Hog brush and bone folder

Bookbinding day.

No animals were harmed in the making of these implements. Their names harken back to times when animal by-products were the only tools available.

When I took my graphic design degree in the early eighties, hot metal printing was still in use, computer typesetting was in it's early stages and my Head of Faculty was a Master Bookbinder. Naturally bookbinding was one of the modules you could take as part of your practical study.

I haven't bound a book in decades but have one on the go at the moment. 

You need a lot of very heavy kit to bind a book properly, for example a book press and guillotine. I don't have either of those so my finished book won't be as tight as I'd like it. Nevertheless.

I have reached the point where the spine is fixed and now have to cover the boards with fabric. I'm nervous at this point because applying water based glue to fabric makes it expand. A little expansion is good as the seal will be tight when the book dries. Too much and the book warps.

I've bought the correct materials so...

... fingers crossed!