Making A Medieval Book By Hand - Part 2 - Trimming & Rounding, Edge Decoration, Sewing Endbands

Hello everyone, and welcome to my bindery!

This is Part 2 of my in-depth video series on making a medieval-style book - for more information see Part 1 here:    • Making A Medieval Book By Hand - Part...  . This series has no speaking and a minimal amount of music for those who want to enjoy the peaceful simplicity of quiet hand-work. For those seeking insights into my materials and techniques, you can turn on subtitles to read my full commentary on the process as you watch!

In this installment I begin by trimming the book to size and rounding the spine. I first cut down the oversized endpapers and glue down the free decorative flyleaves to make what's called a 'stiff' leaf. Next I glue out the spine and trim the fore edge of the book using my bookbinder's plough. With the fore edge smooth I can round the spine of the book and then trim the head and tail. The spine of the book is not 'backed', meaning I don't form the type of shoulders seen on later bindings. Instead I line the spine with a piece of leather that is cut to fit around the sewing thongs.

The next major operation is to decorate the edges of the book. Like the marbled endpapers this is not an especially medieval feature, but I wanted to make this piece extra special, so the edges get an upgrade. I begin by scraping the fore edge to eliminate the stepped 'starts' created by rounding the thick signatures. The head and tail don't need this treatment as they are smooth from the plough. I then sprinkle the edges with acrylic paints and burnish them with beeswax.

Finally I weave head and tail bands onto the book using hemp cores and linen thread. I've tried to make this part of the video as clear and complete as possible so you can see all of the steps.

In the next video I will cut and shape the oak boards for the covers, attach them to text block, and apply the leather covering. If you enjoyed the film do consider subscribing so you won't miss future installments. Thanks for watching!

List of Materials

Glue: Mix of Acid-Free PVA and Methyl Cellulose, 3:2 ratio.
Spine Lining: Leather, unknown type, roughly 3 oz/ 1 mm
Paint: Golden Brand acrylic paints, yellow ochre and burnt sienna
Wax: Natural Beeswax
Cores: 2-ply hemp cord
Thread: Undyed Linen 25/3, unknown brand
Cores: 2-ply hemp cord


List of Tools

French Paring Knife (made in Sheffield)
Bone Folder (handmade in-house)
Scrap book board, various sizes/thickness
Pressing Boards (1/2" maple plywood, made in house)
Cast-Iron Book Press (Patrick Ritchie, Edinburgh, circa 1850)
Stainless Steel rulers, various sizes
Small Stanley Knife
Maple Laying Press (handmade in-house)
Laying Press & Plough
Curved Card Scraper
Pencil (Blackwing)
Lithography Stone (circa 1925)
Cotton Rag
Agate Burnisher
2" natural bristle brush, generic
Small synthetic brush
parchment release paper
blotting paper
Acetate barrier sheets, .01 gauge
Scissors
Bookbinding Needles
1/4 inch wire mesh
Scrap construction paper for flags

Selected list of Suppliers (Not affiliated)

Bookbinding Tools & Materials: George Hill & Co. - https://www.georgehillco.com
Paint: Wyndham Art Supplies - https://www.wyndhamartsupplies.com/
General Hand Tools: Lee Valley Tools - https://www.leevalley.com
Writing Materials: Wonder Pens - https://www.wonderpens.ca
Agate Burnisher: Vintage Paper Co. - https://vintagepaper.co/

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Four Keys Book Arts marbled papers and handmade books are available for sale in my Etsy shop, with worldwide shipping available: https://etsy.me/2VGqhcr

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All original works of art in this video are copyrighted exclusively by Four Keys Book Arts.
Music Credits:

'Yonder Hill And Dale' by Aaron Kenny -    / @contactkennya  

'A Song Without A Name' by Poor Inked Endings - Listen to and support Poor Inked Endings here: https://noisetrade.com/poorinkedendin...

Image Source Bibliography:

'Fig. 21: Mediæval Book-Binding', from 'Gately's World's Progress', Edited by C. E. Beale. Édition de luxe, Boston : Gately & Co, 1886, p. 283.

'Fig. 8: 'Travail de la Reliure', from 'Procédés de la gravure (Nouv. éd)', Lostalot, Alfred de, A Quantin, Paris, 1882. p. 26

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