Bookbinding for beginners

by Florence O. Bean; John C. Brodhead

On the front piece of vellum lay the newsboard as in A, and draw around it. From the corners indicated by the pencil lines measure equal distances along adjacent lines, and connect the points by straight lines. Be careful not to make these lines too near the corners, ¾ of an inch to 1 inch being a good measurement for a small pad. Cut on these lines with a sharp knife, or folding the ends of the line together, cut along the line with scissors.

Apply paste to the front piece, being careful not to paste outside the slanting lines at the corners, for this space should be left free to hold the sheets of paper. One way to protect these corners is to insert a piece of newsboard or paper in the slits, from the right side of the vellum, so that the corners on the wrong side are covered. The paste may then be applied with freedom. Remove the protecting piece of newsboard and paste the vellum to the foundation. Finish as in A without the hanger, or, if desired, add pencil holder as in B. Cut several sheets of white paper ⅛ of an inch smaller than the newsboard, and, when the paste is thoroughly dry, insert them in the slits.

D. Blotter

Like C except that it should be large enough to hold a school blotter. Increase the size of the corners to be proportionate to the size of the blotter.

Problem IV

Time: 8 hours.
Materials: Newsboard, vellum, and lining paper.
Note: As in Problem II, each of these models has a foundation of a single piece of newsboard, covered on the front with vellum, but on the back with lining paper.

A. A Needlecase

As shown at A in Plate XIII, the needlecase should be planned to hold four papers of needles, two at each end. The size of the case will depend on the size of the papers of needles, and must be planned accordingly. Make the width a little more than twice the width of a paper of needles, and allow a little space lengthwise between the papers of needles to permit their easy removal. The pockets are formed of strips of vellum pasted on to each end of the foundation, and their depth should be a little more than half the length of a paper of needles.

An accurate working drawing of the completed case should be made (see Plate XIV). From this, mark out and cut the newsboard to the correct size. The front covering of vellum should have laps on the sides only and may well be a little shorter than the foundation. Make freehand, dimensioned sketches of this piece, of the vellum pockets, and of the marbled paper. The pockets should have ½ inch laps on three sides for pasting to the back. On the other edge, which is to be free, allow at least an eighth of an inch to be turned over like a hem onto the wrong side for a neat finish. The paper for the back should be one-fourth of an inch narrower and shorter than the foundation.

Mark out and cut with the scissors, the pieces of vellum and marbled paper. The front covering should be pasted on first. Before pasting the pockets (which should be fastened to the back only) turn over the hem, and crease it hard, but do not paste. The hem will extend onto the side laps. From these laps cut off the under side of the hem that it may not be double. Paste on the pockets and the back. Dry all under weight.