|i;iiii!i||i BOOKBINDING. Sill If 111 HP ■Mnhi hi II lill GEO. A. STEPHEN. LIBRARY SCH08L E Adaptable lor ; PLAIN SEWING SEWING THROUGH NARROW TAPE. SEWING THROUGH BROAD TAPE. LIBRARY OF THE University of California. Class IHH11U1NAL JNO. Z. T tie SEWING OVER TAPE SEWING OVER CORD. SEWING THROUGH MULL. A SPECIMENS OF SEWING. No Complicated Parts. Simplicity oi' Working. Will sew one or two books up to demy Svo. in one operation. Capable of sewing from the smallest hook up to a maximum of IS inches. First and last sections require no pasting, as the machine automatically lock stitches. Output secured from the machine by a London firm of 3,200 Sections per hour. Full Particulars with Illustration on amplication, o> machitu can bt viewed at tin Show Rooms of ©SCAR FRIEDHEIM, 7, Water Lane, LUDGATE, LONDON, E.C. C< >mmi:rci.\i. in >< >Kr>i\i>i.\< , OSCAR FRIEDHEIM, 7, WATER LANE, LUDGATE, LONDON, E.C Labour Saving riachinerv BOOKBINDERS, RULERS, GOLD BLOCKERS, EMBOSSERS, RRIN TERS, MANUFACTURING STATIONERS, AND ALL KINDRED TRADES, VERY LATEST PATENTS. NEWEST DESIGNS. Only the finest tested materials used in the building of all machines ; the construction being under the care of the highest skilled mechanics. A Large Selection of Machines Stocked. Inspection Invited. PRICES, WITH FULL DETAILS, ON APPLICATION. PREFACE. A handbook describing the modern methods ol commercial bookbinding and the different machines used in connection with the various processes 1ms long been ?■ desideratum, as none of the works hitherto published on bookbinding deal al ;ill adequately with this important branch ot the industry. It has therefore been thought desirable to present in convenient forn the series <>] articles which appeared in The British and Coloniai Printer \m> Stationer, Vol. i\\.. 1909, in the hope that the book will help to till a lacuna in the literature ot lookbinding and, at the same time, be ot service oi of interest to those who are concerned, directly or indirectly, with the making ol looks. 1 am indebted to various manufacturers fot the loan ol the blocks to illustrate theii respective machines, and to ui\ friend. Mr. A. I. Macdonald, for preparing, from m> sketches, the diagrams included herein G. A. S. January, 1910. CONTENTS. PAMPHLETS, ETC. Wire Stitching 5 Thread Stitching... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 7 The Sheridan Perfecl Kinder ... ... • ... ... ... ... ... ... n EDITION BINDING. Folding '.- 11 Bundling ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... J4 End-Papering ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 Gathering... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 16 Collating ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ig Sewing -Wire Sewing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 19 Sewing -Thread Sewing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 Smashing 01 Pressing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 32 Cutting (it Edges... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 33 Glueing-up ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 59 Hounding aud Backing Lining Boards Cloth-Cutting * !ase- M aking I decoration ni ( !o\ ei s 59 39 40 40 41 45 Casing-in ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ig Pressing ... ... ... ... ... . ... ... ... ... -i Defective Publishers' Bindings ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 53 Serviceable Publishers' Bindings ... ... ... ... ... 5 - APPENDICES (I).— The American Librai) Association's Binding Specifications 55 (II).- United States Government Specifications for Book Cloth 57 INDEX. Commercial Bookbinding A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESSES \\[) THE VARIOUS MACHINES USED GEO. A. STEPHEN Chief Assistant Librarian, St. Pancras Public Libraries Member of the Book Production Committee of the Library Association With 70 Illustrations and Diagrams LONDON W. John Stonhill and Co. l u 10 <1 / Copyright, igio. Commercial Bookbinding ^T^jS modern writers refer to the A different epochs of the world's IJ history as the stone age, the ■ I bronze age, the iron age, and so W forth, so future writers will refer to the present epoch as the age of machinery. In every department of manufacture there are ingenious machines that minimise hand-labour and greatly accelerate production ; consequently innu- Fig. 1. merable articles are marvellously cheap and within the range of the poor man's ex- chequer. In the book world scarcely a day passes without there being introduced some new and useful appliance appertain- ing to one or other of the numerous branches of book production. Compulsory education has created in the masses a rapa- cious desire for literature, and to-day a veritable cataract of books pours from the printing press at such an enormous rate that the magnitude of the output is con- veniently expressed by the words of the Preacher: "Of making many books there is no end." In conformity with this rapid multiplication of books the methods of commercial bookbinding have been com- pletely revolutionised, and there are now machines that have been brought to such a high state of perfection as to perform effectively almost every process in the binding of a book. In a modern bindery there are to be found cleverly constructed machines for folding, bundling, gathering. sewing, smashing, cutting, rounding and backing, and casing-in, as well as equally skilful and useful machines for cutting the boards and cloth, for case-making and for other important operations. In fact, there is scarcely another department of manufac- ture in which machinery is so completely adapted to meet effectively the require- ments for all processes. PAHPHLETS, ETC. For fastening together the leaves of pamphlets, trade catalogues, and small work in general, a number of wire-stitch- ing and thread-stitching machines have been invented to stitch such work in different ways. Before proceeding, it may be apposite to refer briefly to the nomen- clature used by binders to describe the different methods of fastening the leaves of a pamphlet or book. The term "stitching" refers to the simple method of fastening single sections through the centre of the fold; "stabbing," as the word implies, refers to the process of fastening one or more sections by passing thread or wire through the side of the section or sections; and the term "sewing" is applied to the process of binding together several sec- tions. The term "pamphlet " is somewhat vague and arbitrary, but for the present purpose a pamphlet