To obviate a difficulty that the young finisher will experience in his first attempts at designing, let him select a good quality of sized paper, cut it to the required size, then fold it carefully into four parts, and draw his pattern boldly upon one of the four corners with a lead-pencil. After that is done, slightly damp the opposite corner, fold the drawn portion so that it comes in contact with the damp surface, and rub it upon the back, so as to transfer the outlines of the drawing. When it appears with sufficient distinctness, trace it carefully over with the pencil, and repeat the process upon the other corners until the pattern is complete. This method insures accuracy and expedition. In working a pattern with gouges or with intersected lines, the same principle is applied, so as to reproduce the pattern precisely alike at the four corners, and to save time. In this case the paper is folded, and one impression of the tool answers for both sides of the pattern.
Let the young finisher but feel a love for his art, make himself familiar with the best specimens, and determine to excel; and eventually his productions will be esteemed, his ability command the best situations, and he will be recognised as an artist.
CUTTING-MACHINES.
For cutting paper, pamphlets, and books "out of boards," a number of machines have been invented, and are used in many binderies, especially in those where large quantities of "cloth-work" are bound. They have been found to answer for this class of work very well. Some of them operate with sufficient nicety to cut books for case-work that are intended for gilt edges, when they are not to be scraped. For first-class work, cut "in boards," nothing has been discovered to supersede the old-fashioned mode of cutting with the plough and press.
PATENT PAPER AND BOOK TRIMMER.
The above cut of one of these machines, from the manufactory of I. Adams & Co., Boston, will serve to convey a general idea of its appearance; and the names of the makers are a sufficient guarantee of the mechanical perfection of its details.
Many old books have their dates printed in a manner which puzzles the finisher, should he be required to date any so printed, which are too thin to admit of its being done as on the title-page. The following key is here given, as it may be found useful in such cases:—c. 100; IↃ, or d, 500; cIↃ or m, 1000; IↃↃ, 5000; ccIↃↃ, 10,000; IↃↃↃ, 50,000, cccIↃↃↃ, 100,000. Thus, cIↃ, IↃ, clxxxviii—1688. While on this subject, it may not be inappropriate to notice the dating of some books printed in France during the republic in that country. Thus, "An. xiii."—1805, that being the thirteenth year of the republic, which commenced in 1792.
Old bindings often look badly on account of the leather becoming dry and cracked, or the surface of the skin having been rubbed off in places. To obviate this, take a small quantity of paste and rub it carefully with the finger upon the portions that require it; after it is dry, wash the volume carefully over with a thin solution of glue size. When dry, the volume may be varnished, and afterwards rubbed over with a cloth in which a few drops of sweet oil have been dropped.
It often occurs that a valuable and rare work has a leaf torn or missing. In order to supply it, the first step will be to obtain the use of a perfect copy as a model. Then procure paper of the same colour as the leaf to be mended, and cut it carefully to correspond with the torn portion. After the piece has been neatly adjusted, tip it and the leaf, very lightly, along the edges with paste made of rice-flour; then place a piece of tissue-paper on both sides of the leaf, and smooth it carefully with the folder; then close the volume and allow it to remain until perfectly dry. Then proceed to remove the tissue-paper, and it will be found that the portions that adhere where the joining occurs will be strong enough to secure the piece to the leaf of the book. The letters may be then copied from the perfect copy and traced upon the inserted piece. The general appearance will depend upon the skill displayed in order to produce a successful imitation of the original.
Never write your name upon the title-page of a book.
Have your books cut as large as possible, so as to preserve the integrity of the margin.
Do not adopt one style of binding for all your books.
Let the bindings upon your books be characteristic of the contents and of the value of the work.
Employ Turkey morocco for large works or for books that you have in constant use. It is the most durable material used in binding, except Levant morocco, which is very expensive.
English coloured calf makes a beautiful covering, and bears full gilt tooling better than morocco. The latter, if too richly charged, is apt to look tawdry.
Let the durability and neatness of your bindings be the primary requisites. Ornament judiciously and sparingly, rather than carelessly or gaudily.
Poetry and sermons are not to be treated alike, either in colour or degree of ornament to be employed.
The value of a library will be enhanced by the amount of knowledge and taste displayed in the bindings.
Russia leather is no protection against worms, and it speedily cracks along the joint.
Uncut books will command a higher price than those that are cropped.
To bind a book well, it should have ample time to dry after each process.
