bookbinding tools – Page 40 – Peachey Conservation

April 22, 2014April 20, 2014

Punching Holes

Sometimes a new tool comes along that causes a paradigm shift; the older ones are almost instantly obsolete. The Japanese screw punch is one such example. I can’t recall the last time I used or saw someone use another tool to make small holes in paper, vellum and leather. Yet the hole punch above, which a “J.J. THATCHER” thought enough of to mark his name on, works perfectly. Stylistically, we can see much more elaborate decoration than on the more modern Japanese screw punch. Functionally, it does not have the interchangeable bits or the automatic twist action that the Japanese screw punch has. This tool is extremely well made, comfortable to use, elegant, perhaps even a little decadent with the amount of hand finishing that went into it. Aren’t these the elements we want imbued in our hand-bound books? Can a tool help to do this? Can beautiful tools increase the users pleasure while working which then is reflected in the product?

February 25, 2014February 25, 2014

Old Horse Butt

Detail from: Frederick W. La Croix The Leather Specimen Book (Milwaukee: Pfister and Vogel Leather Co., 1915) Winterthur: TS965 L14. Courtesy Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library.

This small sample of horse butt is interesting because it is the earliest dateable horse butt I have seen, almost 100 years old. Also note it is called a “Razor Strop Butt.” The skin itself looks much like the modern horse butt strops that I sell in my tool catalog, though it is almost twice as thick, suggesting an older animal. I haven’t found any material that works as well for stropping leather paring knives, which at 13 degrees approach the acute angle of a straight edge razor blade, which are often around 10 degrees. Horse butt has the right combination of elasticity, durability, firmness and density to make the perfect strop. It always cheers me up a bit to see a natural material—like hog hair bristles for our brushes—that hasn’t been supplanted by an artificial invention; perhaps because they subtly challenge unspoken assumptions of our technophillic culture.

November 26, 2013November 26, 2013

Some Christmas Gift Ideas for Bookbinders

A loaded stick (aka knocking down stick) is great for firmly compressing signatures while sewing. A gentle tapping can accomplish this task much more effectively than leveraged pressure. This stick has a comfortable waxed cherry handle and a brass head. The head is screwed into the handle and gently rounded on the edges to avoid damaging the leaves. This tool has a wonderful balance. The head is 2 inches (5cm) long, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, and .75 inch (1.75 cm) thick. It is generally used on the wide portion, though the narrow area can be used if the supports are closely spaced, or there are specific areas that need more compression. Overall length 10 inches (25 cm), and overall weight is approximately 8 ounces (230 g). This is a safe christmas gift for any bookbinder, since this is the first public announcement of my version of these, and I’ve only given one to a friend. $125.00

Gearties are essentially a twist tie on steroids, and are available is a variety of lengths. The one pictured above is 32 inches long. They consist of an unhardened (steel?) core and some type of rubber (silicone?) exterior that is waterproof. I’ve used them for numerous purposes in and out of the studio: to hold a flashlight, support a book board, keep a frozen duck breast underwater for a quick thaw. The possibilities are endless. Gearties are on sale everywhere, and are made by Niteize. Various prices for different sizes.

A self setting, air hardening rubberized clay like material called sugru is great for pimping out your favorite knives as well as other (non-book) repair necessities. I made some more comfortable finger rests for my favorite utility knife, the Olfa Model 300. Again, it seems to be some kind of silicone, the ingredients list Methyltris (methyl-thylketoxime) silane, Gamma-Aminopropyl Triethoxysilane. Available from Sugru. Various prices for different sized packets.

This .25 micron diamond sharpening card from Wren Haven Tools is perfect for keeping small blades sharp. Only $12.00.