[PADG:196] Re: Buckram for library book repair

[Shannon Zachary <szachary@xxxxxxxxx>]

Diane,
We have started using LBS poly-cotton C-cloth in place of D-grade buckram
for our in-house recasing. See http://www.lbsbind.com/
The cloth is sturdy, looks good, adheres with our PVAs, and is flexible
enough to work by hand. You may order the cloth in rolls, sheets, or
pre-cut sizes.

We also use the English finish buckram and it works well for us. We're
using up old stocks of this buckram; I'm not sure how much longer supplies
and color selection will be readily available on the market in the kind
of limited quantities a hand repair unit uses.

Shannon Zachary, Head, Conservation Services
Preservation Division, University Library
The University of Michigan
837 Greene St. / 3202 Buhr Bldg.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1048
Phone: 734/763-6980 Fax: 734/763-7886
email: szachary@xxxxxxxxx


On Wed, 22 Sep 2004, Diane Westerfield wrote:

> Please excuse any cross posting)
>
> I'm the bindery coordinator in a mid-sized academic library.  We
> perform simple book repair, up to casing in with new endsheets.  I'm
> coming to the end of my inherited stock of buckram of unknown
> provenance, and thinking about what buckram or other material I should
> purchase.
>
> My basic quandary is this.  I know that the heavy weight buckram used
> by commercial binders is available and it's tough stuff.  However, since
> book repair takes a back seat to bindery prep around here, you have to
> be a bit motivated to get to the repairs.  F-grade buckram is not going
> to help with the motivation; despite its good properties it's not
> aesthetically pleasing and looks difficult to work with.  The thickness
> of the fabric makes it unattractive for spine repairs where it will be
> obvious underneath the lifted fabric of the original binding.
>
> So, I'd like to get the expert opinion on this - could I get away with
> using a lower-weight buckram like the Joanna (English finish) buckram
> offered by Talas?  The samples look pretty similar to the old buckram
> we've been using.   If there are other alternatives please let me know.
>
> I have the Talas Canapetta sample too, and although attractive, the
> fabric seems a little too nubby for library repairs - I imagine it would
> be prone to fraying and to rubbing the bindings of adjacent books on the
> shelf.
>
> Thanks,
> Diane Westerfield, Bindery/Preservation Coordinator
> Loyola University Chicago, Cudahy Library Bindery
> dwester@xxxxxxx
> 773-508-2628
>
>
>
>