This segment describes ways of repairing books where the case and the text block (sometimes referred to as the
“book”) are no longer properly attached to each other. It builds on some skills described earlier in the section, and it may be useful to review the steps in the previous pages before proceeding.
Repairing One Broken Hinge
In situations where the cloth covering the case is undam- aged and only one inner hinge is broken, the book can often be repaired in a few simple steps. (It is usually the
front hinge that is broken.) One method uses a hollow tube. Another way to do it is to attach a lining over the spine, which extends to form a hinge. Sometimes a com- bination of the two methods is best.
Open the cover and examine the inside edge of the board, next to the broken hinge. There will usually be ragged bits of paper or super. To trim these off, place a straightedge on the board, about ⅛" (3 mm) from the edge. Hold the straightedge down firmly and cut with a utility knife or scalpel, cutting through the endpaper and the super. Peel the strip off (fig. 5-93).
The trimmed edge of endpaper and super should be firmly attached to the board. If the edge is loose, insert some mix with a spatula or a piece of card and tack it down. Rub with a bone folder through a paper towel.
Trim off any loose bits of paper or super from the edge of the shoulder of the text block.
Place the book at the edge of the work surface, the side with the broken hinge on top. Open the cover and let it hang in front of the counter so the spine is exposed, as shown in figure 5-94 below. Place a clean blotter or board over the flyleaf and put a weight on it. (You may also wrap the text block if you prefer.) Peel off any loose spine
Fig. 5-91
Fig. 5-92 Fig. 5-93
Fig. 5-94
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
linings, being careful not to damage the sound hinge at the bottom. Leave undisturbed anything that doesn’t come off easily.
U S I N G A T U B E T O R E PA I R A B R O K E N H I N G E
If the book is small to average in size and the spine of the text block is quite sound, a tube may provide the quick- est repair.
Measure the spine; you may have to stoop down to see the lower edge of the spine, next to the unbroken hinge.
Make a tube as described in “Making a Hollow Tube,” p. 121. The tube should come just to the edge of the shoulders of the text block but it should not go down into the shoulder area. Attach it to the spine using mix.
Rub the tube well with a bone folder, paying special attention to the sides, until the adhesive has begun to set and the tube stays stuck. Let dry.
When the tube is dry, check to make sure that it is securely attached to the edges of the spine. You may re- move the weight at this point and pick up the book to make it easier to see the edge of the spine next to the un- broken hinge. If necessary, insert mix or straight PVA under any loose areas and hold down with your fingers till set.
Close the cover over the text block and check for fit.
If it is hard to get the board back into alignment with the bottom board, the tube may be too wide. Rip it off and make a narrower one.
If the top board fits well when the cover is closed, open the cover again. Insert small pieces of wax paper or Mylar into the ends of the tube (fig. 5-95). Apply a thin coat of mix to the inside of the case, just on the area of the spine and joints.
Position the book at the edge of the work surface and open the cover, as shown in figure 5-94 above. Place a piece of wax paper or Mylar on the flyleaf as a moisture barrier. Apply a thin coat of mix to the tube and bring the case over the text block. Align the top board with the bot- tom board.
Work the cloth down into the joint, gently, with the edgeof a bone folder (fig. 5-96). Rub the spine thoroughly to make sure the inside of the spine sticks to the tube.
Carefully place the book between boards (with brass edges if possible), put a weight on it, and allow it to dry for a couple of hours (fig. 5-97).
When dry, open the front cover (or the back cover, depending on which side was repaired) and support the cover with wooden boards or a book of similar thickness.
Check to see if the tube, text block, and cloth joint of the cover are all firmly attached in the hinge area. Insert adhesive to tack down any loose areas and allow it to dry.
If all is well, finish the repair by covering the hinge area with a strip of Japanese paper as described in “Hinge Reinforcement,” p. 117.
Fig. 5-96
Fig. 5-97
Fig. 5-95
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
U S I N G A S P I N E L I N I N G T O R E PA I R A B R O K E N H I N G E
When the spine of the text block is not as firm as it should be, it can be reinforced by applying a spine lining.
Place the book on the edge of the work counter, with the cover hanging down over the edge (fig. 5-98). (If repairing the front hinge, the head of the book will be on the left.)
If some signatures are high or low, adjust them so a solid top edge is produced, perpendicular to the counter.
To do this, make a platform next to the bottom board of the book. It should be the same thickness as the book board.
Put a triangle or square against the top of the text block, resting on the platform and the square of the book board (fig. 5-98). Adjust the pages as much as possible.
Try to make the spine and fore edge gently rounded and make the first signature line up with the bottom signa- ture (put the triangle or square against the fore edge to check on this).
When you have reshaped the text block as much as possible, put a board over the flyleaf and a heavy weight on the board, to maintain the correct shape until the next step is completed.
Note: If the book was bound after around 1970, it was probably glued up with a plastic glue. These glues are difficult to reshape and you may not be able to do much adjusting.
Apply a thin coat of mix to the spine and allow it to dry. This will set the signatures into position.
