Fastback bindings

While I haven't examined any aged Fastback bindings, I've used this
method a lot and have noticed a few things.

Fastback binding can be very effective if done carefully. This takes a
little practise as the side-feeder for the binding strips is not as well
designed as it should be. Care should be taken to jog the material being
bound, and the edges of the pages should rest on the bottom plate. This
can be difficult to do with thicker materials; sometimes it is hard to
do this while keeping your fingers out of the way of the clamping bar.
In my experience the bind is very strong if done well on new pages, but
there can be problems in binding older or wrinkled materials. If not
done correctly, pages may fall out of the bind. If rebinding is
necessary, the tape must be cut off and the cover replaced (or the tape
has to be shaved off).

One thing I used to do with packets of 8+" X 11" pages was to copy the
cover page onto cardstock, laminate the copy and a blank sheet, and use
those for the covers (trimming the laminate right to the edge. The
Fastback heat-set glue takes very well to laminated materials, and the
result is very much like a commercially-produced perfect bound book.

Steve Reitci

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 7:87
                   Distributed: Friday, June 3, 1994
                        Message Id: cdl-7-87-003
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