I finally got my head around rounding spines after a total mess with some old poetry books

I mean, I was trying to round and back a set of three Tennyson collections from the 1920s, and the spines kept coming out lumpy or just cracking. I watched a bunch of videos, but it wasn't clicking. Then I read a tip in the 1988 edition of 'Bookbinding: A Step-by-Step Guide' about using a backing hammer at a 45-degree angle and doing it in three passes, letting the glue set a bit between each. Tried it on the last book and it came out perfectly smooth. Has anyone else found that old book useful, or is there a better modern guide you'd recommend?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_faith9d ago

Totally get the frustration with lumpy spines, it's the worst. That cracking sound is pure panic. That old guide is a classic for a reason, but the glue advice is definitely dated. Found the same thing, a tiny bit of PVA and a longer set time works way better than the old paste methods they talk about. It's cool how you figured out the hammer angle thing though, that part still holds up.

lewis.gray9d ago

That old guide is solid, but I've always had better luck with a lighter touch and modern glue.

finley_shah649d ago

Yeah, I get what you mean about the lighter touch. How much glue are we talking here? I tried that old method last year and it was way too messy. I switched to a tiny drop of the newer stuff like @lewis.gray said, and it holds just as well without the squeeze-out. Letting it set for a full day made a big difference too. The old guide just doesn't account for how strong these modern adhesives are.