Cut a piece of lining fabric, such as super, muslin, cotton lawn, etc. It should be a little shorter than the spine by the width of the spine plus 1.5" (4 cm).
Apply a second coat of mix to the spine and attach the lining fabric, making sure it goes to the edge of the spine on the side where the hinge is sound. There should be a 1½" (4 cm) flap sticking up; this will be the new
hinge. Angle the ends for a neater appearance (fig. 5-99).
Let dry.
When dry, remove the pressing board and weight.
Close the cover over the text block to check the fit. If all is well, put a piece of wax paper or Mylar over the flyleaf.
Place waste paper over that.
Fold the new hinge down over the waste paper and brush mix on it, making sure not to get adhesive on the spine (fig. 5-100). Carefully remove the waste paper.
Bring the cover over the text block, aligning the front edges of the top and bottom board. (You might need to hold the book down with one hand as you start to bring the cover over, to make sure that the glued-up hinge is not disturbed in the process.)
With the edge of a bone folder, gently work the book cloth down into the joint.
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES Fig. 5-98
Fig. 5-99
Fig. 5-100
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
Place the book between boards, brass-edged if avail- able, and put a weight on it (fig. 5-101). Let dry. When dry, remove the moisture barrier.
U S I N G A S P I N E L I N I N G A N D
A T U B E T O R E PA I R A B R O K E N H I N G E
If the book is very heavy or thick, it might be desirable to use a combination of the two methods. The added layers help keep the spine in shape. Since this method produces greater bulk, be sure that the cover can accommodate the extra layers.
First, apply the lining cloth to the spine, with the new hinge flap. When that is dry, measure the spine and make a tube. Attach it over the cloth spine lining. Fold the hinge flap down over the flyleaf and insert wax paper and waste paper under it.
The double layer of the tube must be glued to the spine strip. To finish the repair, apply a thin coat of mix to the inside of the spine area of the case, from the edge of the back board to the edge of the front board, includ- ing the spine strip.
Apply a thin coat of mix to the tube and to the new hinge flap, then bring the case over the text block. Align the top board with the bottom board.
With the edge of a bone folder, gently work the book cloth down into the joint.
Place the book between boards and put a weight on it. Let dry.
Reattaching the Text Block to the Case
This technique can be used to repair books with sound cases that have become separated from the text block. It is also a good way to repair a book with a broken front
hinge and a weak back hinge (or vice versa), even if it isn’t quite broken. When this is the case, separate the cover from the text block by cutting the back hinge using small scissors. Be careful to cut only the endpaper and the super and not the book cloth at the joint of the cover.
If the cloth is abraded or cracked at the joints, the book needs to be rebacked as described in “Rebacking a Book with Detached Boards,” p. 140.
P R E PA R I N G T H E T E X T B L O C K
Note:If the spine is sagging or the glue has deteriorated and the spine no longer keeps the signatures in correct alignment, lay the text block flat on the counter, with the shoulder over the edge, and reshape it, using a triangle, as shown in figure 5-98. The spine should be gently rounded and the shoulder at the top should be directly over the one at the bottom, at right angles to the counter. Place a weight on the book, apply a coat of mix, and allow it to dry before proceeding. It may not be possible to reshape the spines of books glued up with plastic (white) glues.
Put the text block in a finishing press and peel off any loose spine linings. Do not disturb the sewing or any linings that are firmly attached. If necessary, sand lightly to smooth out irregularities.
Trim off any ragged bits of paper or super from the shoulders of the book (fig. 5-102).
If the book has endbands (headbands), check to de- termine if they are in good condition. They can be glued down with mix if loose. Endbands serve no structural purpose and they can simply be removed if they are damaged. Headbanding tape is available from some sup- pliers, and you can attach new ones if you wish.
Check that the flyleaves are in good condition and firmly attached. New flyleaves can be attached at this point if needed. (See “Replacing Missing Flyleaves,” p. 115.)
Fig. 5-101
Fig. 5-102
Apply a coat of mix to the spine and allow it to dry.
This will help consolidate the old linings.
Cut a piece of lining fabric, such as super, muslin, cotton lawn, etc. It should be a little shorter than the spine, by the width of the spine, plus 3" (7–8 cm).
Apply a second coat of mix to the spine and attach the lining fabric; make sure it is well adhered to the whole spine, especially at the edges. Use just enough mix to make the lining stick to the spine but not so much that adhesive oozes out when you rub down.
Rub down well with a bone or Teflon folder, without stretching the lining. There should be a 1.5" (4 cm) flap on each side of the spine (fig. 5-103); these are the new hinges that will be used to attach the book to the case.
Angle the corners for a neater appearance. Let dry.
P R E PA R I N G T H E C A S E
Turn the case so the inside faces up. The edges of the boards may be a little ragged, with bits of endpaper stick- ing up as well as shreds of super. If so, trim the edges by cutting through the endpaper and the super, as described in
“Repairing One Broken Hinge,” p. 126, about ¼" (6–7 mm) from the edge of the board. Peel the strip off (fig. 5-104).
