Binding ToolsAfter my first class at the American Academy of Bookbinding in 2014, I had a vision. I would devote the rest of my life to creating fine leather bindings and keeping the craft alive. I scoured the West looking for these old cast iron tools.
Animist Press Bindery
A hundred-year-old Guillotine was the first to arrive at the studio. This Price and Chandler tool was designed to cut an entire stack of paper in one stroke. After cleaning the beast, which revealed gold painted pin-striping, and removing the 100+ pound handle, I inched it into the studio with a come-along. This was a remarkable physical feat in itself, but since it cleared the door jamb by 1/2 inch, I concluded that I was on the right track.
Detail on cast iron
Installed in its new home.
The next tool arrived in a snowstorm, just in time for Christmas. It was a 1200 pound John Jacque & Son Boardshear, with its razor-sharp 42" blade. It was used primarily for the box-making trade in the early 20th Century, and became one of the most coveted and valued tools in a bookbinder's studio. It does one thing: it cuts cloth, board and paper at a 90 degree angle, quickly and accurately.
This time I had help wrestling it into the studio. With some trepidation, four of us tilted it up on its side and onto a furniture dolly, and even then, it barely fit through the door. The 100 pound counter weight of the blade was removed and after the shear was set in its new home, it was reattached. My appreciation for these early cast tools deepened, as I marveled at the fine colorful pin-striping that covered much of the iron. With prayers of gratitude, candles were lit and appropriate holiday beverages were served.
The next year a W.O. Hickok & Sons Backing Press made its way to my studio as though preordained. The massive wheel turns jaws of the press that compress and holds a book while rounding the back of the spine. It is also used to hold a book while gilding the edges or to paint them. Uploading it presented challenges. I dragged it from the truck with a come-along (power puller) and into the studio on its side, though I was unable to levitate it vertically without help.
This 275 pound book press is the latest addition to the Nautilus Bookbinding family, and is seen here celebrating the holidays with friends.
A silversmithing bench occupies one wall of the octagon-shaped studio. Here, copper, silver, and precious stones are fabricated into inlay in leather.
Traditional tools like this Sewing Frame are used to sew signatures (folded sheets) together, the first step in a book's long journey to a complete binding.