Just finished my first book using this method! I've done 15 other hardbacks following your videos but this was the first steifbroschuren I've tried. Your tutorial was super helpful and my book came out so beautifully! Thank you!
you inspired me to do better bookbinding, i lost my father this year and i´ve been trying to figure out some things he couldnt teach me (he worked doing bookbinding a lot of years among other stuff) the way you present the techniques is very clear and i could understand some mistakes i´ve been making, thank you so much, greetings from Colombia!!
I’ve got one drying now. I’m excited to see how it turns out tomorrow morning and to give it a trim in the cutter. It’s just a wee three signature book that is printed with a pdf copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Thank you for getting me binding again. I’d forgotten how fun it is!
I've had an interest in bookbinding for many years and searched libraries and the web on the subject. Your videos are the best i have seen anywhere and you're and Ozzie too! Keep up the great work. Thank you very much for the great quality and standard of the videos. Best wishes from Melbourne; keep safe. Roger
Hi Roger. I'm glad you find the videos useful. Have you hooked up with the Victorian Bookbinding Guild? They were quiet for awhile but in recent times there has been a surge in enthusiasm. It's great to be able to meet people with the same interests. Happy binding! DAS
You would be surprised to know what a big fan I am, and how much I enjoy watching your videos. You've been a huge inspiration to me in my efforts to get started in bookbinding. Thank you for your videos! Please don't stop producing them! BTW, I love the music.
I made my first of this bookbinding today. I don't have the press and others equipment yet but I liked the result. Tomorrow I'll make another one for practice. When I got really good I will start my collection of copies of rare books. Thank you very much for your job.
That was amazing. I’ve just started looking into book binding and this was one of the first few that I saw. I’m glad I stumbled upon it. So many different techniques in one video and very well explained. Thank you.
It's the same for me, I would thoroughly recommend this mans video's to any aspiring bookbinder. I could not believe just how many videos there are here on RU-vid about bookbinding. Also the very many cultural, and geographical types of bindings which have developed from the Middle Ages and sometimes even earlier.
I found it very satisfying that you still checked the last board paper title against the text block title instead of assuming the last one had to be right because it was the only one left. OCD for the win! :)
This is fantastic! I'm an artist and I also do a lot of self-studying. This will be perfect for binding together all my loose paper sketches as well as any notes I take.
I probably have asked this before since I love to watch and rewatch your videos but here goes nothing: Would you perhaps one day make a video discussing the different sewing styles such as this french link vs the Coptic stitch vs other unsupported linking stitches and also supported vs unsupported and the pros and cons and differences between different supported styles such as on tapes or on cords, etc. so that us beginners can make better-informed decisions based on more parameters such as “durability”, “longevity”, etc. than just ones like “looks nice!”, “I just like it”, or “seems easiest to me” for our projects?
It's a great idea. But once you get into it there are so many sewing techniques. Before I do an overview video I like to have most of the techniques covered in detailed videos. There are still a few important sewing techniques I want to do videos on before I do the overview. But hopefully before the end of the year. All the best, DAS
The first book, the thinner one, looks handy and convenient to carry.. I'll try to make one soon and probably if fortunate that someone likes it, I'll sell it.. 🤩💲💵
Sweet. Thanks for an excellent description of an uncomplicated & functional binding! I reckon that, as an alternative to the fore-edge square, a Yapp edge would look good too.
That would be interesting. I've never made a book with a yapp edge. Worked on a few. I guess I completely associate yapp edges as a functional protective element of Christian devotional books. Tschuss. DAS
@@DASBookbinding I've occasionallly used Yapp edges on small notebooks with thin-ish covers. I 'borrowed' the idea from Ben Elbel's Tue-Mouche binding which feels great in the hand. The 90 degree fold in the card gives a useful degree of torsional stability to the covers and the book develops a nicer hand-feel and becomes more robust for putting into and taking out of your pocket.
