs when it comes to paste. I need my paste to be fully cooked (clear, but not stringy) so that it adheres well. I need my paste to be done quickly.
I also recently switched to rice paste because I have celiac. Ha.
1 part paste (powder) to 4-5 parts filtered water.
I let those sit together for some amount of time (usually a couple hours) to swell.
Stir occasionally.
Microwave for one minute on level 7.
Stir. Add a little more water if needed.
Microwave for one minute on level 8.
Microwaves vary so play around with it.
Why not use hide glue again?
www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/BPG_Adhesives (search for "hide")
They tend to become brittle and harden more than the wheat starch paste. Over time, this can cause structural damage to the paper and sewing due to the movement of these parts.
Great question!
to bad there is not an ultrasonic way to clean glue off
I agree. Haha.