When you receive a volume from the binder, place it upon your shelf in such a manner that the adjoining volumes will press tightly against it and keep it closed; or, if you lay it upon your table, place other volumes upon it, to prevent the boards from warping, and do not, for some time, use it near the fire.
Upon opening a volume, do not grasp the leaves tightly in your hands. You might thereby break the back. If the book is too tight in the back, lay it upon a flat surface, and open it by taking a few sheets at a time, and lightly pressing upon the open leaves, going thus from the beginning to the end, until the requisite freedom is obtained.
Use a paper-knife, or folder, to cut up the leaves of your uncut books, so that the edges will be smooth and even; otherwise the book will have to be cut down when it is bound.
Do not bind a newly-printed book. It is liable to set off in the pressing.
Never destroy an original binding upon an old volume if the binding be in tolerable condition. An old book should not be rebound, unless it is essential to its preservation; and then it should be, as far as possible, a restoration.
Carefully preserve old writings and autographs upon fly-leaves, unless they are trivial. It is an act of courtesy to the former owner of a book to place his book-plate on the end-board of the volume.
Any blank-leaves that occur in old volumes should not be removed. The bastard or half title should always be preserved.
Have all oblong plates placed in such a manner that the inscription under them will read from the tail to the head of the volume.
Never bind a large map with a small volume. It is liable to tear away; and, in pressing the volume, it makes unseemly marks. Maps and plans should be affixed to blank leaves, so as to open clear of the volume, that the reader may have the plan and text to examine together.
It is a false economy to bind up a number of volumes together, especially if they are of different sizes and upon different subjects.
Keep your books dry, but not too warm. Gas is injurious in a library, especially to the gilding upon the books.
Do not place books with uncut tops where the dust will fall upon them. It will penetrate between the leaves and mar the interior of the volumes.
Avoid placing books with clasps or carved sides upon the shelves. They will mark and scratch their neighbours.
Never fold down corners, or wet your fingers, when reading or turning over the pages of a book.
Do not read a book at table. Crumbs are apt to penetrate into the back-fold of the leaves.
Books are not intended for card-racks or for receptacles of botanical specimens.
Never leave a book open, face downward, under the pretext of keeping the place. If it remain long in that condition, it will probably ever afterwards jump open at that place.
Never pull books out of the shelves by the head-bands, or suffer them to stand long upon the fore-edge.
Books should not be toasted before a fire or be converted into cushions to sit upon.
Saturate a rag with camphor, and, when dry, occasionally wipe the dust from your books with it, and you will not be annoyed with book-worms.
Treat books gently; for "books are kind friends. We benefit by their advice, and they exact no confessions."
All-Along.—When a volume is sewed, and the thread passes from kettle-stitch to kettle-stitch, or from end to end in each sheet, it is said to be sewed all-along.
Asterisk.—A sign used by the printers at the bottom of the front page of the duplicate-leaves printed to supply the place of those cancelled.
Backing-Boards.—Are used for backing or forming the joint. They are made of very hard wood or faced with iron, and are thicker on the edge intended to form the groove than upon the edge that goes towards the fore-edge, so that the whole power of the laying-press may be directed towards the back.
Backing-Hammer.—The hammer used for backing and rounding: it has a broad, flat face, similar to a shoemaker's hammer.
Bands.—The twines whereon the sheets of a volume are sewn. When the book is sewed flexible the bands appear upon the back. When the back is sawn so as to let in the twine, the appearance of raised bands is produced by glueing narrow strips of leather across the back before the volume is covered.
Band-Driver.—A tool used in forwarding to correct irregularities in the bands of flexible backs.
Bead.—The little roll formed by the knot of the headband.
Bleed.—When a book is cut into the print it is said to bleed.
Bevelled Boards.—Very heavy boards for the sides champered around the edges.
Blind-Tooled.—When the tools are impressed upon the leather, without being gilt, they are said to be blind or blank.
Boards.—Are of various kinds, such as pressing, backing, cutting, burnishing, gilding, &c. The pasteboards used for side-covers are termed boards. The boards used for cutting books "out of boards" are called steamboat-boards. Tinned boards are used for finished work; while brass or iron-bound boards are used for pressing cloth-work.
Bodkin or Stabbing-Awl.—A strong point of iron or steel, fixed on a wooden handle, to form the holes in the boards required to lace in the bands. Used also for tracing the lines for cutting the fore-edge.
Bole.—A preparation used in gilding edges.
Bolt.—The fold in the head and fore-edge of the sheets. Also the small bar with a screw used to secure the knife to the plough.
