pat360•6d ago

Ripped the spine clean off a brand new book yesterday

I was in my little workshop space in the basement, trying to round the spine of this 400 page novel I was rebinding. Thought I had it clamped down tight enough, but I guess not. About halfway through the rounding process with my hammer, I heard this awful crack sound. The spine just snapped right off the text block. I was so mad I threw my hammer across the room. Ended up having to cut the whole thing apart and start over from scratch with new paper. Has anyone else had a text block just give up on them like that? What do you do when the paper quality is garbage and it can't handle the pressure?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt8626d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, I've had that same "spine just gave up" thing happen before. The worst is when you think you've got the clamp tight and then that crack sound hits like a gunshot. For me, it was a cheap paperback that felt like the paper was made of cardboard dust. What I started doing was pre-soaking the spine with a little PVA glue before I even touch it with a hammer. Let it dry overnight and then try rounding. You can also wrap the text block in some scrap cloth in the clamp to spread the pressure out. If the paper is really garbage like you said, sometimes just skip the hammer and round it by hand with a bone folder. Takes longer but less risk of snapping things off clean.

paulc936d ago

Pre-soaking with PVA is a solid move, I've started doing that on anything that feels like it might turn into confetti. That crack sound is just the worst though, makes you feel like a total amateur for a second even if you've done it a hundred times. My first attempt at rounding ended with me holding a book in two separate pieces saying "well that's just great" to an empty room. Hand rounding with a bone folder is honestly the way to go on garbage paper, I've snapped more than a few spines trying to force it with a hammer like a caveman. Still jump whenever I hear that sound though, doesn't matter how careful you are.