Book Repair Basics – Page 2 – How To Repair Your Favourite Books

Binding Pamphlets and Booklets Part 1

Over the next few posts I will talk about methods of binding pamphlets, booklets or single pages of information into a solid covering.
Pamphlets or booklets are unbound material l/2” or thinner in spine width. These materials can be individual sheets or single or multiple signatures and can be sewn or stapled into a pamphlet binder.

The three or five hole pamphlet stitch is used to sew individual sheets or signatures into a pamphlet binder. Either sewing stitch works well on most center sewn or stapled materials and on side-sewn or stapled items up to 3″ thick.
Choose the three hole stitch for fairly thin materials less than 7” tall. A taller, heavier booklet should be sewn with the five-hole stitch. When in doubt, it’s better to use the five-hole pamphlet stitch.

Regardless of which stitch is chosen or the size of the pamphlet, the first and last sewing stations (1 & 3 or 1 & 5) should be no more than 3/4” from the top or bottom edge of the booklet and the center sewing station (2 or 3) should be in the center of the booklet.This placement of sewing stations gives the most support to the entire booklet.

Use the technique in a previous post for removing staples and use the original staple holes for sewing if possible so as not to punch additional holes in the fold of the booklet.

Reinforcing Spiral Bound Books

Spiral bindings can be reinforced for longer life. This technique was developed at the University of Michigan Library and uses a special product called Tyvek. Tyvek is strong, lightweight polyester “paper” that will not tear. Tyvek and PVA have a similar chemical makeup and bond very tightly.
Tyvek can be purchased through library, art supply and camping/bushwalking sources. When using recycled Tyvek, glue the print side down.

Photocopy any information on the inside of the front or back covers.
Trim the photocopies and hinge (click here for instructions) onto the text block.
Cut two pieces of board: Height = exact height of the cover, Width = distance from the spirals to the fore edge minus l/4”
Use a pair of utility scissors to slip three or more rings from the spiral binding: top, middle and bottom. The number depends on the size and weight of the book.
Cut three strips of Tyvek a little narrower than the space left by the cut spirals, apply PVA, and thread the strips into the book.
Apply PVA to both pieces of board, and attach to the inside of the front and back covers.
Line up the board with the top, bottom and fore edge of each cover.
A pastedown endpaper can be added to the board if desired.
Cut the endpaper the same dimension as the board and glue to the board.
Dry under weight.

How to Remove Paperclips

REMOVING PAPER CLIPS
Paper clips are not always the best item to attach a group of pages to one another. They can rust or bend when left in place for long periods of time. When a paper clip is removed, the blunt end of the clip can catch on the paper and tear it.

The best way to remove a paper clip without damaging the paper is to gently pry it open.

Lay the clipped materials on a work table with the short side of the clip facing up.
Through the paper, press the long side of the clip firmly against the table with one finger.
Gently pull up on the short side with the thumbnail of the other hand. A microspatula or staple remover can also be used to lift up the short leg of the paper clip.

When a paper clip is rusty, gently insert a small piece of Mylar between the clip and paper on both sides of the paper clip then repeat the instructions above.

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 binder, and when the fasteners are damaging the materials. Removing staples and paper clips without damaging the paper can be fast and easy when the right tools are used.
REMOVING STAPLES
The traditional double-jawed staple remover can be extremely damaging to paper materials. The staple remover grips the bridge of the staple and forcibly pulls the legs out of the paper.
If the paper is thin or weak, it often tears before the staple is open. When the stapled papers are thick or strong, they will resist the force of the staple remover until the legs of the staple are partially open. The great force exerted to force the staple partially open can damage the paper as can removing a partially open staple.

Using a specially beveled tool called a staple extractor or a common oyster knife, staples are easy to remove without damaging the paper

Working from the back side of the staple, slip the beveled edge of the staple extractor under each leg of a closed staple and lift each leg up gently.
Turn the materials over and slip the beveled point of the staple extractor under the bridge of the staple.
Lift the staple straight out of the paper.

Staple extractors can be purchased from most book repair supply houses and less expensive oyster knives are available where kitchen utensils are sold.

Using Bookshelves Correctly

Books often receive a lot of abuse before they even leave the bookshelf. They are yanked off the shelf by the top of the spine, forced back on the shelf between tightly packed books, and shelved on their fore edges when they are too tall. Often the bookends used are not strong enough to support the weight of a shelf of books so the books lean at precarious angles.
1. REMOVING BOOKS FROM THE SHELF
Books should not be removed from the shelf by pulling on the spine of the book. The book cloth in that area can be weak and tear, especially when the book is old.
The best way to remove a book from the shelf is also the most time consuming. First, loosen the bookend and push the books around the desired book toward the back of the shelf. Grasp the desired book and pull it straight off the shelf, then reach to the back of the pushed back books and slide them forward. Finally, tighten the bookend.
A second, perhaps more practical, method involves paying attention as a book is removed from the shelf and using one special technique. If the book seems wedged tightly between other books, stop and loosen the bookend. Instead of pulling the book off the shelf by the top of the spine, the cover’s weak point, put an index finger on about 1” of the top of the text block. Pull the book off the shelf with that finger.
The most important thing to remember is not to force the book off the shelf.
2. RESHELVING BOOKS
When reshelving, don’t force a book back into a tight shelf. Loosen the bookend if necessary and carefully slide the adjacent books out of the way. Shelve the book then tighten the bookend pressure. Never force a book onto the shelf.

Bookends can be dangerous for books. Many bookends are very thin and it is easy to shelve a book right into them. Pay attention as books are being retrieved or shelved.

3. LEANING BOOKS
Keep books well supported on the shelf with proper bookends. Poorly supported books tend to lean at precarious angles, putting a great deal of stress on the front and back hinges.
4. SHELVING BOOKS ON THEIR FORE EDGES
Oversize books are often shelved on their fore edges so that they will fit on a standard height shelf. This practice is deadly for books. As explained in an earlier post, most modern text blocks are only held into their cases by a small amount of crash and glue. When a book is shelved on its fore edges, gravity is constantly working on the text block, forcing it to separate from the cover. If a book is too tall for the shelf, consider creating a special “oversize” section.
5. OVERSIZE BOOKS
Shelving oversize books can be a challenge. The best way to shelve them is lying flat on the shelf. Many people designate the bottom shelf of a range of bookcases as the Oversize Shelf, again shelving flat.
Books shelved flat can be tricky to manipulate. If you want the book
on the bottom, the tendency is to just pull it out, sometimes bringing all the books out with it. Leave an empty shelf to use as a staging area so books on top of the desired book can be placed on that shelf, then returned once the desired book is in hand. You will also appreciate the work space when re-shelving oversize books.

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 or be material that has never been bound. When designing a repair, consider all aspects of the item to be repaired, the individual characteristics of repair materials, and the strengths and weaknesses of a particular structure.
Start by looking at how a book is constructed, why it needs repair and any previous repairs. Keep these questions in mind:

How does the book function?
Does it have signatures?
Is it adhesive bound? Side stapled?
Why did the book structure fail?
Is the original binding structure flawed?
Has a previous repair caused damage?
If the book has previous repairs, were inappropriate repair materials used?
Were the repair materials too weak or too strong for the original material?
If the book was damaged through use, can the damage be successfully repaired?
Will it happen again even if it is repaired?
If the original binding style was of poor construction or the paper is brittle, can the volume be successfully repaired by you? For instance, an adhesive bound book with many pages detached from the spine usually cannot be repaired without professional help.

Also consider these steps before planning your repair work:

Think about how a book functions now and how it will function when the repair is complete.
Ask librarians or book repair technicians how they would handle the repair but keep in mind that book repair is a field that has not been taught to many librarians. Beware of any answers that involve materials that are damaging to books.
Read books about book repair and conservation.

Reread instructions after practicing a specific repair several times; they will probably make more sense.

Complex Book Repairs

ADVANCED REPAIRS
Serious repair problems take more time and skill to accomplish than any other level of repair. Often, books that need advanced repairs were poorly repaired in the past.Here is the list of complex repair instructions I will cover in the next few posts.

Replacing Missing Corners

It is not uncommon for a corner of a hard cover book to be damaged or destroyed while the rest of the case is in reasonably good condition. These
corners can be replaced, and the instructions for simple repairs are covered in the post on Repairing Damaged Corners. .

These instructions are for more advanced repair work.
Cut through the book cloth along the top and side of the book board, cutting from the undamaged cloth toward the damaged corner. Make sure to cut far enough back so that the ragged edge of the book board is fully exposed.

Fold the book cloth out of the way and make a diagonal cut, trimming off the ragged edge of the damaged corner. Trim only as much board as necessary.

Make a second diagonal cut, about 3/8 – l/2” inside the first cut. This cut should only go through half of the thickness of the book board. Use a knife or microspatula to remove half the thickness of the book board to create a step.

Cut a replacement corner out of binder’s book board or mat board. This replacement comer should be the same thickness as the original board and should have a reverse step that will fit into the cut out step on the book cover.

Two or more layers of binder’s board or mat board can be glued together to achieve the desired thickness. Board from a discarded book can also be saved and used. If the undamaged corners have become rounded with use, it might be better to round the replacement corner to blend in with the other corners.

Fit the replacement corner onto the book and make sure it is the proper fit. Apply glue to the “step” in the book board and the replacement corner and fit in place.

Dry the repair under weight using paper covered bricks (position corner so it is flat against the work surface) or bull dog clips.

Cut a piece of new book cloth to fit the corner repair. Remember the grain of the corner cloth must run parallel with the spine of the book. Use the instructions on Replacing Book Cloth Corners to finish the repair.

Replacing Missing Pages

When a page is damaged beyond repair or has been previously mended with
clear plastic tape, it may have to be replaced to keep the book usable. If a page is missing entirely, the only option is to replace the page.
Check to see if a library has a second copy of the damaged book to use to photocopy a replacement page.

The photocopy paper will probably be larger than the book so the page(s) will need to be trimmed to fit the book. Replacement pages add thickness to the spine that can cause it to swell or split. Usually only 3 or 4 replacement pages can be safely inserted. All pages should be photocopied front and back to keep the added thickness to a minimum. All photocopied pages need to have a 3/4 – 1” wide inner margin for tipping or hinging into a book. The margins of the copied page should be uniform. The text on both sides should be in alignment.

Replacement pages that fold out of the book, such as maps, should be copied in sections, hinged together, then trimmed to text block height.
Single-sided copies should be aligned with the upper right hand corner of the paper. Since most books are not the same size as photocopy paper, it will be easiest to photocopy each page, cut and paste them into the correct position on a single sheet of paper, and then photocopy that page front and back. The edge margins can be trimmed to the correct size after the page is copied.

Use a light table or work with an outside window to line up the print and margins on the two pages for the correct placement. Use a light table or work on an outside window to line up the print and margins on the two pages for the correct placement.
If the cut and pasted photocopy came directly from the book, the finished replacement page will be a second generation copy. The more generations a copy is from the original, the less clear the print will be.
If possible, use acid-free bond paper to make copies for replacement pages.
Regular bond paper is acidic and can cause future damage to the book.
Acid-free bond can be more expensive than regular photocopy paper but one package of acid-free paper will last a long time if it is only used for photocopying replacement pages. Acid-free paper is also available in 11 x 14” and 11 x 17”. These larger sizes can be useful when replacing end sheets printed with maps or printed information.
Some photocopy machines have double-sided copy features, but it is not always best to use this feature. When a photocopy machine has a doublesided copy feature two separate paper trays are used, one outside the machine to load the paper and one inside the machine to store the paper between the first and second printing steps. Using two different paper trays often means the margins on the two sides of paper do not line up correctly. Each machine is different so experiment to see how a particular machine works.
If a photocopy machine does not have a double-sided copy feature or it does not make accurate double-sided copies, double-sided photocopies can still be made by copying the first page and then manually re-inserting the paper into the paper tray to print the second. For proper registration, IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE SAME LEADING EDGE OF PAPER IN BOTH PROCEDURES. There may still be a difference in the margins but it will be consistent each time and the cut and pasted copy can be readjusted to compensate for it. For instance, the second page of copy might need to be 3/8” lower than the first for the final copy to be even on both pages.
It may take several attempts to determine the correct difference between page 1 and page 2.

Trim the finished copy to the correct height then tip-in (using the instructions in the tipping in post ) or hinge-in (using the hinging in instructions post). Trim the fore edge to the correct width.

Hinging In Plates or Illustration Pages

Plates (illustration pages) 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 technique for hinging in a text page 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.