March 2014 Gian Frontini 2gianfrontini.com/course_vellum.pdfLimp vellum binding and its potential as a conservation type structure for the rebinding of early printed books. Hitchin:

This series of slides leads you through the structure and construction methods of various styles of bindings in vellum

You should be able to gather a good understanding of the techniques involved and the materials requirements

If you do not like the idea of binding in vellum the same techniques can be used on leather and paper bindings, We will offer these alternatives during the course.

Achieving consistent good results will take practice and coordination but it is well within the reach of a good craftsman.

If you come to J. C. Campbell Folk School you will be guided through the various steps by experienced teachers and your learning process will be faster and more rewarding

Join us for a week of great adventure!!!

March 2014 Gian Frontini 2


Carved slate pages bound in vellum

Half vellum stiff bindings


Hand decorated semi-rigid vellum

Old leather cover on-lay on vellum

March 2014 5 Gian Frontini

All these materials are made of thin animal skins scraped of the hairs and dried under tension on a stretcher

The skins are soaked in lies for several days or weeks prior to stretching and scraping for hours.

The term parchment is traditionally applied to thin sheep skins used for calligraphy and illumination. Goat dear and calf skins used for bookbinding are called vellum. Raw Hide is a coarser material used for musical instruments, straps and industrial applications and common in simple early bindings.


There are several styles of vellum bindings and they can be classified into three main groups:

Limp vellum bindings

Semi-rigid vellum bindings

Cased vellum bindings

All styles are extremely durable and have outlived leather bindings by many centuries

Limp and semi-rigid vellum bindings are simple structures with great charm and adapt easily as modern art bindings


This style was very popular in the middle ages to cover vellum manuscripts and continued until the 18th century as a low cost functional binding.

The version of this binding with laced-in covers rater than adhesive text-to-cover connection is called in Europe a Dutch style and it is also a popular simple cover for functional work.

There are other forms of cover-to-text attachment such as sewing through the spine, and using adhesives on strong paste-downs.

A limp vellum revival took place during the Victorian Craft movement lead by William Morris and limp bindings find a renewed interest in modern book art




Folded casing With leather reinforcements


Text attached by long stitches on spine, reinforced with leather


The difference between a limp and a semi-rigid bindings is that in the latter the front and back covers are reinforced with a layer of wood or binder board. This results in a neater appearance. The binding sequence is the same for both cases For details on construction see Handout

Text is sewn on tapes or raw hide thongs


If rebinding a paperback first remove the glue, then cut slots in the spine with a saw and insert thongs.

Embroider head-bands on extended thongs and line the spine with several layers of Japanese paper





The lacing exits the cover at the shoulder joint and re enter near the edge of the board



In this semi rigid vellum binding sewn on tapes , the lacing of the cover is easier to see. There is no need of adhesives to hold the text block. if the slots are cut carefully so that the tapes are tight.

The durability of vellum and the appeal of the material ,lead to the development of cased binding with full or half –vellum covers.

The 17th and 18th century bindings in vellum are outstanding and extensive multicolor decorations with pierced layers and inlays became popular.

Simple undecorated cased bindings are also appealing for their texture and durability

A great revival of cased bindings took place at the beginning of the 20th century with reverse side pictorial representations on semi transparent vellum

A new school of vellum binding is growing in Europe (Germany and Eastern Europe) with some of the best craft binders in the world






A full vellum binding will tend to gape with changes of humidity and usually requires some form of closure on the fore edge




Using a leather joint on the inner hinge helps to

stabilize the vellum cover.


19th century Herbal in two volumes vellum bindings with

box

For detailed instructions see the handout

Pictures show a paperback converted to a vellum casing







Step5: Sew simple headbands like German Primary







Simple oil marbled papers and plain label or calligraphy Do not use 19th Century marbled papers, which are inconsistent with these bindings

Vellum can be decorated with drawings in calligraphy inks and coloured with water based paints

The ideal medium is egg tempera

Acrylic paints should be avoided as they are unsuited to the vellum surface



Laced vellum cover decorated with egg tempera









The book was originally sewn on leather thongs as suggested by the spacing of the threads and fragments found on the spine





Boards for a large folio must be cut from a well seasoned quarter sawn log

Ash in this case










Vellum can be repaired with very thin membranes applied both to the flesh and hair side

The operation is difficult and require practice in controlling warping


Pearson, David. English Bookbinding Styles. New Castle: Oak Knoll Press, 2005.

