There are a number of repairs you can do to help lengthen the life of your favourite books, and like any trade, there are a myriad of terms and tools that you don’t come across every day.
To help you through this maze, I have listed here (with links) all the information on this site that I have categorised as Book Repair Basics. It covers everything from how to decide if you should repair your book, what tools you might need to step by step instructions for simple repair tasks.
Book Repair Tools
Let's have a look at the most useful tools you can have to help you repair your favorite books. A ...
Book Review – Basic Bookbinding
As you will see from the Resources page - I chose this book to include in my list of recommended ...
Cleaning Books
Other Types of Cleaning Dry cleaning (as covered in a previous post) will only remove surface dirt. More advanced cleaning techniques ...
Cleaning Pages of a Book
When attempting to clean paper, always start with the least abrasive cleaning method before trying others. Keep in mind that cleaning ...
Clear Plastic Tape (Sticky Tape)
Many books are repaired with clear plastic tape or "sticky tape". What appears to be a quick solution can become ...
Complex Book Repairs
ADVANCED REPAIRS Serious repair problems take more time and skill to accomplish than any other level of repair. Often, books that ...
Designing Specific Book Repair Work
Often a damaged book does not easily fit into a single repair category. It might be bound in an unfamiliar style ...
Document Repair Tape
Document repair tapes differ from common clear plastic in several ways. The carrier (the part of the tape that holds ...
Drying Book Repair Work
Most repairs involve moisture of some kind, be it paste or glue. When moisture is introduced into paper, board or cloth, ...
Flattening Rolled Paper
We often keep large maps and posters rolled up - usually to save space. When you want to look at ...
Heat Set Tissue
Heat set tissue is a thin tissue that has been coated with a heat activated, acrylic adhesive. The tissue is ...
Hinging In A Single Text Page
Tear a strip of Japanese repair tissue approximately l/2” wide and as long as the height of the page. Japanese tissue ...
Planning and Preparation
Which repair method should I use?
Designing specific book repair work
How to test for grain in paper or book cloth
Book repair thread | Linen thread
Preparing thread for book repairs
Techniques and Methods
Clear plastic tape (sticky tape)
Replacing missing book corners
How to make clam shell book boxes
How to make a four flap wrapper
Binding pamphlets and booklets
Reinforcing spiral bound books
If the specific technique or problem you want is not listed here, please check both the Hardcover and Paperback Book Repair pages for more techniques that are designed for these types of books.
