Michael Keller - bindery ticket Michael Keller - bindery ticket Michael Keller / Bookbinding and Restoration

Buckram Grove Press


Revised September, 2024


Home      Printables      Gallery      Links      Faqs       Contact

Restoring a 'limp' binding into a hardcover

TYPICAL CONDITION

exterior view of book    interior viiew of book

This volume shows the hinges already failed and overall deterioration of the covers.

In addition, having no rigid base for the covers makes restoration of the original binding style impractical. The solution is to create a new hard cover binding, - utilising all extant original materials.

FIRST STEP

The text-block is completely disassembled;...

a complete disbinding of the limp binding

SECOND STEP

The original ‘leather’ remnants are cleaned of all original backing materials and adhesive residues.

extant leather remnants being cleaned

THIRD STEP

...Each individual 'signature' (section) is cleaned and repaired with tissue, guarded into signatures...

FOURTH STEP

The restored signatures are then hand-sewn over cloth tapes; the spine is rounded and backed with cloth.

cleaned and restored text-block ready for sewing    text-block sewn onto cloth tapes; ready for rounding, backing & hard-cover binding

FINAL STEPS

New boards are cut and a new 'hard-cover' binding is created with matching binding cloth.

The new binding is then covered with whatever original cover materials were present.

restored volume in new hard-cover