Clarkson, Christopher. Limp vellum binding and its potential as a conservation type structure for the rebinding of early printed books. Hitchin: Red Gull Press, 1982. Szirmai, J. A. The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding Brookfield: Ashgate Publishing, 1999.

Johnson, Arthur. “Manual of Bookbinding”. London: Thames and Hudson,

1978.

Middleton, Bernard C. A History of English Craft Bookbinding Technique London: The Holland Press, 1988. Espinosa, Robert. "The Limp Vellum Binding: a Modification," The New Bookbinder 13 (1993) 27-38. Barrios, Pamela. "Notes on the Limp Vellum Binding" The Bonefolder 2:2, 2006.


http://www.philobiblon.com/bonefolder/vol2no2contents.htm

Cased vellum quarter binding

The low-cost of limp binding ensured their survival well into the 18th

C. but already

in the 15th

C we find examples of stiff bindings for more elaborate vellum treatment.

The challenge of using vellum in place of leather is that a conventional flexible

binding, where the cover is glued directly to the spine, would be extremely stiff.

Three solutions have been applied to this problem:

Lace the text block into the boards and glue lined vellum only to the boards.

This will form a hollow back which opens easily but require heavy padding

of the spine to hide the cords or thongs on which the text is sewn. This

binding is soft and very pleasant, but does not wear well if the padding is

made of poor quality scrap paper.

Cover the cords with leather and slot the vellum so that it is attached to the

spine only between bands. This is a very elegant and extremely durable

solution particularly when alum towed leather is used. The construction is

very demanding ( unless you like the messy look)

Recess the cord and use a hollow tube in conjunction with a special

compound board called Harrison board. This is an excellent solution to the

problem although historically very recent.

These instructions are for a Harrison board.

It is recommended to use a text block sewn on cords or tapes for this construction as

the end result is more satisfactory than a single-sheet block (paperback)

Preparing the text block (if using a paperback)

• Remove paperback cover

• Shave the spine or cut with plow

• Mark spine approximately every 2 inch starting 1 1/2inch from each

end

• Saw cord slots

• Insert and glue cords 2 inches longer than spine

• Make two gatherings of 8 pages

• Sew the gathering to the cords (do not tip)

• Glue one layer of thin leather over spine (can be extended into head-

bands)

• Let dry

• Sew head-bands or make leather head-band from leather spine strip

inserting two leather thongs

• Build a 2-out hollow tube over the spine extending past the head-bands

• Apply false bands if desired

• Let dry

If a sewn block is used it should be rounded and backed to 45° before

applying the leather. All linings should cover only the spine and not extend

into the joint.

Preparing and attaching the boards

• Make a thickness gauge gluing one thickness of barrier board, one

thickness of .120 Davy board, one thickness of vellum lining and one

thickness of vellum. This gauge will set the joint and the square. We

will call its thickness ‘G’.

• Cut two boards of ‘barrier board*’ to fit the text-block plus head and

tail squares of 1G and fore-edge square of 4G.

• If using cords fray the cords and glue them to the barrier board,

carefully setting the squares and pushing the board up to the joint. If

using tapes cut them to 1inch and glue them to the barrier board. If

using thongs lace them to the barrier board.

• Glue the .120 Davy board and place it over the barrier board,

registering the head and tail and setting back from the hinge 1G. Do not

trim fore-edge

• When dry shape and sandpaper the boards

• Line the boards with plain wove paper including the edges

Vellum Cover

Make a template for the vellum spine by wrapping a strip of card over

the spine and extending on the boards approximately 1/5th of the

width. Mark the spine width and center on this strip.

Make a template marking the height of the book plus 1inch at head

and tail.

Transfer the template measures to a sheet of Moriki lining and pencil

the template dimensions on it. Cut to size.

Use the Moriki lining to mark a piece of vellum and cut economically

from the skin. Sandpaper the edges at head and tail to a feather edge.

Paste both the Moriki and the vellum until relaxed, join together and

press between boards for 20 minutes.

