My mentor in Portland told me my headbands were too tight for a proper rounding job

I was using a 3mm leather strip for the backing, and she pointed out it was crushing the signatures instead of shaping them. Now I use a 1.5mm strip and pre-shape the spine for a full day before I even start rounding. Has anyone else had a specific tool or material thickness change their whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.val12d ago

What's your pre-shaping method for the spine?

anna_stone4512d ago

Honestly black.val, is pre-shaping the spine that big of a deal? I mean, maybe it's just me but I just throw the book in the press and crank it down. Seen so many people fuss with heat guns and special clamps for hours. My old paperbacks from the 90s are fine and I never did any of that. Feels like making a simple thing way too hard sometimes.

mark_lane421d ago

Ever wonder if it's more about the glue in modern books? The stuff they use now seems way more brittle than the old flexible glue. So maybe pre-shaping is a fix for cheap materials, not better craft.