DAS Bookbinding Thanks. I am sorry about the terminology. I meant this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9O4kFTOEh6k.html or ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dt3z2Fw6k1k.html. I think they are not traditional. I will use the French for the 96 and 120 pages books I am making and the other one with tapes for more.
Fascinating! Next time, I remember all of this effort before I start complaining about how one or two pages of a hand bound are slightly off. Thank you
Really appreciating the papers you have sticking out to mark which way is up. I should do that. One time I put a book in upside down and I had to carefully tear out the text block so I could put it in right way around. You said that there was a video about French sewing, and there's a link for it on the blog post, but when I clicked it, it said the video isn't available anymore
I have started mixing this with tight-back sewn board binding to get those ridges. Well, I basically just glue on an extra board outside the board-sections...actually also like the single section pamphlet binding, if I remember correctly. This particular project needs thicker board material anyways because I use pvc sheets I laminated to get thickness and stiffness into them since the book I am working on is destined to become a field notebook (which is why I also used waterproof paper and substituted water resistant/waterproof flexible PU glue for the usual PVA).
@@DASBookbinding There are several options such as yupo, stone paper, tyvek sheets, or Rite in the Rain. In the end I went with Rite in the Rain for this (and while they offer good ready-made products I really wanted to make this myself).
Looks nice, specially considering how simple it is. I have a few shorter books (about 200 pages seems like the sweet spot for this kind of binding, I'm just eyeballing here) I've been meaning to print and read but I felt like the other more common bindings are a bit too laborious for this short of a book (and I also don't care about them lasting a life time, as it seems this binding is a little more fragile). Now I'll finally stop being lazy and do it, thanks for the tutorial!
I think 200 pages is on the top side of the sweet spot, but perfectly fine. I was just looking at mine and think sweet spot with 80gsm paper is 100 - 150 pages. Less than 100 and I'd go to manila card for the covers. At 200 I might line the spine between the sewing to smooth it out a bit (the one example I've done over 200 has a bumpy spine). Happy binding! DAS
I've paused at 1:30 to go and get some tea, I am so excited by the promise of this video! (returning at end) Thank you, just the techniques I want and so clearly demonstrated. I think I need to invest in a guillotine but will practice to that stage to determine my preference. I was wondering which of the techniques gave the nicest spine as the stitches seem to deform the back cloth somewhat. I'll go back and freeze some frames to get an idea. 💯
Maybe the plain "all-along" sewing. That's what I use mostly because it doesn't look as lumpy. They're small books and extra inter-section linkage probably isn't needed.
Great that you showed 3 variations for attaching end papers. Are there situations when one would be better to use than the others or is it just personal preference? Thanks for another great video. Wonderful to see how your audience is expanding... well deserved!
Good question. I don't like the hooked single sheet. But I like hooked endpapers in general. If I was doing a deluxe one of these and not following Peter's paper, I would do the endpaper from der gebrochene Rücken but without the waste sheet. But when I'm doing a paper binding I'm in a rush and will probably always just tip on a folio. Because it is backed with cloth and tight-back, the inner joint isn't such a weakness. The hooked folio is too much mucking about:) And thanks. It's great to have people looking at the videos, and I'm making $1 a day - woo hoo!!
Could you possibly do a video on how book titles and lettering are added to various different bindings. All I can find on the web is stamping and foiling on leather. Surely their is a way to add titles to cloth on board spines etc. It seems to be a huge blank gap in available binding videos, and a stumbling block to newbies like me. Thank you Brother for taking the time and effort to share your knowledge and talent. Love from UK.
There may be a reason why there isn't much on this. I'd like to explore the idea a bit more. Rather than have a conversation in the comments, could you email me at darryn@dasbookbinding.com Darryn
wow, thank you very much for this walk-through! I tried very hard to make heads and tails of the written article, but I suppose I'm the sort of visual learner that needed to watch someone else do it in order to have any real confidence in my understanding of the technique. I'll absolutely be more willing to try this style, now! Thought - if I wanted to somewhat obscure the lines of sewing from showing through the book cloth, I would be tempted to put a layer of material in between. Possibly another strip of book cloth, in the name of flexibility. Should the extra material be just as adhered to the spine, or have a breathing space between the book cloth-spine and sewn-spine of the text block as in a case binding? (Apologies, I'm still learning the vocabulary!)
