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Re: [BKARTS] Instructions for "homemade" book cloth sought
On Nov 28, 2006, at 12:45 PM, Phillips, Carrie wrote:
how one can make book cloth from various kinds of fabric,
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I have been making my own book cloth for a number of years. In fact, I
have used this homemade book cloth to cover older books because it will
easily mold over raised-bands. This cloth can be an attractive
alternative to leather where cost is a factor. Some of this information
appears in my article "Water Damaged Books: Washing Intact and Air
Drying -- A Novel Approach" that was published in the AIC - Book and
Paper Group Annual, Vol. 21, 2002.
I use unbleached cotton muslin from TestFabrics in West Pittson,
Pennsylvania 717-603-0432. The unbleached cotton fabric, which is
available in different weights, has not been treated with any
commercial substances that could be a problem for some applications.
Basically, the cloth will be sized and colored with wheat starch paste,
methyl cellulose and acrylic paints. A 50/50 mixture of wheat starch
and methyl cellulose (A4M: the longer molecule type) is prepared ---
note: the methyl cellulose is added to counteract the minor concern
about insects being attracted to wheat paste. Golden Liquid Acrylic
paints are added to this mixture in proportion that will achieve the
desired color. Test samples are prepared and dried with a hair dryer.
Once the desired color is achieved, the fabric is cut to a convenient
size (oversize as it will shrink). A sheet of polyester film (Mylar) is
also ready. The fabric is positioned on the Mylar and is lightly misted
with water. The colored size is applied as uniformly as possible, and
the fabric is turned over for a second application to what will
eventually be the front. In other words, the colored size is applied to
both surfaces to fill the weave of the fabric. Note: the application of
the colored size can be tricky in order to achieve a overall uniform
color.
The sized fabric is allowed to air-dry, flat on the Mylar.
An alternative is to face the cloth with Japanese paper, and then
size/color that paper in the same manner as described above. The result
is a fabric that can be textured to simulate the early publisher's book
cloth that resembled leather.
Bill Minter
William Minter Bookbinding & Conservation, Inc.
4364 Woodbury Pike
Woodbury, PA 16695
814-793-4020
Fax: 814-793-4045
Email: wminter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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