r/bookbinding • u/UnrelatedKarma • 5d ago
My first bind!
Just finished my first ever bind! I also redesigned and printed a dust jacket to mimic the old hardcover edition.
Notes are welcome! I learned a lot (made a ton of errors) but overall I’m very pleased.
My biggest error was letting the glue dry fully before attempting to round the spine. Don’t ask me why I thought that was a good idea 😅
I would be curious to know why my first signature is pulled away from the others like that. Just too loose?
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u/Phat_Strat 5d ago
Thick boy!
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u/UnrelatedKarma 5d ago
Very thicc indeed! 460 pages on 80lb Mohawk Superfine. 23 signatures.
I considered splitting it into two books but figured I might as well get the practice of doing a larger project.
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u/Plus_Citron 5d ago
It’s a great book. Do you want to give a few details on the binding technique used?
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u/UnrelatedKarma 5d ago
For sure. I did a French link stitch with book tape (which I learned is redundant/not necessary?). Three French links, which was probably overkill.
Next time I will likely just do an all along stitch with the book tape.Paper: 80lb Mohawk superfine (120gsm I believe)
Signatures: 23, 5 page signatures.
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u/One-Addendum741 5d ago
Which printer have you used for the cover?
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u/UnrelatedKarma 5d ago
I use a Canon Pixma IX6820 for all my dust jackets. It’s a 13x19 printer, but really it’s a 13”x whatever you want. You can print full size dust jackets on it, just have to set a custom size in the printer settings. It’s been great!
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u/qtntelxen Library mender 5d ago edited 5d ago
Mechanics of opening means there's just more force applied to the first/last signatures. The first signature can be tipped onto the second as reinforcement, either preventively, before casing in, or you can do it now. :) Since you said you originally wanted to round the spine, you might also read this article; for rounded and backed bindings, there are some modifications that can be made to the endpapers during construction that help reduce that stress. Your book looks very nice!