The endpaper and super should be firmly attached to the board at the trimmed edge. If not, insert some mix in the loose areas, using a spatula or a piece of card, and tack them down.
Next, check the “spine strip,” the piece of bristol, paper, or card stock lining the cloth in the spine area of the case. It should be sound and firmly attached to the cloth (fig. 5-105). If the spine strip is in good condition but peeling up at the edges, tack the edges down by inserting some mix with a piece of card or with a microspatula.
The “turn-ins” (cloth at the top and bottom of the spine) may be partly detached from the spine strip; if so, tack them down in the same way. Rub down with a bone folder. Place a weight (or series of small weights) on the spine strip, covering the edges.
R E P L A C I N G A T O R N S P I N E S T R I P
If the spine strip is torn or creased, or doesn’t seem like an adequate support for the spine, replace it with a new one. Skip the previous directions for “Preparing the Case” and start at this step
Cut a piece of bristol or card stock, the same width as the spine of the text blockand the height of the covers, less a hair or two, to allow for the thickness of the cloth.
Make sure the grain runs in the long direction.
Make slits in the turn-ins, about ¼" (6–7 mm) from the spine, at the top and bottom of the front and back boards (fig. 5-106). Cut neatly through the endpapers and the cloth at the turn-ins with a sharp scalpel or utility knife. (Be careful not to cut the book cloth on the joints.) Peel the cloth up. Bits of board may come up as you unfold the cloth; this is okay.
Fig. 5-103
Fig. 5-104
Fig. 5-105
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
Remove the old spine strip, peeling it off as much as possible. You may need to scrape a little with a spatula or sand gently with fine sandpaper to get a smooth surface on the cloth. It is not necessary to remove every trace of the old spine, but it is important to have a smooth, solid surface with no scraps of loose paper.
Look at the cloth in the area of the turn-in. If the cloth at the fold is weak or beginning to fray, reinforce it by pasting a piece of Japanese paper over the damaged area (fig. 5-107).
Glue the new spine strip in place using mix, center- ing it between the edges of the boards. Rub down well.
Place a piece of polyester web or wax paper over the spine strip. Add a narrow weight that covers it from edge to edge, and allow it to dry (fig. 5-108).
When dry, apply mix to the turn-ins and fold them back in place. Rub down with a bone or Teflon folder.
Work the cloth down into the joint area and align the cut edges of the slits on the boards. Allow the turn-ins to dry.
J O I N I N G T H E C A S E A N D T E X T B L O C K
When the spine linings are dry, remove the text block from the press.
Open the case flat on the counter, with the inside facing up, and position the text block on the back board so it covers the board sheet at the three edges. Make sure the book is right side up on the case.
Close the cover over the book. Pull the case gently as you close it and check if the joints fit well over the shoul- ders of the text block.
If all is well, open the front board and put a piece of wax paper or Mylar over the front flyleaf. Place waste paper over that.
Fold the new front hinge over the waste paper (fig.
5-109). Brush mix on the hinge, making sure not to get adhesive on the spine. Carefully remove the waste paper.
Fig. 5-107
Fig. 5-109
Fig. 5-106 Fig. 5-108
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
Close the cover over the book and work the cloth gently into the joint with the edge of a bone folder (fig.
5-110). Do not open the front board until the hinge is dry.
Carefully turn the book over and open the back board. Attach the back hinge in the same way.
Place the book between boards and put a weight on it (fig. 5-111).
Allow it to dry for an hour or two before opening the covers.
The new hinges will cover about an inch (2.5 cm) of the board sheets. You can cut the spine lining narrower as you get more practice, so the hinges will not cover as much of the board sheets.
A tube can be used in addition to the spine lining to reattach heavy books to their cases. Proceed as described in “Using a Spine Lining and a Tube to Repair a Broken Hinge,” p. 129, remembering that the double-layer side of the tube must be firmly attached to the spine strip of the case. (This may be thought of as the “belt-and- suspenders” method.)
Repairing a Broken Text Block
When preparing to reattach a book to its case by some of the methods we’ve just discussed, you may sometimes find that the text block has split into two or three seg-
ments. The following method can be used to repair sewn or adhesive-bound books. Check the sewing or adhesive within each split part. If the sewing is broken or pages are coming loose from an adhesive binding, the book needs to be sent to the library binder. However, if the sewing or adhesive of each split section is still sound and all the pages are firmly attached, the book can be repaired as follows.
Place the text block at the edge of the work surface.
If the book has just one broken inner hinge and the other one is sound, let the cover hang down (fig. 5-112).
(If the text block is completely separated from the case, put the broken book sections on the counter, with the shoulder of the book hanging off the edge. Place a weight on the book and proceed to the following steps.)
Peel off as much loosepaper from the spine lining as necessary to obtain a solid surface. You may scrape lightly with a spatula or blunt knife but be very careful not to damage the sewing.
Remove the weight, then align the broken sections so that the spine is rounded and the top edge of the book is as smooth as possible. Use a triangle, as shown in figure 5-113.
Fig. 5-111
Fig. 5-112
Fig. 5-113 Fig. 5-110
BOOK CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES