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Repair the binding on your beloved book

by Anna Sattler, Posted Nov 20th 2007 3:00PM

Filed Under: fix-it, Crafts

old antique booksI have wonderful old (circa 1800's) books in my house that are pretty beat up from so much use, and because they are, well, old. Some of my books are missing the binding. My bible gets used so much, we had to duct tape the cover on!

You and I can repair the binding on our beloved books, thanks to wikiHow. They have step-by-step instructions and pictures that we can easily follow to get our books back into usable condition.

Using plastic glue that you can probably buy online, binder tape, scissors, something to smooth edges, heavy rubber bands, and a sharp needle, you can repair the worn out binding on your favorite books.

WikiHow cautions not to repair the binding on really old books yourself; rather, take it to professionals. In that case, I guess I will leave my ancient books the way they are. They also caution not to use packing tape or duct tape on your books. Over time, the tape will turn to goo and eventually ruin your book. Hmmm, that hasn't been my case with my Bible, so I guess I will leave the duct tape on it for now.


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Tags: antique, bible, book, books, duct-tape, fix, old, repair

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

  • reb
    Vote upVote downReport
    11-21-2007 @12:46PM
    reb said...

    As a professional book conservator, I just can't stay quiet about how important it is not to try this mending method on anything that you're hoping to have for the long term. The manufacturers that the article recommends tend to sell poor quality products that are only suitable for use on books that have a limited expected lifespan. For anything you want around for more than a few years, *no* tape, not even the tapes recommended in this article are acceptable.

    There are good quality materials and techniques out there. For a better manual, try this link: http://library.state.ak.us/hist/conman.html

    or this one: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~preserve/repair/repairindex.htm

    And it can't be said enough-- for anything with monetary or sentimental value, please contact a professional conservator. It's so easy for a layperson to do damage when trying to work on their stuff.

    Sorry to be so negative about this article, but as you can imagine, I feel strongly about taking proper care of books.

    Reply
  • 1 Comments / 1 Pages

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