Sewing Single-Section Pamphlets into a Binder
Pamphlet binders have been used in libraries for many decades. They provide a quick and inexpensive way to protect thin pamphlets or booklets so they can be stored on shelves among books on the same subject.
Various styles of binders were used in the twentieth century, with different ways of attaching the pamphlet to the binder. One style still in common use has a length of gummed cloth tape stitched to the cloth spine of the binder. The pamphlet is attached to the gummed tape.
The cloth tape has sharp edges and often damages the covers of the pamphlet. Other types of binders are meant to be attached to the pamphlet by stab sewing (see “Sewn and Adhesive Bindings,” p. 98), which causes the book to lose at least ½" (1.3 cm) of inner margin. Furthermore, until the 1980s most commercially made binders had acidic boards, which stained the covers of the pamphlets.
So it is not surprising that pamphlet binders acquired a bad reputation in conservation circles. Fortunately, man- ufacturers have met the need for good-quality, acid-free binders, and a wide variety is available from library and conservation suppliers. The binders come in many stock sizes, but they can be made to specific sizes by certain suppliers. We give directions for sewing a single-section pamphlet into a simple pamphlet binder, without the gummed cloth tape.
P R E PA R I N G T H E PA M P H L E T
Single-section pamphlets are normally held together by
“saddle stitching,” which consists of two or more staples attached through the fold.
Since wire staples can rust very quickly when stored in locations without perfect climate control, it is best to remove the staples whenever possible. See the instruc- tions in “Removing Fasteners and Rubber Bands” in section 4, p. 82. If the paper is fragile or the staples have already begun to rust, the pamphlet is too delicate to be put into a binder and should be housed in a sleeve or en- velope or in a binder with flaps, such as those described in “Making Simple Enclosures” in section 3.
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES Fig. 5-156
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
Check the folds to make sure they are sound, espe- cially the cover (sometimes called the “wrapper”) and the fold in the middle of the pamphlet. Mend the folds with Japanese paper and paste or methylcellulose as needed, and mend tears in the text in the same way. See “Guard- ing Two Leaves” in section 4, p. 92.
B U F F E R E D B A R R I E R S H E E T
Pamphlet binders that are sold by conservation suppliers are acid-free, as are many binders sold by regular library suppliers. (Test with a pH pen, as described in “PH Test- ing” in section 3, p. 58.) However, if you have any doubts about the quality of the binder, you can fold a piece of buffered paper around the pamphlet as a barrier. The extra paper can also be added to provide additional protection to a very thin or somewhat fragile pamphlet, even if you are using an acid-free binder.
Use buffered wrapping paper or other medium- weight paper. Cut it the height of the pamphlet by a little more than twice the width, with the grain going in the short direction. Fold the paper in half, with the grain, and put the pamphlet inside the fold.
S E W I N G T H E PA M P H L E T I N T O A B I N D E R
Select a binder close to the size of the pamphlet. When the pamphlet is in the binder, the “squares” (the part of the board that shows around the top, fore edge, and bot- tom of the pamphlet) should be at least ¼" (6–7 mm).
Open the binder, then open the pamphlet to the center and place it in the binder. Carefully secure the pamphlet (and the folded barrier sheet, if one was added) to the binder with large paper clips. Use plastic- coated paper clips if available; they are somewhat less likely to damage the paper. Make sure the spine of the pamphlet is positioned accurately on the fold of the binder’s cloth spine.
Using an awl, pierce holes through the center fold of the pamphlet andthe binder.
For a small pamphlet, up to about 7"–8" (17–20 cm), three holes are adequate. Make five holes in bigger pam- phlets. Try to use some of the staple holes.
It may be easier to make the holes if you partly close the binder-and-pamphlet assembly and insert the awl at a low angle, from the inside of the pamphlet to the outside of the binder. This will enable you to see the out- side of the spine, to note whether the awl is coming out at the right point.
Note: Some awls have metal rings or sharp ridges around the handle. When ordering supplies, get awls with smooth, rounded handles. Be careful not to damage the pages of the pamphlet when piercing. You may wish to put a piece of waste paper over the page on the side of the pamphlet that is flat on the counter. (That’s where you will be pushing the awl toward the fold.)
If the folds of the pamphlet were extensively guarded, so that none of the staple holes are visible, make a piercing jig as follows.
Three-hole piercing jig.Cut a strip of paper the height of the pamphlet and fold it in half. Make folds about ½"
(1.3 cm) from the ends (fig. 5-157).
Five-hole piercing jig. Fold the strip as above, then bring the middle fold up to meet the folds near the ends.
Crease. When you open up the strip, there will be five evenly spaced marks (fig. 5-158).
Place the piercing jig at the center fold of the pam- phlet and secure it with two paper clips. Use the awl to pierce the pamphlet and binder at the crease marks on the jig (fig. 5-159).
Fig. 5-158
Fig. 5-159 Fig. 5-157
Keep the pamphlet and binder clipped together.
Thread a needle with medium-weight linen thread, e.g., no. 18. Use a needle 2"–2½" (5–6.5 cm) long; darning needles are easy to thread.
Sew as shown in figure 5-160.
Begin inside the pamphlet, at the center hole, 2.
Leave a 4½" (11.5 cm) tail of thread inside the pamphlet.
Go back in from the outside, through the binder and the pamphlet, at the top hole, 1. Skip hole 2 and bring the needle out again through the bottom hole, 3. This leaves a long stitch inside the binder, from hole 1 to hole 3.
Bring the needle to the inside at hole 2, being careful not to pierce the long stitch inside the pamphlet (fig. 5-161).
The needle must come back into the pamphlet on the oppositeside of the long stitch from where the tail of the thread is (fig. 5-162).
Snug the thread, so the stitching is taut but does not pucker the pamphlet (fig. 5-163). Tie a square knot, catching the long stitch in the knot. Verify that the knot is secure, then snip off both tail and needle thread, leaving about 1" (2.5 cm) inside the pamphlet.
A square knot is made by putting the left end over the right and then the right over the left, as in figure 5-164.
Sew a larger pamphlet using five holes, following the pattern in figures 5-165 and 5-166.
Fig. 5-161
Fig. 5-162
Fig. 5-163
Fig. 5-164
Fig. 5-165
Fig. 5-166 Fig. 5-160
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
If barrier sheets were added, trim the fore edge of the barrier sheets as described in “Trimming Pages,” p. 114, after the sewing is completed.
Stab-Sewn (Side-Sewn) Pamphlets
There are several types of binders available for multisec- tion pamphlets or thin, softcover books made of single sheets with no folds. The pamphlets and binders are sewn together near the binding edge, not through the folds. It is a very quick way of assembling pages, but pamphlets that are stab sewn do not open very well. Pages often crease and break off against the line of stitching, especially at the front and back.
If the materials are of permanent value, it is usually better to send them to the library binder. However, for very limited-retention items, this type of pamphlet bind- ing may be adequate. Conservation and library supply vendors provide instructions for attaching pamphlets to the various types of binder.
If there are pamphlets in your collection in old bind- ers that cannot be rehoused immediately, insert loose bar- rier sheets of buffered paper between the boards and the pamphlet for a short-term solution. Place the pamphlet in an acid-free envelope if more protection is needed.