Book Repair – Hinging In Illustrations
Hinging-In-Plates
Plates (or illustrations) can be attached to a text block in several ways.
Some plates are printed on folded sheets that are sewn into the text block as part of a signature. Other plates are printed on shiny, stiff paper, then tipped onto the page with glue. As the original glue dries up, the plate can separate from the text and fall out of the book.
Plates can be replaced by re-tipping them to the page or reattached by creating a Japanese tissue hinge between the plate and the text block page.
Use the HINGING-IN A SINGLE PAGE technique (in a previous post) to hinge a plate into a book.
Check the original placement of the plate on the page as some plates are smaller than the pages of the book and are often centered on the page.
If the plate was originally tipped in along the side (usually the left side of the plate) it can be reattached along that edge or along the top edge of the plate.
Hinging from the top edge of the plate gives more support to a heavy plate.
Book Repair – Hinging In Several Pages
The exact number of pages that can be successfully hinged-in will vary from book to book.
Remember, when pages are hinged-in, additional thickness (the Japanese repair tissue and paste) are being added.
Do not attempt to replace more pages than the width of the book spine will allow.
There are several options to use when hinging in multiple pages. One choice is to hinge the loose pages to one another as a unit and then hinge the unit into the text block.Another is to hinge each page into the text block one page at a time, especially if only 1 or 2 pages are being hinged-in.
The method used will be determined by the individual book.
Book Repair – Hinging In a Single Page
Hinging-In-Single-Page
Once you master hinging in for your book repair work, there’s really no stopping you!
Tear a strip of Japanese repair tissue approximately l/2” wide and as long as the height of the page. Japanese tissue tends to stretch a little lengthwise when wet so it can be trimmed a little shorter than the page.
Lay the page to be hinged on a piece of wax paper or non-stick material.
Lay a strip of Japanese repair tissue on a piece of waste paper and mask one half of the width of the tissue.
Brush wheat paste on to the exposed side, remembering to brush across the waste paper toward the edge of the Japanese tissue.
Remove the waste paper from the Japanese repair tissue and carefully lay the repair tissue on the inner margin of the page to be hinged. The pasted half of the Japanese tissue strip should be laid on the page while the half that is not pasted hangs off the page.
Use a folder to gently smooth the feathered edge of the repair tissue into the repaired page working from the middle of the Japanese tissue strip toward the edge. Take note of any excess paste. Try to use just enough paste to adhere the tissue to the paper and not so much that it is forced out the edge of the repair.
Cover the repair with wax paper or non-stick material and blotter paper then dry under weight. If blotter paper is used, changing it every 10 – 15 minutes will speed the drying time. When the first half of the repair is dry, trim the top and bottom edges of the Japanese tissue if they extend past the edge of the paper.
Fold the Japanese tissue back toward itself to form the hinge. Place wax paper and waste paper under the folded hinge, with the waste paper closest to the pasted Japanese tissue.
Lay the page, wax paper and waste paper on a sheet of waste paper and carefully paste the exposed Japanese tissue. Be careful not to get paste under the Japanese repair tissue or beneath the printed page.
Remove the waste paper and carefully position the hinged page in the book. Use a folder to work the page and repair hinge into the inner hinge.
Double check placement of the page and hinge. Make sure the hinge is smooth and all the way back into the hinge area. Check to see that the edges of the hinged page match the edges of the top and bottom of the text block.
MAKE SURE THE PAGE IS RIGHT SIDE UP!
Place a piece of wax paper on either side of the Japanese tissue repair so the moisture will not travel into the text block.
Put knitting needles or skewers in the joints and dry under weight. Keep the book under pressure until it is completely dry. If the Japanese hinge or the paper feels cool, it is not completely dry.
If the edges of the hinge have not adhered to the page, apply a small amount of paste to the edge and gently work it in place with a folder. Replace the wax paper or non-stick material, close the book and dry under weight.
Trimming The Hinged-In Page
The edges of the hinged-in page may not be even with the rest of the text block. If the paper extends beyond the edges of the text block, trim it with a sharp knife and ruler. Do not use scissors as they will not cut a straight edge.
Place a thin piece of cardboard under the page to be trimmed to protect the text block. Slip a flat metal ruler between the page to be trimmed and the page before it. Line up the edge of the ruler so it is even with the edge of the page before, then With a very sharp knife, trim the excess margin from the page beneath the ruler.
Book Repair – Hinging In Introduction
Hinging-in is generally used when the text block is sewn and the pages open flat, or when reattaching a plate that was originally tipped onto a page in the text block.
A detached page can be hinged to the page in front or in back of it. While each mend should be evaluated individually, the strongest mend is usually accomplished by hinging from the back of the detached page to the front of the page immediately behind it. That way, the Japanese repair tissue will support the page underneath as it is turned.