Bosses.—Brass plates attached to the sides of volumes for their preservation.
Broke up.—When plates are turned over and folded at a short distance from the back-edge, before they are placed so as to enable them to turn easily in the volume, they are said to be broke up. The same process is sometimes applied to the entire volume.
Burnish.—The effect produced by the application of the burnisher to the edges.
Burnishers.—Are pieces of agate or bloodstone affixed to handles.
Cancels.—Leaves containing errors which are to be cut out and replaced with corrected pages.
Caps.—The leather covering of the headband. Applies also to the paper envelopes used to protect the edges while the volume is being covered and finished.
Case-Work.—Work in which the boards are covered and stamped. The volume is then glued upon the back and stuck into them.
Catch-Word.—A word met with in early-printed books at the bottom of the page, which word is the first on the following page. Now used to denote the first and last word in an encyclopædia or other book of reference.
Centre-Tools.—Are single, upright, or independent tools used for the middle of the panels by the finisher.
Clearing Out.—Removing the waste-paper and paring away any superfluous leather upon the inside, preparatory to pasting down the lining-paper.
Collating.—Examining the signatures, after the volume is gathered, to ascertain if they be correct and follow in numerical order.
Corners.—The triangular brass tools used in finishing backs and sides. The gilt ornaments used on velvet books. Also, the leather pasted on the corners of half-bound books.
Creaser.—The tool used in marking each side of the bands, generally made of steel.
Cropped.—When a book has been cut down too much it is said to be cropped.
Dentelle.—A fine tooled border resembling lace-work.
Edge-Rolled.—When the edges of the boards are rolled. It may be either in gold or blind.
Embossed.—When a plate is stamped upon the cover so as to present a raised figure or design, it is said to be embossed. Some inappropriately term this kind of work Arabesque.
End-Papers.—The paper placed at each end of the volume, a portion of which is removed when the lining-paper is pasted down upon the boards. Also called Waste-Papers.
Fillet.—The cylindrical ornament used in finishing upon which simple lines are engraved.
Finishing.—Is that department that receives the volumes after they are put in leather, and ornaments them as required. One who works at this branch is termed a finisher.
Finishers' Press.—Is the same as a laying-press, only much smaller.
Flexible.—When a book is sewn on raised bands and the thread is passed entirely round each band.
Folder.—This is a flat piece of bone or ivory used in folding the sheets and in many other manipulations. Also applied to a female engaged in folding sheets.
Fore-Edge.—The front edge of the book.
Foundation-Plate.—A plate of iron or brass upon which side-stamps are affixed.
Forwarding.—Is that branch that takes the books after they are sewed and advances them until they are put in leather ready for the finisher. One who works at this branch is termed a forwarder.
Full-Bound.—When the sides of a volume are entirely covered with leather, it is said to be full-bound.
Gathering.—The process of arranging the sheets according to the signatures.
Gauge.—Used in forwarding to take the correct size of the volume and to mark it upon the boards for squaring.
Gilt.—Is applied to both the edges and to the ornaments in finishing.
Glaire.—The whites of eggs.
Grater.—An iron instrument used by the forwarder for rubbing the backs after they are paste-washed.
Gouge.—A tool used in finishing, the face of which is a line forming the segment of a circle.
Guards.—Strips of paper inserted in the backs of books intended for the insertion of plates, to prevent the book being uneven when filled; also the strips upon which plates are mounted.
Guides.—The groove in which the plough moves upon the face of the cutting-press.
Half-Bound.—When a volume is covered with leather upon the back and corners, and the sides are covered with paper or cloth.
Hand-Letters.—Letters cut and affixed to handles, and adjusted singly upon the volume when lettering it.
Head and Tail.—The top and bottom of a book.
Headband.—The silk or cotton ornament worked at the ends so as to make the back even with the squares.
Imperfections.—Sheets rejected on account of being in some respect imperfect, and for which others are required to make the work complete.
In Boards.—When a volume is cut after the paste-#boards are affixed to form the sides, it is said to be cut in boards. The term is also applied to a style of binding in which the boards are merely covered with paper.
Inset.—The pages cut off in folding and placed in the middle of the sheet.
Inside Tins.—So called from being placed inside of the boards when the volume is put in the standing-press.
Joints.—The projections formed in backing to admit the boards; applied also to the inside when the volume is covered.
Justification.—The observance that the pages of a volume agree and are parallel throughout, so as to insure a straight and equal margin.