To hide the sewing I would glue a strong but soft paper over the spine. Kraft paper is perfect. You can then very gently sandpaper this once it is dry to remove bumps. But stop before going through the paper or you might cut the sewing! I wouldn't make it a hollow back. That's really a different binding. If you want to do that I recommend the sewn board binding. Good luck, DAS
Thank you so much for the comprehensive tutorial on these techniques. I was having trouble with the alignment of the text and have no heavy duty commercial type trimmer or cutter. I saw you at the end used an industrial cutter. Will there be any alternative to minimise uneven edges. Sorry I am a beginner and practicing the basic skills as a hobbyist . 💖💖💖👏👏👏👍🙏🏼
Trimming can be a problem for people with limited equipment. You can try and trim with a knife, but this is really hard and you can mess things up easily. Some office supply type stores will trim a text block. I think I would recommend just folding carefully and accepting some roughness to start with. Good luck! DAS
Awesome. I just got a guillotine and have a question. How did you know when the book was in position for the first cut, either the head or the other end - you couldn't measure yet? I'm anxious to try this method.
Great video! Recently found your channel and have been going through some of the back list. Question - what is the green cloth you used on the spines here? I want to make a few of these books for an upcoming project! Thanks and keep up the great work.
Really good question. It's old stock I got from a binder who closed down, and wasn't labelled. It is a starch filled cloth, not lined with paper, and "natural" finish. I don;t have a sample of this cloth, but it might be like "Reflections" from Ratchford. ratchford.co.uk/product-category/bookcloth-coverings/reflections-water-resistant-bookcloth/ My go to cloth is Arbelave, and that would work too, but has a coated finish. Happy binding. DAS
This was perfect! I think I could actually manage this! I was wondering about supplies though. I’m in the US so I’m not sure if the same is available here as it is there? But I’m curious if you have a recommendation on a guillotine? Also, wondering if you used straight PVA whenever you used paste on this video, or if you mixed? Thanks so much for the videos 🙂
I mainly used Talas when I lived in the US. But here is a list of suppliers I use dasbookbinding.com/2020/03/27/bookbinding-suppliers/ I don't remember what adhesive I used. I probably used straight PVA for simplicity. You could use mix for everything. Straight PVA for the spine and mix for attaching the boards (so there is time to make corrections) is probably best. Look for a used Ideal manual guillotine (like the 4305 and up. Old models numbers are very different. My 3600 is like the 4305). The blade won't be sharp, but once the blade has been sharpened they work really well. Sharp blade is key. Watch for one that comes with a spare blade. Used older models are often less than $300 while a new one is over $3000. All the best, DAS
Thank you very much for your tutorials- I am totally hooked on bookbinding. Your tutorials are fantastic!! I am a beginner and I have only bound a few books using the coptic stitch (love the sewing alternatives to glue guns). I don't like rounding the backing of books and wondered if the stiffened paper binding method would be a good alternative to rounding the backing (for smallish books)? If not, what other alternative can I use? I assume rounding the backing is to prevent the spine from sagging(?). The other challenge I face is books that have 400 pages (A4) or more. Ideally I would like to keep the book in a single binding - what binding method would you recommend (A4 book with 400 pages)? PS: Could you kindly explain when you would use the double fan method.
