Ever wondered about the process and work involved in restoring a book?
We thought it would be interesting to share with you all the process and skills involved in the restoration of a Bible. Click on any picture below to zoom in and see more detail.
Thinking of getting your old books repaired? Email us or give us a call on 0208 992 3965 and speak to one of our friendly team today!
Restoration Step One : RECREATION BY DESIGN
The restoration of this book begins with Robbie in our design team. The customer wanted the Bible to appear as close to the original as possible. We save original spines whenever we can, but unfortunately this spine had red rot in the leather and was cracking, so we could not do this. The spine is very carefully scanned, before the words and intricate details are painstakingly recreated. The artwork is produced in Adobe Illustrator as a vector file, so that this can be prepared as brand new foil artwork.
Restoration Step TWO : the foiling process
The recreated artwork for the spines are made in to brass blocking dies for our artisan bookbinder Piotr to work his magic on. A new leather spine has been created with raised bands ready to replace the existing spine which is irreparable, real gold foil is then used to block on to the new spine. The results are stunning!
Restoration Step three : REPAIRED AND PREPARED
Next, the old covers are carefully removed from the book and the sides are carefully lifted ready for the new spine to be inserted to join the whole cover back together. The book block itself has the old glue and lining removed, any loose pages are fixed / re-sewn and then new lining and glue are applied to re-inforce the block. The new leather spine is mounted to the block and the raised bands are crimped.
Restoration Step four : RESTORED AND READY
The book is given its finishing touches. The clasps, fixings and back covers are expertly cleaned and the end result is a book as lovingly restored as it will be cherished by its owner.
Thinking of getting your old cherished book(s) repaired? Email us or give us a call on 0208 992 3965 and speak to one of our friendly team today!