Hello, everyone. I'm new to the forum, and expect to be here for a while. I'm new to bookbinding, though I've had an interest in it for many years. Only recently did I decide to make a serious effort to learn and build my skills.
I recently finished my first book and am hoping for some feedback, no matter how critical -- every bit helps as I'm very serious about bookbinding. Below is a picture of Number One. The pages are blank, to be used as a journal. I've found that no matter how long and hard I search, I can't find "just the right" book to use as a journal. So I figured I'd start making my own.
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The above represents about a week's worth of work. I didn't tally up the number of hours, but I'd estimate about 8-10. I used cowhide mainly because it was economical, but I don't (yet) have any paring knives, so there's obvious areas of improvement. Overall I'm dissatisfied with the leather -- it's very thick and doesn't highlight edges well, and I find it a bit difficult to work with. Still, it's good for practice, and I have my eyes on some goatskin. I think the cowhide would be suitable for a larger book and also for practicing other things.
Overall, I'm happy with what I was able to do after only a month of studying bookbinding, especially learning how to sew headbands. I used leftover twine (from the cords) for this one, but I quickly realized that I was apprehensive in trimming them down too much -- I was afraid that the silk would come off and I'd have to fight to get it back on. Lesson learned, sort of -- I'll apply a dab of paste to the ends of a practice headband and see how far down I can trim the end. If anyone has any suggestions in this area, I'd be grateful to receive them.
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I ended up with some discoloration on the spine here... probably because I had wet it some while working the sections between the bands. Does anyone recognize this effect?
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Alas, no band nippers, but they're on my wish list. So I tied this one up in the press.
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Not a bad job for a first-timer, but I think I can do much better with patience, information and experience.
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A few notes on questions I anticipate:
I've received no formal training whatsoever -- everything pictured above is the result of self-teaching, and some things learned by videos across the net... few though they may be.
Everything I did to bind the book pictured was done from memory. I absorbed knowledge for a month until it became almost second nature -- no notes or manuals were consulted in binding this book, but now I have notes of my own, especially "do's" and "don't" for book number two.
Looking forward to learning more, binding more.
Cheers,
S.