A Manual of the Art of Bookbinding. James B. Nicholson
and fore-edge is equal throughout, bringing those to their proper place that are too short, and cutting those that are longer than the general margin. By these means a uniformity will be presented after the edges of the book are cut, which could never be attained if not attended to while the book is in this state.
The sheets of the book, being all folded, are then laid out along the edge of the gathering table, in the regular order of the signatures; the gatherer then commences at the last sheet or signature, takes one sheet from the parcel, one from the next, and so on until the first sheet or title is placed upon the top of the rest. The sheets are then held loosely in the hand, and allowed to fall lightly upon their backs and heads upon a smooth board, until they arrange themselves in an even, uniform manner. They are then
COLLATED,
to see that the whole of the sheets belong to the same work and volume, as also that none are wanting. This is done by taking the book in the right hand by the upper corner of the fore-edge, and with the left opening the sheets on the back and letting them fall successively one after the other. The signatures will be thus seen in alphabetical or arithmetical order, as a, b, c, &c., or 1, 2, 3, 4, &c., to the last, which should always be examined to ascertain that it is the completion of the book. By these means any sheet incorrectly folded is also detected. Books in folio and quarto are generally collated with a needle or pricker, by raising the sheets singly from the table; but this practice should be resorted to as little as possible, as the work is liable to be damaged. If any sheet is wanting, or belongs to another volume, or is a duplicate, the further progress of the work must be suspended till the imperfection is procured or exchanged. Those that have been wrong folded must be corrected, and any cancels occurring in the work cut out and replaced by the reprints, which will generally be found in the last sheet of the book. It is usual also with some binders to place any plates belonging to the volume, at this period; but as the liability of damage to them is great in the process of beating, or rolling, it will be much better to perform that operation after the book is brought from the stone, for which directions will be given. The book, being found correct, will be ready for the beating-stone, which, although it has been almost entirely superseded by the introduction of machinery, will always be invaluable to a binder of limited means; and the amateur will find it to be an essential process to secure the first great requisite of good binding—solidity
BEATING, PRESSING, ETC.
The first operation is commenced by shaking the volume upon the stone by the back and head, so as to make the whole even and facilitate the division of it into as many equal parts, which are called sections or beatings, as may be judged necessary according to the thickness and other circumstances. A section is then taken and well beaten over, drawing it with the hand towards the body so as to bring the various parts successively under the hammer, and carefully avoiding striking more blows in one part than the other, except giving the edges a slight extra tap round. The section is then turned, and the like proceeding gone through; as also on each side after it has been separated and the bottom part placed on the top, the middle of the section being thereby brought under the action of the hammer. This being done, the sheets are replaced in their proper order, and two or three taps of the hammer given to make them lie even. In beating those books with which, from their value, greater care is required, it is usual to place a guard or waste leaf of paper on each side of the section, to avoid any stains or marks which the stone or hammer might be liable to make.
It requires more skill than actual strength in beating, the weight of the hammer being nearly sufficient for many works. Attention must be paid to the hammer descending parallel to the surface of the stone, to avoid marking or cutting the sheets with the edge.
Before beating a book, care should be taken to observe if it has been recently printed, for if so it would set off by being beaten too much. This will be easily ascertained by referring to the date at the foot of the title, or by smelling the ink it has been printed with, which, being composed partly of oil, will not have got perfectly dry. This will particularly be the case with machine-printed works. As, however, it is frequently necessary to bind a volume immediately after being printed, it will be requisite to take every precaution against its setting off, which would destroy the beauty of the work. It is the practice of some to put the book into an oven after the bread has been taken out, or into a stove heated sufficiently to dry the ink and make it search into the paper; but, as these means are not without danger of getting the paper blackened or soiled, it is a better plan to interleave the sheets with white paper, which will receive all the ink set off. Should the sheets have been hotpressed, which is readily distinguished, this precaution will not be necessary.
When employed at the beating-stone, the workman should keep his legs close together, to avoid hernia, to which he is much exposed if, with the intention of being more at ease, he contracts the habit of placing them apart.
A rolling-machine has been invented as a substitute for the beating which books require previous to being bound. The book is divided into parts, according to the thickness of the book; each part is then placed between tins, or pieces of sole-leather; the rollers are then put in motion, and the part passed through. This is repeated until the requisite degree of solidity is obtained. The great objections to the rolling-machine are the liabilities to cause a set-off, or transfer of the printing-ink, upon the opposite page, by the friction which is produced by passing between the rollers, and the bow-like appearance which they give the book, and which is to the forwarder a serious cause of annoyance, and sometimes all his skill and care are insufficient to remedy the evil caused by the rollers.
A powerful embossing press, technically called a smasher, has lately been employed with great advantage. A book is placed between tins, the platen is adjusted to a proper height, and the large fly-wheels set in motion. The platen descends in a perpendicular manner; then, upon its ascending, by means of a small handle the distance between the platens is decreased; the wheels still continuing in motion, the book, upon the descent of the platen, is compressed more forcibly than at first. The operation is repeated until the book has experienced the whole power of the press. It has been calculated that by this process a single volume will, if necessary, undergo a pressure equal to a weight of from fifty to eighty tons.
This process has an advantage over every other hitherto employed in which machinery has been engaged; and it is, in some respects, preferable to beating, as the book is of the same thickness in every part, while in beating there is a great liability to beat the edges thinner than the centre; and the air appears to be as completely forced out as if the beating-hammer had been used; and there seems to be no disposition in the book to swell up again after undergoing this crushing process.
In some binderies a hydraulic press is relied upon for compressing the sheets, without their undergoing the beating or rolling process. For publishers' work it has been found to answer the purpose for which it is employed, as the press can be filled up by placing the books in layers of from one to four or eight, according to their size, between iron plates; and the immense power of the press is thus evenly distributed through a large quantity of sheets at the same time.
HYDRAULIC PRESS, FROM THE MANUFACTORY OF
ISAAC ADAMS & CO., BOSTON.
The power of compression is derived from the pump to the left of the press, which is supplied with water from a cistern sunk under it. The water thus sent, by means of the tube seen passing from it to the centre of the foot of the press, causes the cylinder to which the bed is fixed to rise and compress the books or paper tightly between the bed and head of the press. When it is forced as high as can be by means of the pump-handle seen, a larger bar is attached and worked by two men. The extraordinary power of this press is so great as to cause, particularly in common work, a saving of more than three-fourths of the time required in bringing books to a proper solidity by the common press. When it is wished to withdraw the books, the small cock at the end of the tube at the foot of the press is turned, the water flows into the cistern below, and the bed with the books glides gently down in front of the workman.