The Harrington Bindery

One of the first successful Springback books I bound was a sketch book I created for my brother. After finding some rather incomplete information about the Springback structure online I started making my own prototypes. A mistake on my part converting metric to imperial lead to this book to have a pronounced lump where the too thick lever was fed into the split board covers. This structure is a couple years old at this point but last week I got to see and touch it again. I am happy to say that it is holding up beautifully and looks as new as the day I finished. 

I made this small spring back travel journal on commission as a gift for an incredible photographer / visual artist. Her long time assistant approached me awhile back and asked several times for me to make this piece. Its pages are 24lb Mohawk Superfine and its covered in a beautiful piece of alum tawd goat. I was able to find a turn of the centenary map of Brooklyn and located both the home and studio of the artist's and worked the map in as the end papers of the book. No matter how far she goes she will have a piece of home with her.

Trouble arose this morning. Attempts to loosen the levers, spring already attached, were met with ripping, tearing delamination sounds. The spring had been prepared, dried, attached and dried again before I had started so moisture wasn't an issue. I slowly worked one side then the other, switching back and forth. I crammed a bone folder down the spine trying to see if I could loosen a possible attachment point where on an earlier book adhesive had oozed between the clowthings during the attachment of the spine and had firmly adhered the spine of the book to the spring, also causing issues upon opening. This however was not the case here, I try to open up a little more same delamination sounds. At this point I decided; wherever it was that was breaking down was beyond the point of simple repair. I opened the book by the lever with gentle but firm pressure, It fought me at first which is normal for a spring back binding but, at the half way open point, instead of springi...