Hardcover books are more complex in their construction than most paperback books so the repairs can sometimes be more involved. I have listed here the techniques that are covered on this site and I do encourage you to seek the assistance of bookbinders if you are unsure of whether to repair your book or not.
There are many basic repair techniques listed in the Book Repair Basics section – if you can’t find what you need here, it may be listed there.
How to Make a Punch Hole Jig
Punching sewing holes in folded signatures can be tricky. Using a punching jig and a signature punching cradle (instructions in ...
How to Make Clam Shell Book Boxes
A simple corrugated clam shell box can be constructed from a sheet of single wall acid-free corrugated board. These boxes are faster to ...
How To Measure a Book
Measuring books accurately can be a challenge since books are not always square or flat. It’s standard practice in book ...
How to Remove Paperclips
Staples and paper clips need to be removed when they are rusty, when pages are photocopied or sewn into a pamphlet ...
How to Remove Staples
Staples and paper clips need to be removed when they are rusty, when pages are photocopied or sewn into a pamphlet ...
How to Test for Grain in Paper or Book Cloth
All paper and book cloth has a dominate grain. It's important to know the grain direction before you start your ...
Is My Book Worth Repairing?
To Repair or Not? Before you rush in and prepare to work on repairing your book, ask yourself a few ...
Japanese Repair Tissue
Japanese repair tissue is sometimes called “rice” paper, but this thin paper is made from the fibers of the mulberry ...
Lap Link Stitch
The Lap-link Stitch 1) Sewing An Anchor Thread Into An Attached Signature The lap-link stitch must have an even number ...
Lifting the Pastedown
If the information on the endpapers cannot be saved by constructing a new endpaper or photocopying, the pastedown can sometimes be ...
Link Stitch
SEWING THE TEXT BLOCK Linen thread and sewing needles are discussed in earlier posts. Depending on the height and weight ...
Missing Page Corners
Choose two layers of Japanese tissue that together will be close in thickness to the page being repaired. Protect the pages ...
Hardcover Book Repair Techniques
Tightening and Repairing Loose Book Hinges
