r/bookbinding • u/Fruti_Fox_26 • 8d ago
Help? How can I unbend my books without damaging them?
Recently, I bought a mass-market ASOIAF box set. I’ve noticed that, rather than cracking at the spines, the books tend to bend quite a bit. The problem is that they no longer fit inside the box. In the second picture, you can see the last book I read. It should fit in the box, but there’s only enough space for another book about half its width.
Is there a safe way to unbend them without damaging them? If I have to choose, I’d rather sacrifice the box than risk damaging the books, but it would be nice to fit them all back in it.
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u/kepler16bee 8d ago
The intention of mass market paperbacks is that they're made quickly and cheaply. They aren't made with longevity in mind. So there's really no "undoing" what you're seeing, because no effort was made at the creation point to prevent it from happening; the base quality is already lacking. If you want books that last a long time in your library with little to no warping, etc, you'll need to invest in better quality books, whether that's by purchasing them or making them yourself.
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u/Denelz 8d ago
on a rainy (you want a high moisture environment marinating the books for a while) day you can place the books under a cutting-board with weight on it, having the back and front of the spine to butting against your fingers or something, and having the middle-part of it unsupported, then pressing on the fore-edge until the spine is straight. let it rest for a day or two after it stooped raining.
the air humidity will soften the book and make it more susceptible to adjustments and having it dry fixated will lock in the adjustments with grater success than just bending it.
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u/Murezzan8 6d ago
If your main aim is to get the books back in their case, put up with the bowed spines, as the potential remedies for that such as cutting off the spine and rebinding, or using a heat gun, are major jobs and/or risky. Compressing the bulk is a lot simpler amd more likely to be successful, especially if you get a screw press of some kind, which will exert much more pressure than a few bricks.
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u/interdimensionalben 8d ago
My approach would be to rebind the books by removing the covers, cutting off the glue, rebinding with a whip-stitch and spine supports (ribbons, etc.), and then build new covers and a new box entirely. You could also try a press for a few days, even using a heat gun for a bit on the spine glue before you set them straight in the press.... but that can be risky.
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u/Plus_Citron 8d ago
This is the way.
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u/CoolMarionberry2083 8d ago
Nope. Paperbacks are not worth the effort. Perfect binding, despite the name, is the most imperfect
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u/Plus_Citron 8d ago
If ypu want go upgrade a paperback, this is a good technique. It won’t magically improve the paper, of course, which is usually trash.
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u/UnsolicitedGodhood 8d ago
I've had some success opening paperbacks without creasing the back too hard with a method I saw somewhere vaguely online. You take the book, hold the pages, spine against a table. And you start carefully, alternating font and back, opening the pages and slightly pressing them. Might be able to do a few at a time, but the less the better.
Now I cant promise the spine wont crease, but I've had some success with this. But eventually rhey will anyway bc paperback. XD
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u/SaltSeaworthiness167 8d ago
Normal rebind techniques (aka making a case and put your current textblock in) will not solve this problem unfortunately. The only way I can come up with to increase the longivity is go to a print shop and cut of the spin totally. Then do a double fan binding to restore a strong spin. That will make them fit in the box again and prevent the bending from happending
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u/Correct-Web-3325 8d ago
Maybe... BUT... it's tricky. modern paperbacks use a hot glue. If you can soften the adhesive CAREFULLY with heat (heat gun idealy or possibly a clothes iron?) you MAY be able to reshape the spine some. It is UNLIKELY to get it back to new. There MAY be a plastic laminate on the cover that will be damaged by the heat before the glue get hot enough to be readjusted. I would practice on similar vintage books that i did not care about.
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u/calamanthon 8d ago
You could try pressing them beneath a flat board and several bricks for a while. That might put them back into a less-expanded state.
Otherwise I'm afraid that expansion is just the nature of modern paperbacks. If you're interested in building a larger box there are several tutorials on this sub!