I'm glad you're enjoying bookbinding! So you are correct, rounding and backing is to stop the text from sagging. It's like the stones in an arch. Bookbinders say rounding and backing. By that they mean, first rounding, which puts the curve at the back and fore-edge of the book, and also reduces the swell. Backing is another step where you put little shoulders on the spine of the book. A hammer is often used to do this in a press with backing boards. But you can just use a bone folder to put a more gentle should on the book. The shoulders hook over the boards. It's a bit like the archway sitting on pillars, the boards being the pillars. For thin books it's very hard to put shoulders on a book anyway, and it is often best to leave it square back, not rounded at all. The square back Bradel binding is very good for small books (I have a video on this - it's a case binding). The double fan method is used when you have single sheets of paper, not folded sheets. If you have 400 single sheets of paper I would recommend doing a double fan binding then use the stiffened paper binding for the cover. Because there is no square (the cover boards are the same size as the textblock) the text can't sag. But if you do want a book with squares then I would say again use the double fan and then put in a case using the Bradel method and just accept the text will sag. Many modern commercial books are done exactly this way. Good luck! DAS
Will these be strong enough for larger books? I have a book I want to bind that's 412 pages, 103 paper pieces if they're in double-sided booklet form, so it would be roughly 26 signatures.
It's not really a question of strength. The sewing will hold a book together very well. This style of binding requires very little swell. With average weight paper and 4 sheet sections you would need very fine thread to avoid significant swell. Too fine a thread. You could go to 6 sheets sections. But a thick book in this style will tend to want to go concave with use. But I wouldn't call 412 pages a very thick book. I think going to 6 page sections and a thin thread (like 40/3 linen) it would probably work fine. One way to find out:) DAS
Can i ask why u choose to do the holes with punching and not using a hand saw to do that . i am really new to this and never touched a book m just now collecting information from youtube and some books . and your channel is the best by far . thanks alot for sharing your knowledge
Imagine you're in a late 19th century English trade bindery. The business is pumping and the bosses are making a mint by keeping margins very tight. It's like an Ideas Foundry 130 years ago. No time to do things neat, just quick. So you saw in the sewing stations. And what do you think the interns - I mean apprentices do - saw in kerf, make paste and keep the glue pots full all day long. Back to reality. When you saw in the sewing holes you're removing material you don't have to. Punching a hole just pushes it aside and the hole can be closed up nicely later. So no ugly cut visible inside the book. The exceptions are when sewing on sunken cords. These have to be sawn in because the cords need to go into the slots. You may choose to saw in the kettle stitch locations but punch the tape sewing locations This provides a space for the kettle stitches to sit giving a smoother spine. So I think that the default should be to punch holes unless there is a technical reason to saw in. Hope that makes sense. Have fun. DAS
@@DASBookbinding epic . I understand now and i think m gonna stick with doing things neatly and purely traditional no technology even 1800s technologies . thanks alot and greetings from morocco . after this lockdown i am gonna volunteer on a local old islamic bindry and see if they accept me . stay safe sir
Hello! I've tried the french sewing without tape on a A5 size book, a bit thicker than those in this video, and glued the spine with PVA. Haven't attatched the boards or done anything else yet, but I noticed that, when opening the book, the curve that forms on the back of the spine is quite sharp. On the other hand, I've also tried a double-fan binding and reinforced it with some threads on cut slots in the spine, and the spine curves backwards very round and smooth. Is this sharp curve an indicative of an structural flaw? How do I achieve the round curve that just looks so good? Your videos and tips are always helping me so much! Thank you as always! :)
In the case of the French sewing did you line the spine of the book too, such as with some kraft paper? This is actually a feature as it allows the book to open much flatter than the double-fan. You just need to make sure there is a strong enough lining on the spine so the sections don;t pull apart. Hope this makes sense. I'll try and remember to show this in a future video. All the best, DAS
Compared to other more robust structures, this is mechanically weaker. Everything in bookbinding is a compromise. The limits of what can be done are soft and sometimes you just have to try it to find out if it will work. I think about 16 sections is where I'd draw the line - give or take depending on the thickness of the sections.
18:28 what type of cloth would you recommend? I can't find specific bookbinding supplies in my country. Would PU leather work the same? If not, what characteristics should the fabric have to work?
