Category: book conservation

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How Many Soles

How many soles have tread on this board shear clamp pedal?  How many decades did it take the original deep crosshatching  to become almost completely eroded in the center of the pedal? How long did it take for the original japanning to become mirror polished? How many different people have used this machine?  How many shins has this pedal bloodied?  How many blades has this machine had? How many cloth case bindings have been cut on this machine?  How many boxes? How many curses have been hurled at this machine,when something was miscut?

And how many times has this board shear subtly retaliated, going minutely out of square, cutting one book board a hair short, tearing material rather than cutting, or even pinching a finger in quiet defiance, only to be stepped on once again?

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Knife Box

I always use a tool holder when I’m working, which I wrote about in a previous post.  Ken Gilbert designed and sells these cool knife boxes to transport and hold a variety of knives while you are working. Boxes like these have an advantage over tool rolls, in that they have a smaller footprint on your bench. The trays flip up so you can see what tool you are looking for, and they are protected from banging around in transport. Additionally, it may encourage binders to purchase more than a paring knife and lifting knife set, which I enthusiastically endorse!

Ken Gilbert is a bookbinder  at Willow Bindery in Shrewsbury, Mass. and a member of the New England Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers.  Contact Ken directly if you are interested having one made for your knives.

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Wooden Book Board Lacing Exposed

Above:  The anchoring and lacing pattern on the inner face of a wooden book board from 1453.

Not only is it remarkable that the tight “S” twist double cords are still held tightly by the treenail, but I find the almost casual tool marks from a gouge beautiful.  They look like they were cut yesterday, although they were protected and covered with a vellum pastedown that became detached at some point in the past.  Judging from the splintered wood on the right hand side, it looks as if the hole was drilled first, then the channel cut from left to right. The cuts must have started at the bottom, and worked upwards, ending with what I can imagine was an attempt to clean up the slightly splintered wood. And like most attempts to rectify an error, it only made things worse.  A bookbinders mistake from five centuries ago?  Notice the split in the board is not caused by the treenail or the two iron nails at the top and bottom of the image, which is often the case.

I’m always impressed by any mechanical object that is still intact and functioning after 557 years.