Kettle-Stitch.—The stitch which the sewer makes at the head and tail of a book; said to be a corruption of chain-stitch.
Keys.—The little instruments used to secure the bands to the sewing-press.
Knocking-Down Iron.—So called from having the slips, when laced in, pounded down upon it, so that they will not show when the book is covered.
Laced In.—When the boards are affixed to the volume by means of the bands being passed through holes made in the boards, they are said to be laced in.
Lettering-Block.—A piece of wood, the upper surface being rounded, upon which side-labels are lettered.
Lettering-Box.—The box in which the type are screwed up preparatory to lettering.
Lining-Paper.—The coloured or marbled paper at each end of the volume.
Marbler.—The workman who marbles the edges of books, &c.
Mitred.—When the lines in finishing intersect each other at right angles and are continued without overrunning each other, they are said to be mitred.
Out of Boards.—When a volume is cut before the boards are affixed, it is said to be done out of boards.
Overcasting.—An operation in sewing, when the work consists of single leaves or plates.
Pallet.—Name given to the tools used in gilding upon the bands, sometimes applied to the lettering-box.
Panel.—The space between bands; also applied to bevelled and sunk sides.
Papering Up.—Covering the edges after they are gilt, so as to protect them while the volume is being covered and finished.
Paring.—Reducing the edges of the leather by forming a gradual slope.
Pastewash.—A thin dilution of paste in water.
Pencil.—A small brush of camel's hair.
Pieced.—When the space between bands, upon which the lettering is placed, has a piece of leather upon it different from the back, it is said to be pieced or titled.
Plough.—The instrument used in cutting the edges of books and pasteboards.
Points.—Holes made in the sheets by the printer; they serve as guides in folding.
Polisher.—A steel implement used in finishing.
Press.—There are various kinds of presses,—viz.: laying or cutting, standing, stamping, embossing, gilding, and finishing.
Rake.—An instrument used in forwarding, to harden the backs while being pastewashed in the standing-press.
Rasped.—The sharp edge taken off the boards.
Register.—The ribbon placed in a volume for a marker; also a list of signatures, attached to the end of early-printed works, for the use of the binder.
Rolls.—The cylindrical ornaments used in finishing.
Run Up.—When the back has a fillet run from head to tail without being mitred at each band, it is said to be run up.
Runner.—The front board used in cutting edges, &c.
Sewer.—The person who sews the sheets together on the sewing-press—generally a female.
Set-Off.—Designates the transfer of the ink to the opposite page.
Setting the Head.—Is covering the headband neatly with the leather, so as to form a kind of cap.
Shaving-Tub.—The paper cut from the edges of a volume are called shavings. The receptacle into which they fall while the forwarder is cutting the edges is termed the shaving-tub.
Signature.—The letter or figure under the footline of the first page of each sheet to indicate the order of arrangement in the volume; sometimes applied to the sheet itself.
Size.—A preparation used in finishing and gilding, generally made from vellum.
Slips.—The pieces of twine that project beyond the volume after it is sewn.
Squares.—The portions of the board that project over the edges.
Stabbing.—The operation of piercing the boards with a bodkin for the slips to pass through; also the piercing of pamphlets for the purpose of stitching.
Stamps.—The brass tools used in finishing to impress a figure upon the leather; they are distinguished by hand-stamps and stamps for the press.
Start.—When any of the leaves are not properly secured in the back, upon opening the volume they will project beyond the others, and are said to start.
Steamboating.—Cutting books out of boards, a number being cut at the same time.
Stitching.—The operation of passing the thread through a pamphlet for the purpose of securing the sheets together.
Stops.—Are small circular tools, adapted to stop a fillet when it intersects at right angles, to save the time used in mitreing.
Title.—The space between bands, upon which the lettering is placed.
Tools.—Applied particularly to the hand-stamps and tools used in finishing.
Trindle.—A strip of thin wood or iron.
Turning Up.—The process of cutting the fore-edges in such a manner as to throw the round out of the back until the edge is cut.
Tying Up.—The tying of a volume after the cover has been drawn on, so as to make the leather adhere to the sides of the bands; also for setting the head.
Whipping.—The process of overseaming plates.
Witness.—When a volume is cut so as to show that it has not been cut as small as some of the leaves, their uncut edges prove this, and are called witness and sometimes proof.
Wrinkle.—The uneven surfaces in a volume, caused by not being properly pressed or by dampness, also caused by improper backing.