Checking the Attachment of Both Halves of a Folio
Each signature of paper is made of folios (single folded sheets) and each folio is made of 2 leaves (one single 2 sided page). When one leaf is detached, always check that its other half is still well attached to the text block. The other half might still be held in place by the original glue, or it might also be loose.
1. Check the attachment of the second half of a folio by finding the center of the signature with the detached page. Look for the sewing threads at the center of the signature and mark the center with a slip of paper.
2. Count from that center toward the detached page, then go back to the marker at the center of the signature and count the same number of pages in the opposite direction. That should be the other half of the folio.
3. If the other half of the detached page is still firmly attached to the text block, hinge in the detached page using the technique outlined in the post HINGING IN A SINGLE PAGE.
4. If the other half of the detached page is also detached or loosely attached, both halves must be reattached. Options to reattach the pages are covered in later posts.
Book Repair – Loose Pictures
Tipping-In-Plates
Plates are illustrations that are printed separately from the text of a book.
Many plates are smaller than the text block page and are attached to a page of a text block by tipping them in along one edge. This is common even in books with sewn text blocks because plates are often printed on coated paper that is heavier than the paper used to print the text block. When the original glue dries up, the plate separates from the text and falls out of the book.
The best way to tip a plate back into a book is to apply glue to the edge of a plate using the second technique outlined in the post about replacing pages.That is – Use a piece of waste paper to mask the inner margin of the page. Leave approximately l/16” exposed of the page exposed. Apply glue across the waste paper toward the edge of the page. Remove the waste paper before placing the
page in the book.
Once the glue is applied to the page, carefully maneuver the page into the book. Use the technique that worked best when the page was positioned in the book before the glue was applied.
Put wax paper directly in front and behind the tipped-in page. Besides keeping moisture from traveling throughout the book it also protects the pages from excess glue that can adhere the pages to each other.
Put the repaired book under weight and let dry overnight. When the repair is dry, carefully remove the wax paper and make sure the page is securely attached in the book.
In some cases it may be better to replace a plate by hinging in rather than tipping in. This is covered in a later post.
Book Repair – Tipping in a Single Page
Tipping-In-Single-Page
Tipping-in is one way to reattach a detached page or replacement page. Tipping-in is not used to put a entire book back together. If too many pages are loose from the binding, the book should be resewn, sent to the bindery, or replaced. “Too many pages” can vary from book to book, but generally more than 3-5 pages is too many.
Tipping-in is generally used on text blocks that are adhesive bound with tightly glued spines. The tight spine keeps the book from opening flat and will help to hold the tipped-in page in place.
While the general rule is to use paste when repairing paper, glue is used when tipping in a page. Paste can be a better bond between paper, but it is not as flexible as glue. Since the tipped-in pages need to flex and bend, flexible adhesive is very important.
Each book will accept a repaired or replaced page in a different way. Some pages will sit easily into the hinge area, others will slide in from the top or bottom of the text block. Practice putting the page into the book before gluing to see how the page goes in the best.
Often a repaired page cannot be replaced as far back into the spine as when the book was new. If the edges of the repaired or replacement page extend beyond the text block, the page can tear and need future repair.
If the page does not fit correctly in the text block, especially in the case of replacement pages, trim the height of the page so that the top and bottom edges will be flush with the edges of the text block. Use a sharp knife and straight edge to trim the margins as scissors will not give a straight edge.
Leave an oversized margin at the fore edge of the page which can be trimmed to the correct size after the page is tipped-in the book.
Several methods can be used to apply glue to a page; practice each one and see which works best. Often, different techniques will work in different situations.
1) Using a very small paint brush apply glue to the edge of the page. Do not attempt to use a large brush to apply a small amount of glue. It is very difficult to control a large brush in such a small area and the glue could wind up in all the wrong places.
2) Use a piece of waste paper to mask the inner margin of the page. Leave approximately l/16” exposed of the page exposed. Apply glue across the waste paper toward the edge of the page. Remove the waste paper before placing the page in the book.
3) Apply a l/8” line of glue on a piece of stiff card stock. Draw the inner edge of the paper along the line of glue making sure the paper edge is covered in a thin, even bead of glue. If the page needs more glue, draw it through the glue again.
If there are some areas that have too much glue and others that are not covered, draw the page over a dry piece of card stock to even out the adhesive.
Once the glue is applied to the page, carefully maneuver the page into the book. Use the technique that worked best when the page was positioned in the book before the glue was applied.
Put wax paper directly in front and behind the tipped-in page. Besides keeping moisture from traveling throughout the book it also protects the pages from excess glue that can adhere the pages to each other.
Put the repaired book under weight and let dry overnight. When the repair is dry, carefully remove the wax paper and make sure the page is securely attached in the book.
