I want to share with you a beautiful video featuring Toronto based bookbinder Don Taylor. Brought to us by Toronto Standard.
YOU KNOW YOU LOVE WASTING TIME. THIS WILL BE TOTALLY WORTHWHILE.
I love seeing master craftspeople working. There area number of techniques we can learn about from the images in this little film.
I assure you that this is in fact a steaming pile of goodness. The first thing we see is a little tip related to tooling leather. This is a process of applying heat and pressure to the surface of leather, leaving gold or other colored impressions. Here we see Don cooling a tool after removing it from the heat source. It is very important to make sure it is the proper temperature. If the metal stamping surface of the tools are too hot the leather surface will burn or warp, etc. One will often witness bookbinders touching the surface of their tools with bare fingers as it is said that the ideal temperature is still tolerable to the touch. I have not tested the accuracy of this theory, please let me know if you have insider info to add about the proper temperature.
The interesting thing about this photo is Don's setup - he appears to be using a large sea sponge in a dish with water to control the temperature of the tool. Other setups can include cotton or other absorbent fibrous materials in a shallow bowl with water. When you are tooling you do not want the surface of the tool (the part that comes in contact with the leather) to get wet as this can damage the tool over time. The solution is to roll the metal cylinder band that attaches the metal stamp to the handle.
It starts to make more sense here, where we can see the whole setup: on top there is a little specialized stove for heating tools, and below there is the cooling station.
This photo belonging to Pat and Rosemary Keough of ANTARCTICA and LABYRINTH SUBLIME shows a finishing stove much more clearly. View their website at: http://www.keough-art.com/tome_passion_blog/tome_passion_blog_24.php
If we look at this stove, we can see that there are two distinct sections. The disc at the center is a hot flat surface for heating the face of the tools. The outer ring supports the wooden handles of the tools while keeping them a safe distance from the heat source. Note that there are little groves all along the edge of the outer ring to keep the tools stable.
Back to Don - we have seen him heat and cool the tool, and now he touches the tool to the gold foil, which is layered on top of the leather.
When the excess foil is removed, a crisp line remains.
Another way to work with gold leaf or gold foil is with the aid of specialized machines you find in professional binderies. I totally, totally wish.
While gold leaf or gold foil are very popular, gorgeous results can be achieved simply allowing the leather and the patterning to stand alone. This is referred to as stamping.
This style of decorating is called blind tooling. I imagine that this is because it is often performed freehand or by assembling small simple line stamps into large and complex designs.
Stamps with full designs are available, and can be used on their own or with gold leaf for good times.
BONUS INFO: Shot of a professional paring leather. A sharp specialized knife is used to shear a portion of the backside of the leather away to make it thinner while still remaining strong. This is critical on all turn-in areas of leather in order to keep the profile smooth. If the leather is folded without being pared, it is bulky and creates a bulbous profile for your book. Notice how he is holding the knife - they cut better when approaching from an angle than they do straight on.
DOUBLE BONUS INFO: Cuttin' corners. I hope you can forgive me for that pun. In order to make your corner turn-ins meet flush rather than overlap, you must cut the leather before folding. Depending on the thickness of the leather, start approx 2 mm out from the corner, then measure 45 degree angles relative to the to the corner. After some time you will be able to measure this by eye as Don seems to be doing here.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.
xo
Laura
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