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TIGHTENING BOOKS IN THEIR HINGES
Sometimes books become loose in the inner hinge area because the spine lining and the endsheets are partially unglued from the covers. (Often called "shaken" in
dealers' catalogs.) The contents of large, heavy volumes stored upright tend to sag away from their cases. Improper shelving can also cause loose hinges: the textblocks of oversize books stored on their
fore edges start sagging and separating from the case, and books at haphazard angles, unsupported by book-ends get distorted. Books thrown down bookdrops suffer similarly and so do books that have been
wet. A simple method for regluing these damaged volumes uses a knitting needle (No.3 or 4) and PVA or mix.
Stand the book up and open the covers approximately at a right angle to the bookblock.
Dip the knitting needle all the way into bottle containing PVA or mix. (Snip off tip of cap to accommodate needle size.) As you pull the needle
out of the bottle, just enough glue will remain on the needle. (You can also “paint” the needle with a thin coat of adhesive if you don't have a plastic bottle handy.)
Insert the needle into the loose area between the endsheet and the hinge. Be careful not to pierce the endpaper at the inner hinge. Move the needle gently
up and down to coat the area. Turn the book upside down and repeat process from the other end.
Recoat the needle with PVA as needed.
If a wide area of the hinge was glued, it will need to be smoothed down. Put the book down on the table, open the cover and support it with boards or another book.
Put a protective sheet over the freshly glued area and rub down gently with the flat of a bone folder. Insert a piece of wax paper and
close the book. From the outside, work the cloth into the joint, being careful not to split the cloth. Repeat these steps on the other hinge if needed. Place the book between boards and let dry
overnight under a weight.
HINGE REINFORCEMENT
After tightening the book in its case as described above, it may be necessary to consolidate weakened or cracked inner hinges. Use
Japanese paper; it has long fibers and is strong and flexible. The traditional adhesive for this step is starch paste but methyl cellulose works well. Mix can also be used but the result will be a
shinier, more noticeable repair.
Select a medium weight tissue such as Sekishu. Cut or tear a strip the height of the text block by approx. 1/2" wide.
Open the book and support the cover with boards. Paste up the Japanese tissue strip. Pick it up with a microspatula and position it
over the joint. Pat it down gently with fingertips, then rub with a bone folder through a piece of Remay. Let it air dry for 10 min. or so
before closing the book. This allows the repair to set and minimizes wrinkling.
You can speed up the drying with a hair dryer set at Low. Trim the paper strip to size, using small scissors. When dry, close the book and repeat on the other side.
If you need to close the book before the repair is dry, insert a piece of wax paper next to the tissue.
Note: A Japanese tissue hinge or repair will be less shiny when it dries if Methyl Cellulose is used rather than mix.
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