Repairing Missing Page Corners
Missing-Page-Corners
Page corners are often the most worn out part of a well loved book. For this repair you will need some Japanese tissue as close as possible to the thickness of the page you are repairing.
Protect the pages behind the repair with wax paper. Use a piece of black mat board to highlight the edge of the repair. Fold a piece of Japanese tissue in half and place over the missing corner. The edges of the patch should extend past the edges of the page. Needle or tear the two layers of tissue. The patch should be about 1/16” wider than the missing corner.
Apply paste to the repair patch and position the repair patch on one side of the missing corner. Work the edge of the patch into place. Fold the patch over and work the edges of the patch into the page.
Dry under weight and trim any excess margin.
After the repair is dry, curl the paper around the tear to ensure all the edges are well adhered. If the edges are loose, repaste and dry under weight, then test again.
Measuring Books for Repair
Measuring-Books
I’ve recently had some questions regarding the best way to measure a book before you start your repair work. Measuring books accurately can be a challenge since books are not always
square or flat. It’s standard practice in book repair to take most repair measurements with a piece of paper rather than a ruler.
Measuring the Height of a Book
Lay the paper in position and mark one or both ends of the measurement. Add direction arrows to indicate where the measurement starts and stops.
Measuring the Spine Width
The spine can be measured in two ways. Measure actual distance across the spine from shoulder to shoulder. Measure the actual thickness of the spine by laying the book flat on the
table and measuring vertically across the spine. Be sure to measure the thickest part of the book. It might be the spine, the fore edge or part way inbetween.
With the measurements on paper, the exact measurementc an be transferred to paper or cloth as often as necessary. Label each measurement so as not be confused later.
Sometimes it is easier and faster to mark a cutting line with a needle point instead of a pencil. Use the needle to mark a measurement by slightly piercing the paper, rather than marking it with a pencil.
Book Repar – Tightening Loose Hinges
Tightening-Loose-Hinges
Case binding is a general term for the process of constructing a hard cover book in two parts: the text block and the case or cover.
The major point of attachment between the text block and the cover is the crash cloth that covers the spine of the text block and is glued to the cover boards. This means that gravity is constantly pulling the text block
down.
The adhesive in the hinge area can dry up over time and become weak while the spine and endpapers are still intact. When the glue dries up, the crash separates from the book board and the hinge area becomes loose. Often the end paper will split along the hinge. The common repair practice of applying plastic tape to the hinge area does nothing to reattach the crash to the case board, it only adds a layer of tape in
the book.
When you have a number of repairs to complete on a book, tightening hinges should be the last one.
If the hinge area is loose and the endpaper is not torn, use a wooden stick such as a bamboo skewer or thin knitting needle coated with PVA to feed a small amount of PVA into the joint area. Carefully insert the PVA-coated knitting needle or stick into the hinge area at the top of the book,rotating as the stick is pushed down. Pull the stick out, turn the book over and repeat on the opposite end. After both ends of the hinge are glued, put a piece of wax paper or non-stick material in the hinge area to protect the end paper from any excess glue that might seep through the hinge area or out the head or tail. Remember, glue in the wrong place could glue the book shut!
Close the book and use the long thin edge of a folder on the outside of the cover to work the book cloth down into the case joint. Use the long edge of the folder as the ends, even the rounded one, can sometimes tear through the book cloth.
Work from the center to the top of the book, then from the center to the bottom of the book. This will adhere the crash, end paper and book board and move any excess glue out of the hinge area. Rubbing the folder along the spine joint can make the book cloth shiny. To prevent this, lay a piece of non-stick material or thin paper on the book cloth before working with the folder.
Open the book cover and use a folder to gently work the end paper back into the hinge. Again, use the long flat edge of the folder as the ends can tear through the paper. Replace the wax paper in the hinge, close the book and rub the folder in the outer joint once again.
Put knitting needles or bamboo skewers in the hinge areas of the case and place some weight on the book. Let dry overnight.
Repairing Holes in Pages
Repairing-Holes-in-Pages
It’s not often you’ll find a hole in a printed page, however, if you do it’s important to repair it so that the rest of the page is not damaged by the weakness the hole may cause.
For this repair you will need to find some Japanese tissue. Unless you know of a local supplier, your best source is the internet.
You’ll need two layers of tissue that are as close as possible to the thickness of the page you are going to repair.
Tear two pieces of Japanese tissue to cover the hole. Protect the text with wax paper on either side of the hole in the page. Paste up one piece of Japanese tissue, position it on the page and work the edges into place with a fine brush. Paste up the second piece of repair tissue and lay it in place, working edges down with a folder or spatula.
Cover with wax paper or non-stick material and blotter. Dry under weight.
After the repair is dry, curl the paper around the tear to ensure all
the edges are well adhered. If the edges are loose, repaste and dry under weight, then test again.
