tyler6•3d ago

The day I picked cowhide over goat for a restoration job

I had to choose between a goat leather reback or a full cowhide recase on a 1904 encyclopedia volume last spring, and I went with the cowhide because it was stiffer and matched the original boards better. It worked fine and the customer liked it, but now the spine is cracking a little more than I expected. Has anyone else had cowhide act stiff like that on older books?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielw882d ago

That 1904 paper is probably pretty brittle too, so the cowhide's stiffness just puts more stress on the hinges. I've seen it happen on a few sets from that decade where the leather was too thick for the text block. The conditioner might help a little but the real issue is the hide itself not moving with the paper. Maybe try a lighter hand with the glue next time, keep it a bit away from the joint so the spine has some give. A lot of those old encyclopedia volumes have a weak shoulder area anyway so the cowhide just makes it worse.

skyler433d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that cowhide from that era can be really unpredictable with humidity changes, it might just need a different conditioner than what you used. The stiffness is a known issue with thicker hides on old paper.