The Harrington Bindery

I am often struck by the depth of knowledge and skills one must attain to be any good at binding books. That's not to say that one can not make a fine book without these things but the nuance of the art seems to come form being able to make well informed decisions. I find it almost thrilling (that is after the panic) to come to a roadblock in a process or job and be forced down a detour to another skill or process that must be concurred before continuing. Three years ago around this time I was in my final semester of my masters, my thesis consisted of a book for which I spared no expense. It was the first time in the eight years since I had started to learn the craft that I had touched a fine bookbinding leather. It was one of those moments that doesn't gain its psychological weight until it ripens with age and when it does its almost obvious. I had an English style leather pairing knife for a couple years, purchased in 2010 because of its inexpensive price and numerous men...

A project I have been working on over the winter and coming into the spring is a set (pair?) of books, one a sketchbook and one an album. The pieces are part of a trade I set up with a good friend and master carpenter in exchange for a proper bench in which to bind books on. The idea at first to was have a twin set matching in style and decoration. The two were worked in almost parallel but the sketchbook was the first to be ready for covering material and besides a necessary modification of the spring, you can see it here. It caused no issues and functioned pretty close to what I expected. The album is made from the same one hundred percent cotton paper as the sketchbook. Its construction features the use of loose guards sewn alternating with the full folios in a ratio of 3:2. The intention to create a spring back led me to sew the pages to four stations of double 1/2" linen tapes. Once the sewing was complete the levers were formed with card stock, paper and the sewing suppo...

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...