Hi Matias, This binding style isn't fussy. PU leather is a bit thick and spongy, but you can use it. You could also make bookcloth. There are a few good (and many not good) videos on YT about this. I have one planned but still experimenting with some new ideas. You can also just use a heavier paper for spine. The characteristics are strength and flexibility. Being on the spine it will have to flex when the book is opened. Good luck! DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thank you very much for the answer and for describing what the characteristics for the spine material be, that's very helpful. I'll see what I can get, thanks!
Absolutely. Peter V's article has a section on single sheet binding. Just do a double-fan binding, tip on folios of coloured papers for endpapers, and follow the remaining steps in the video. Have fun! DAS ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QTyE4z42EkQ.html
It's a mid 80's model Ideal guillotine. Ideal guillotines are fairly easy to pick up on the used market and are very well made and last many years. Much older than mine and they don't have as many safety features. So buy one no older than 30 years old. The main thing to look for is no nicks int he blade. Blunt is fine, but dings are bad.
Depends on a number of factors, which I cover in a video about "swell". In this case you don't want swell so you can go more sheets, but 10 is getting hard to fold.
I use Bookletcreator on a Mac. But people made other good suggestions in the comments of the video I did on this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EGuED0m51lc.html All the best, DAS
Thanks for your videos! I've been repairing and converting textbooks and manuals at my workplace using techniques I'm learning from your videos with wonderful results. One question: does reinforcing the spine with super compromise the integrity of the stiffened paper binding at all? Our books fail most often at the spine due to frequent use, but I don't want to introduce a weakness between the text block and the boards or the spine covering just because I wanted extra reinforcement.
No. Should only reenforce it. If you really want to strengthen the spine use a thin cotton or linen. And for even more strength, cut it on the bias. Good luck!
@@DASBookbinding Thank you! I will certainly look for those next time we order supplies; stronger is always better in our case. P.S. I tried out this stiffened paper binding for the first time last week on an old loose-leaf reference manual. Did a double-fan binding, covered the boards using the original cardstock-esque covers, and printed a nice label for the spine; it turned out so beautifully and I think it will extend the book's lifetime by leaps and bounds. My coworkers and I are thrilled with the results I'm getting, and it's all thanks to you. I hope you know just how much you and your work are appreciated!
What an interesting structure! I will be trying this one soon. For smaller text blocks like these, do you think adding tapes makes much of a difference in the finished binding?
Your videos are excellent. In this video and some others, we see the folding of sections from a PDF print-out. I did this myself but I don't know how to remedy the issue of grain direction. Most of the paper used in photocopy machines is grained based on the direction of printing. This goes against folding and making a book of a stack of printed papers. Any suggestion would be helpful.
Yes, this is a problem. No easy answer. I sell a range of short grain papers in Australia. But I only ship to Australia. Hollanders in the US have some. I know Talas (NY) is planning to stock some. If you look carefully some of the papers at Staples is short grain and says so on the packaging (only helps if you are in the US). Keep and eye on my channel as I'm asking friends around the world where they get their paper and will put something out about it in the future.
Because it isn't rounded you want very little swell. So more sheets per sections the better. For standard weight paper I wouldn't go above 8. I think you could go 2 inches thick? No square so no text block droop. I've never done it, but why not? DAS
The book cloth on the spine is some sort of buckram. It was some old odd piece in my scrap box. I suspect it isn't made any more. Arbelave is a good option.
I've tried to find out what spine cloth is with a few internet searches but I keep getting book cloth or Lineco Bookbinding Super Cloth. IS this super cloth spine cloth? Is there a difference? Can I make my own?
The green cloth I use over the spines in these is just some/any sort of bookcloth. Any bookbcloth will do. Yes, you could make your own. My videos on making bookcloth explain what makes bookcoth special. It's nothing fancy, just something to stop the adhesive striking through and it's a bit stiffer to make it easier to work with. Avoid that overpriced Lineco stuff. Order a yard each of different colours and types from Talas.
