How to upgrade the binding on a book
There was some interest in the P&J thread on my custom bound faux S/L of Wizard and Glass, specifically on the how's and whys. I'll cover the "how's" in this thread. I didn't take enough pictures of my W&G project to produce a tutorial, so I've started a new project and I'll walk you through it. At this moment, the project isn't completed, but I'll try to finish it sometime this week.
Project Idea: re-bind a mass market Gunslinger paperback in quarter bound (faux) leather, with pictorial wrappers.
Step 1: Gather Some Raw Materials
I am going to work with a mass market paperback of "The Gunslinger", and I am going to repurpose some of the interior artwork from a Plume trade paperback. Don't worry, the mass market isn't a first printing, and the trade is a book club edition. I have "stained" (with a Crayola marker) the page edges of the mass market to make it look fancy and to mask the tanning of the paper.
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Step 3: Gluing the Endpapers
The binding process involves an awful lot of glue. After applying a thin (less than 1/8 inch) bead of glue along the edge of the text block, I attach my endpapers. I think the book already looks pretty darn classy.
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Step 4: Gluing the Super and Head/Tail Bands
After attaching the endpapers, I added the "Super" to the spine. The Super is a mesh cloth that will reinforce the binding and attach the text block to the case (i.e., the boards). You can see that I notched the Super, which is meant to help center it on the spine. I didn't do a great job, but that should cause any problems. If I was more of a perfectionist, I would tear it off and do it again.
After attaching the super, I add decorative head and tail bands. These bands are made by sewing thread onto the edge of a piece of cloth (I didn't make them, I just bought them). They serve no purpose other than to look fancy. I will trim them after the glue is dry.
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Step 5: Cutting the Boards and Book Cloth
For the boards and spine, I am using a relatively thick piece of cardboard (Davey Board .098, to be exact; this is definitely overkill for this project). The book cloth is a faux leather. These boards will be glued to the cloth. In general, I didn't take pictures of gluing steps because I have to work relatively quickly. On the cloth, you can see pencil marks I made to help make sure I place the boards correctly.
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Step 6: The Decorative Papers
Instead of wrapping the boards entirely in book cloth, I am going to use two pieces of artwork from the trade paperback. I think it's a nice touch to use the pieces that Grant used for their editions. These papers are purely decorative. The book cloth will hold the book together. In this picture, you can see the book cloth after I have glued and folded it. If you do this, remember that the front of the book is on the right.
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Step 7: Mitering and Folding the Decorative Papers
I glued the papers to the boards, and now I am ready to finish wrapping. First, I miter the corners, making sure I don't cut right to the corner. If you cut too close, the paper won't cover the corner of the board when you fold it over. Folding the corner is a bit tricky; it's like wrapping a little tiny present with the help of glue.
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Step 8: Casing the Text Block
First, I glue the super to the end paper, then I apply a coat of glue (don't go crazy) to the end paper. I'm not going to try to demonstrate the procedure for gluing the end papers to the boards. It's a pain to get right. Mainly, you just have to have the spine of the case and text block touch, and have an even amount of board going around the end papers. You really only get one shot to make sure you don't turn the end papers into a wrinkled mess, though. Don't forget the wax paper; you don't want to glue the pages of the book together.
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Step 9: Pressing the Book
I don't own a book press, so I just use a stack of Alton Brown's cook books. Keeping wax paper between the end papers, I also wrap the entire book in wax paper and the place under a heavy even weight for a few hours to make sure the book dries properly.
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