The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-01
IDEAS tor 1Wuaaeu.

70 rebind their worn out, favorite books?
II IS not hard to do, and, with a little
practice, the results are very satisfac-
tory.
II you have a book to be bound anew,
take off the covers, scrape the glue
from the back. n pun out all the
threads: this will separate the sigma
lures. and you will be ready to begin
as If you had a book fresh from the
printer and folder.
A book comes from the printer in flat
sheets, on which are printed many
pages; each of these sheets, when folded.
Is called a signature, and they are num-
nered consecutively. The signatures are
sathered up, one by one. until the book
Is complete, the a is made perfectly
even, and the whole book is pounded to
natten the folds and reduce its bulk. 1t
is then put in a press or between two
boards and the backs sawed very slightly,
In as many places as there are to be
strings, with n at each end for the
kettle Stitches Three or five strings
are enough, except for very large books.
From here a new book and a rebound
book go through the same processes.
The sewing bench of a b%ookbinder
consists of two upright pieces, connected
at the top and bottom, just an oblong
frame, two feet by eighteen inches, which
will stand IN the long side. The soft
twine with which the book is to be sewed
is tied to the upper side of the frame.
which stands on the edge of a table, and
the threads are long enough to reach
to the floor. The binder sits beside the
BENCH puts his foot in a loop made
in rhd Threads fa 1oop- thorn fiobf ana
sews on the signatures, one by one, with
a large needle and strong linen thread.
The first signature is laid in the bench,
and the sewing begins with the kettle
stitch or knot. The signature is held
open in the middle by the left hand and
the right holds the needle; the strings
are laid in the cuts sawed for them. the
cuts for the two kettle stitches having
nc strings. The needle passes in at the
first cut, out and in, around the string at
the second and third cuts, and out at
the other end for the kettle stitch,'
leaving all the thread inside the sigma
lures.
The second signature is then laid on the
first, the needle passed in at the kettle
stitch cut, out and in around the Irvine
to the other end, when the needle comes
OQl u LIE last cut dl Lie Olu0T euu, liS
thread is looped around the first sigma
ture, forming the first real kettle stitch
which consists of putting the needle
around the sewing of the previous sig
nature and through a loop in the thread,
making a slip knot which may be pulled
up tight.
After this another signature Is laid or
and the whole process of sewing is re-
peated. until ali the book is on the
Irvine. The Irvine is cut, leaving about
two inches of each thread to be laced
into the boards. The book is pounded
again to fiatten 1t thoroughly, and the
edges are cut in a machine, or with a
very sharp knife.
Next come rounding and Backing
which are covering the back with soft
glue, and when it is pa -tly dry, pound
ing it, first on one side, then on the
other, until it has the desired rcund.
The book is then put between two
them, and pounded again until a little
ridge is made on the edge of the back
5rithe boards to rest in.
II the edges are to be colored or gilded
ley are done at this stage. A piece of
10 Ra1tC4 v Tx ~ lIG l1LlkC
bands called head ands'' are put at the
top and bottom of the book, and get
ting into boards begins.
With q sharp knife and a ruler the
pasteboards are cut a little, haf an inch,
larger than the book. holes are punched
for the twfnes, which are laced in and
out, frayed at the edges, and pasted and
pounded fat.
The covering for the blards, cloth, pa
per or leather. is cut the right size, COW
cred with soft paste and put on, the back
first, then the sides and the corners; this
is all dattened and smoothed to prevent
air bubbles Plain -four paste, rather
stiff. is best for all this work.
The insides of the covers are finished
by FASTING down the END papers"
smoothly and neatly. These .end papers,
may be paper of any kind or a woven ma
terial. They are put on before the
book is sewed and fastened in with the
first and last signatures.
The book should be pul in press for
several days, or weeks. if time permits,
before its decoration begins. If the bind
ing is paper or cloth the decoration may
be done with a brush. Only a skilled
amateur should undertake the decora-
ton of leather bound books, which is
one of the fine arts. The design is made
with little iron tools, heated and pressed
on the leather. Thts work is called
.~stoeling."
Bookbinding has reached its modern
English perfection at the Kelmsco.t
Press. under the direction of the late
Wffiiam Morris. Most Of the bindings are
of vellum. either over boards or simply
lined with paper, which, latter, make a
very strong and flexible binding, the edges
of the cover being bent at right angles
to protect the edges of the printed pages.
These books are often sewed on tapes or
ribbons. half an inch wide. which are long
enough to extend through the cover and
tie.
And it Is not la to get the materials
needed, girls who want to change the
bindings of their treasured volumes San
ind this a pleasant summer occupation.
It's a fad Of the up-to-date woman to
be, or to affect to be, tremendously busy.
to have every moment of the waking
hours filled in, to rush from one engage
ment to another, and to condense in TWEEN
ty-four hours the work of twice that
number
What is the object Of all this? Heaven
knows, unless it is hat no woman shall
boast that her social engagements ex-