@@DASBookbinding Thank you so much! I'm thinking of trying the starch paste method today. I'm figuring that a cornstarch paste should work. When I go into town I will buy some of that iron on stuff too. I have some printer paper that is around 20 pound that I hope will work. When I go into town I was thinking of buying tissue paper used in gift bags. 🤷
hola!. Muy bueno su canal! le quería consultar, que tipo de encuadernación (soy principiante) me recomienda para un libro de 300 hojas? su lomo tiene entre 4cm y 5cm!. este tipo funciona? saludos desde Argentina!
Yes this will work for a thicker book. It is not perfect, but because there are no squares (the overhand of the cover boards) so the text won't sag in the binding. Good luck! DAS
Got one (slightly wierd) question regarding the waste paper you were using while pasting down the baord papaers at 22:57. It shows several handles for handsaws. Just wondering if you can remember what it was and where you got it from? I've got a few vintage saw blades I'd like to get back into working order.
It would have been a print out of a website from the days I was putting together a nice set of hand tools. I thought the Bad Axe Tool Works sold saw handles, but I just checked their website and didn't see any. But I'm sure they do:) www.badaxetoolworks.com/index.php DAS
@@DASBookbinding Thanks DAS, guess I'll have to just carry on doing image searches for inspiration to make my own 😊 I'm just starting to get in to 'proper' bookbinding having spent some time making exceedingly basic notebooks for my various projects. First got interested in it after watching a video from Sea Lemon and then found your site. I'm now completely hooked and slowly but surely gathering tools/supplies for it all. Currently making my own book press, lying press and finishing press. Planning to make my own book plough as well at some point. All down to your excellent style of presenting the info. many thanks.
Hello DAS Bookbinding ! I’ve just watched your video on « Steifbroschuren » and I’m interested in the books you show in the video. Where can I download them for free (if possible)? Thanks a lot for your video, these are very instructive and inspiring for my own way of practicing bookbinding ! 😉
Do you mean the steel one? dasbookbinding.com/2019/05/02/press-restoration/ The wood ones come from Frank Wiesner. www.wiesnerwoodcraft.com Yours, Darryn
I've had an interest in bookbinding for many years and searched libraries and the web on the subject. Your videos are the best i have seen anywhere and you're and Ozzie too! Keep up the great work. Thank you very much for the great quality and standard of the videos. Best wishes from Melbourne; keep safe. Roger
This is excellent. Thank you very much. Can you do a video covering the binding of magazines? There are two types of magazines, saddled and adhesive. Not too sure about the best way to bind up a year of periodicals.
You're welcome. I'm not a big fan of bound magazines. I know it used to be a mainstay of the bookbinding industry. I like to keep magazines in the original format and make boxes for them. I like slip cases because for things like Nat Geographic you can still see the spine with all the contents. In the trade environment, for adhesive bound with a square back they would be glued together at the covers, spine lined with a strong fabric, edges guillotined and put into a case, maybe with some rounding and token shoulders from a backing machine. For the stapled magazines it was common to guillotine off the spine and do a double fan/Lumbeck type binding. I strongly advise against this. Sorry I'm not going to be much help with you on magazines. DAS
I remember sitting and watching the book binders at work in the old city of Lahore when I was in high school and being fascinated with their craft. This video has brought back many such memories for me.
I love boocks. I cant buy new ones. So I buy used boocks. You can find encredible cheap boocks. I bougt collection of Onore de Balzac (24 volumes), Jules Verne (12 volumes), Stendhal (15), Guy de Maupassant (12), Romain Rolland (4). Some used boocks can be damaged. I repair them.
For those who still dont have a guillotine, what should we use instead and when should we trim the page? Before attaching the pages to the cover of after?
This is what I love about RU-vid, so much information and helpful skills. I’ve started making my Visual diaries using your methods of book binding. I have saved myself hundreds by making them as they can go upwards of $50 for a visual diary using subpar paper, a gripe of mine being an artist.
Hi to all... I have some glu8ng machine for "perfect binding"and it works with soft cover,but hard cover make me some problems..l can open book so much as sewing or lay flat,is there some recepie ..maby paprer is to fat,l use 200gsm paper,or maby it will work with more of pages..any practical advices will help me much