Trim the hollow tube and slit 1inch at head and tail

Cut two relieve notches on the boards at the head and tail joint

Wrap the text block with paper or film

Prepare two thin rods with elastic bands

Place a flag in the center gathering of the text block, glue spine and

part of the boards with PVA. Breathe deeply, focus and pitch the text

block on the vellum. Bring the vellum onto the boards and

immediately tuck in the head and tail and form the caps. This should

be done quickly and without hesitation, but be careful that the vellum

lies flat in the turn-ins.

Turn the book over and work the head bands with a band stick. Do not

use bone or Teflon folders.

Place the two wooden rods in at the joint holding them with elastic

bands

Put the book in a press between clean boards with a lining of Pellan or

blotting paper.

Allow to dry for one hr. remove book and polish the vellum with a

band-stick. If covering has failed, wet and pull the vellum

immediately, it cannot be reused but the boards can be saved.

Put one lining of strong paper on the inside of the boards.

Dry overnight in a press with tins to protect the text-block.

Completing the cover

Observe the boards. If they are not flat, line the inside until there is no

tendency to curl outward

Trim the fore-edge to 1G plus 1/16th (the book will pull in with time)

Make four small corners in vellum and apply them to the border with

the ‘good side’ inside the covers

Trim the vellum on the board to 1/5th of width

Make two decorative paper linings covering the corners, trim the

paper to 45° and turn inside.

Let dry

Trim and fill the inside of the boards

Put down the pastedowns in the flexible style

Label as required and decorate the board and spine

Provide front closures for large books

Note: Gold tooling on vellum with foil or leaf is a low contrast decoration.

Colored foils also work well and so do indelible inks. Blind tooling is not

very noticeable but shallow shapes carved or on-laid on the boards are

excellent and so are lacing, leather on-lays and inlays.

Gian Frontini

January 2010

Limp vellum binding

This style of binding was very popular in the Middle Ages to cover vellum

manuscripts and continued until the 18th century as a low cost functional binding.

There are many forms of cover-to-text attachment such as sewing through the spine,

using the extension of the head bands and using adhesives on strong paste-downs.

The version of this binding with laced-in covers is called in Europe a Dutch Style

and it is also a popular simple cover for functional work. Limp vellum bindings are

suitable for small books (say 5”X7”or less) as the opening becomes very restricted in

larger volumes and the joints will split.

These instructions are for the adhesive casing of a text-block or for head band

extensions plus paste-downs. For laced-in casing see the semi-rigid instructions.

Binding of this kind were not rounded or backed, but on a sewn block the binding

opens a lot better if it is rounded. No backing should be done on a limp binding.




• Saw cord slots approximately 1inch spacing

• Insert and glue cords 2inches longer than spine

• Make two gatherings of 8 pages. The outer page is a waste sheet



bands)

• Let dry

• Sew head-bands or make leather head-band from spine strip

• Let dry

(If a sewn block is used it should be rounded before applying the leather.)

Preparing the casing

• Make two templates:

– A parallel or girdle template, which goes around the text block in

a horizontal position at the widest point plus 2inches.

– A meridian or vertical template, which is the height of the text

block plus 2inches.

• Mark the templates:

– On the girdle template mark the center, the width of the spine and

the width of the text plus the square. The square should be about

1/8th of one inch over the boards, unless you plan for a more

elaborate edge treatment like a front flap or a Yapp edge.

– On the vertical template mark the height of the text plus the

square.

• Cut the flexible stiffener (red board) and any decorative insert you wish

to make using the two templates at the square marks.

• Transfer the markings for center and the width of the spine from the

template.

• Cut the vellum using the two templates full width and transfer the

markings for the width of the spine and for the turn-ins with faint pencil

marks at the edge.

• At the edge of the spine make two holes in the turn-ins about ¼” inch

from the square. Cut V notches to these holes.

• Cut four holes at the fore-edge turn-in line to insert lacing

` centerline

turn-in line

lace pattern of holes

for laced-in version

lace

• Execute decorative perforations and underlay decorations before the

next step

Casing-in

Text-block:

On the text block fray the cords and paste them to the waste sheet as

flat as possible using the back of a knife and a needle. Fold the waste

sheet in two and glue with the cords inside

Cover:

Temporally assemble vellum, decorative insert, and red board making

sure that the turn-in marks correspond to the edges of the inserts

Score the assembly at the turn-ins lines and at the spine edges

Insert the closing tapes into the turn-ins at the fore edge and sharply

fold the fore turn-ins over the inserts

Fold the head and tail turn-ins and create a library-style corner. The

inserts are now firmly held in place but a dab of PVA at the corners

will help stabilize the cover.

