5 February 2011

The Perfect Bind

Week 3 of my internship at Walker Books and I got to use the Perfect Binder! And here she is... it consists of a clamp, paper grater and hot glue. I took the opportunity to make the first edition of the Obverse catalogue!

Walker mock up all their books using this, they've only had it 5 years, before this they used good old fashioned double sided tape to put their books together! As I don't hand one of these at home, I will still have to stick to the tape.


First you clamp the pages of your book together. Then you use the machine to grate the edge of the pile: this allows the hot glue to seep in between the papers so that it can hold them together, otherwise the glue will just sit on top of the edge of the clean edge and the pages will come apart.


This is the hot glue roller roler, you roll the hot glue over the edge of the spin a few times until a thick layer covers the spine. Once it has dried, you do it again.


You have to wrap paper round the book while the glue is drying so that it doesn't get stuck to anything - coz its super strong glue!


Then you tear it off (and the paper gets stuck to the spine!)


These are the two catalogues I've made and perfect binded! Now it's time to put the jackets on!


Sticking the jackets to some backing card


Steve's strong tape selection!


Matt laminating the jacket


I hand cut a spot varnish on the cover image


 You can't really see, but the image on the right (front cover) is now shiny and the rest is matt laminated


Then you score the spine (on the reverse of the jacket)


To give it a clean edge that springs up


Then use double sided tape to stick the book to the cover


And trim off the excess!


Then voila! My first perfect bound book!




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