[BKARTS] non-flattness in leather covers

[james tapley <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Don... Hope that MouseLand was fun for you!
Ultimately you want the boards of the book to be absolutely flat;  
this offers the most support to the text block and minimum strain to  
the joints.
But because it can take a very long time for the moisture absorbed by  
the boards during binding to evaporate away and because this  
evaporation will largely occur from the outside (books spend most of  
their life with boards closed) and because this drying out can cause  
the boards to bow out at the foredge (go concave) one is taught to  
leave the boards slightly convex (center of board bowed slightly out)  
at the finish of binding to counteract this tendency. Judging the  
amount of bow correctly is one of the niceties of the process and is  
controlled through inner linings and the treatment of the leather cover.
One normally chooses a very dense and rigid board for full leather  
binding; one of the reasons is to minimize warping. Also the boards  
are lined both sides with a good quality paper and allowed to cure  
for several months, minimally, before use. This also contributes to a  
more rigid and stable board.
I don't bind differently for clients in different locals. What  
guarantee would one ever have that conditions there would remain such  
and such, much less that the book remain there? What I do (and I  
think most craftsmen also) is to provide an accurately made and  
securely closed box to house the book. This box will exert sufficient  
pressure to hold the boards flat and the binding is allowed to go on  
curing over a very long time. The box also ameliorates any changes in  
temperature or humidity from the outside world. My preference is for  
a clamshell though I do have many clients who prefer a chemise and  
slipcase.
Best, James

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Edelpappband / "Millimeter" Binding Bind-O-Rama, Entry Deadline - October 1, 2005
                                   
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