Binding

Binding a book was by far the most difficult process to learn, but now that I understand it to the letter, I wonder why it hadn’t come naturally. My first few attempts were horrid, as I’m sure they will be for any beginner. Keep in mind that I will be talking about ‘perfect binding’ only. There are many others you could try (such as ‘saddle stitched’ or ‘staple bindings’) but I can offer little advice on those, and I believe them to be a little too complicated. If you manage it, let me know.

Now that I’ve already worked out the needed materials, it should be a simple matter of practice for anyone who would like to give it a shot. The first thing that is needed is a contraption to hold the book in place. I started with a single board, and attached another at the bottom to form a base. Once in place, I set a sample of my book on the base (standing on its side). Screw two smaller boards on each side of the book that will keep it straight. Finally, you need another board that will attach to the two boards keeping the book in place. Once this is attached, the book itself should be covered and held in place. I understand that these instructions must be hard to visualize, so I will attach pictures somehow. You may be able to design a better contraption than myself, and I encourage you to improve on the idea. Still, what you should have as a finished product is something that will hold your book in place and expose the side you want to glue upwards.







This is where another piece of equipment comes in handy. You will need a glue-gun of sufficient power. I say that in all seriousness. I started off by using a 26W glue-gun, and it did the job well enough. Still, some pages started to fall out after time, and I was informed that the glue needed to be hotter. When hotter, the glue will stay liquid longer, and will have a better chance to saturate the pages. Now I use an 80W glue-gun, and I haven’t seem a page fall out yet. (Note: Do not try heating the glue in a pan and then brush it on. The glue will ignite.) Take your glue-gun and begin brushing the pages with the very tip, while at the same time apply the glue. You rustling the pages will allow the glue to get between them somewhat. Continue until the book’s side is covered. As time goes on, you will become more and more proficient, and you will learn to use less and less glue each time.

Now that one side of your book is held together by glue, you will want to smoothen it out to allow the cover’s attachment to go easier. What I started doing was putting the tip of a metal wedge in a torch flame until it was red-hot. I then ran it across my glued book. The glue smoothens easily. You will probably see some glue run over the sides. What I usually do it carefully use my heated metal wedge and smoothen the extra glue against the pages its dripping on. I have a heat-gun now, and it is an incredible asset. Don’t just leave the glue in droplets, or getting the cover of will be difficult. Once satisfied with your gluing job, take the book out of you contraption and observe. You should be able to pick out what needs improvement. Once you’ve fashioned a cover (covers will be described in a later entry) it’s a simple matter of putting a line of glue on the book’s spin and quickly applying the cover in the proper position.

As mentioned, this is the part of the job that requires time and practice. I can now look at the spines on my books and know how long ago they were made, simply by the quality. Don’t let this process scare you. I’ve watched some video of book production, and at the end of every assembly line is some person, taking the book and attaching the cover. They use a glorified glue-gun, and some small machine to hold the book in place. What I’ve been able to do is no different, just slightly simpler.