If using head band extensions make two holes at heads and tail exactly

at the spine fold and return to the inside after 1/4inch through two

more holes

Glue the folded paste-downs with PVA, lay them on the cover and

press the book firmly for about one hour

Pastedowns are only tipped on the edge and not glued allover

Note: when using Pergamenata or any other vegetable parchment gluing the

paste-downs will introduce moisture and cause distortions. The book should

be pressed for no more than two minutes, opened and dried with an air

drier. Vellum can take the small amount of moisture without distorting.

Gian Frontini

January 2010

Semi-rigid vellum binding on leather thongs

In the late 1800’s William Morris revived the craft of vellum bindings with many

innovative designs many with magnificent under-vellum decorations.

These instructions are for the tape-casing of a text-block with some adhesive

binding to improve the opening

Binding of this kind were not rounded or backed, but on a sewn block the binding

opens a lot better if it is rounded. No backing should be done on a semi rigid

binding.




• Mark spine every inch and locate four symmetrical positions for leather

thongs two of which should be the head band extensions

• Saw cord slots

• Insert and glue cords 2inches longer than spine and thongs 6” longer

than spine

• Make two gatherings of 8 pages



bands)

• Cut all the cords even with the spine except for the four leather thongs

• Let dry

• Sew head-bands or make leather head-band from leather spine strip

inserting two more leather thongs

• Let dry

(If a sewn block is used it should be rounded before applying the leather.)

Preparing the casing

• Make two templates:

– A parallel or girdle template, which goes around the text block in

a horizontal position at the widest point plus 2 3/8th

inches.

– A meridian or vertical template, which is the height of the text

block plus 2inches.

• Mark the templates:

– On the girdle template mark the center, the width of the spine, two

marks at 3/16thfrom the spine and then the width of the text plus

the square. The square should be about 1/8th

of one inch over the

boards, unless you plan for a more elaborate edge treatment like a

front flap or a Yapp edge. Vellum shrink and it is wise to allow

for bigger squares than 1/8th

.

– On the vertical template mark the height of the text plus the

square.

• Using the templates cut two boards and a spine stiffener. The boards

should be .080” and the stiffener card stock. Also cut a filler to fit

between the two boards when drying.

• Line the boards on both sides with white wove paper covering the edges

as well.

• Cut the vellum using the two templates full width and transfer the

markings for the width of the spine, the extra 3/16th

and for the turn-ins

with faint pencil marks at the edge.

• At the edge of the spine make two holes in the turn-ins about ¼” inch

from the square. Cut V notches to these holes

` Centerline

Turn-in line

3/16th

Tapes

board

Cut a Japanese paper liner same size as the vellum

Paste vellum and liner until limp

Combine the two and position the boards over the liner

Place the spine stiffener

Locate the insert

Place in a standing press between blotters and dry for 24hrs

Casing-in

Cover:

Carefully wrap cover over text, insert text well into cover, check for

squares, and mark the exit points of the thongs.

Cut slots at the exit points by first defining the edges with a small

hole and then cutting between the holes. ( do the same for head bands

extensions if you have chosen this construction)*

Lace thongs through and mark the reentry point at the edge of the

boards. Cut lots as above and lace-in (with a dab of PVA)

Provide fasteners at fore-edge, either tapes, tapes and buttons, thongs

and beads etc

Paste the paste-downs with PVA and lay them down.

Insert vapor barriers and press book for a few hours, then lace the

fore edge**

Note:*medieval bindings did not have slots but holes made with an howl,

this works well if the thongs are thin.

**When using Pergamenata or any other vegetable parchment gluing the

paste-downs will introduce moisture and cause distortions. The book should

be pressed for no more than two minutes, opened and dried with an air

drier. Vellum can take the small amount of moisture without distorting.

Gian Frontini

January 2010

Documents

March 2014 Gian Frontini 2gianfrontini.com/course_vellum.pdfLimp vellum binding and its potential as a conservation type structure for the rebinding of early printed books. Hitchin: