Repairing the Spine of a Book – Part 3

FITTING THE REPAIR PATCH TO THE BOOK

1. Slip the repair patch in place between the original book cloth and the book board.
2. Make sure the patch is long enough and wide enough to cover the damaged area.
3. Use the long edge of a folder to work the patch into both cover joints.
4. Take a moment to check the position of the patch. The new book cloth patch should lie flat against the book boards and spine of the text block. There should not be any wrinkles or buckles in the patch or the book cloth shine. The patch should extend about 5/8” above the top of the book board and should extend at least l/2” below the bottom of the spine damage. It should also extend past both hinges toward the fore edge of the book.
5. If the repair patch does not fit correctly, trim it down or cut a new one.