will be regarded as a small book madeupofone or a fewsections. Wire=Stitching. For pamphlet work wire is generally preferred by binders on account of the economic advantages to be derived from its use. There are on the market a great 215995 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. variety of wire-stitching machines foi stitching single sections through the fold, or f( M binding t< igether scv era I sed i< n stabbing them through the left-hand Some of these machines are worked by hand or treadle power, others are worked by sed ions is to clamp i wo or three staples through i he \\ rapper and the i entre i il the the staples inside the fpld. it the pamphlel tended Foi permanent pr< sei \ a tion in their original form, the bettei wa ; is to clinch the staples '••■• Fig. 2. steam power; a few of the machines are worked with ready-made staples, but mosl oi them take the wire direcl from the reel or spool, winch revolves on a spindle fixed to the machine, and make their own staples thereby effecting a considerable saving in wire. These latter machines cut, drive, and clinch the staple at one operation, and usually staphs of several different sizes may be made by the same machine. If the pamphlet consist of one section il may be stitched through the centre of the fold and the staple clinched on the inside on the outside of the section and then to paste i he eo\ ei t< > the back of the fold ; this method entails more work, with its concomitant Of additional expense. Put it has the advantage ol preventing injun to the fingers ol persons who may handle tin- pamphlets carelessly when reading them. If, however, the stapling is only intended to be a tempi ir. ening i< >r a pamphlet, prior to the binding h iget hei < it se\ < ral ol them, then il is not .id. i-aMe to paste the cover to the pamphlet, because in li pull- Fig. 3. Fig. 4 or outside as may be preferred, and far these purposes most of the higher pi wire-stitching machines are provided \\ itb a saddle and a trough. The most general method of securing pamphlets oi sit ing " some pai t of the cover will remain on it. To bind sevi i< igether \\ ith wire, they are first placed evenlj together on the iron table ot the machine and then two or more staples are forced through the COMMERCIAL !',< )( >KBINDING side of tlic pile and their ends are clinched at the back. This practice of stabbing is always to be deprecated : the hunks bound in tins manner cannol be opened Ha.t, much less doubled back, and the holes made in the inner margin are very unsightly if the books be afterwards re-bound. The greatest thickness a wire-stitching machine can pierce is i jj inches, and this extraordinary work is accomplished by a machine (Fig. i) made by Mr. Aug. Brehmer. < >rdinary r< »und iron wire of gauge No. 20 is used on this ma- chine, unless the book is printed on very hard paper, in which case steel wire is necessary. The machine will produce stitches of sixteen different sizes, the sizes graduating by ;; y -inch, making staples which allow for a proper overlap of the wire at the hack for any thickness of work up to the maximum size. Either stitching or stabbing may be done on the table of this machine, and its rate of working is estimated from 60 to 100* stitches per minute. Even wire stitched work is capable of being improved in appearance by in- serting the staples at the proper places and clinching them evenly; and it can be rendered less objectionable if care be taken to prevent the staples being clinched too firmly, and thereby crushing the paper. Thread=Stitching /Machines. For certain classes of work thread-stitch- ing machines are rapidly displacing wire- stitching machines and hand-stitching. There are several ingenious machines which effectively stitch pamphlets through the centre of the fold or through the side ; they are fitted with mechanical devices which make the holes, draw the thread through them, tie a tight reef knot, cut the thread, and pick up the end of the thread again for the next pamphlet. These ma- chines are used largely for better-class pamphlet work, exercise books, 1 opy hooks and work of a similar charactei in single sections, and they are also used for stabbing two or three sections through the side. A machine-made stitch may be easily recog- nised as the knot is always tied at one end of the stitch (see Fig. 2), whereas in hand- stitching it is invariably tied in the centre of the stitch. The Elliott machines. The Elliott thread-stitching machines (Fig. ;) (sold bj Messrs. Va Iters, Jacksori and Co.) are estimated to make from 800 to 1,500 stitches per hour and are made in two sizes: the No. i machine will stitch work up to a thickness of I inch, producing a three-hole stitch three inches long, and it may be fitted with * It must be understood that all the figures here- in given of the speeds of the various machines de- scribed are those stated by the makers of the respective machines; these figures doubtless re- present the maximum output of the machines when worked under the best possible conditions, and consequently the actual output that obtains in general practice is less because of necessary stoppages, the ability of the operators, and so forth. .111 attachmenl to make a portion ol the st itch in the bot >k and ,1 portion a l< " ip for hanging purpose , the No 1 1 1 . 1 < in ue will st it. ii work up in a 1 hickness iii inch, making a three-hole st itch foui inches long. The Elliotl machine is equipped with 1 lu ee I ked needles and .1 shut lie h,i\ ing a gripping apparatus al one end \i lei .1 seel has i ieen placed on the saddle of the machine the fust needle pierces its way through the fold and by means of the hook draws the thread, which is moved towaids the hook by a guide, tlnough the pamphlet ; at the same 1 mie the needle turns so as to form a loop oi thread through which the shuttle is aftei wards to pass. The second needle acts similarly, but the position of the hook is reversed. The third needle also pierces ihe pamphlet, then draws the loose end of the thread tlnough the gripper ol arm no1 through the work and forms a third loop. The shuttle passes through the loops, grips the loose end of the thread ol the thud loop, and then recedes, drawing the thread through the second and first 1 k ips, the Iattei meanwhile having be< n formed into two loops |.\ loopers. The shuttle, by returning to its original posi- tion, tightens the reef knot thus made, and finally the thread is automatically cut by a knife fixed to. the machine. The Brehmer machines. 'The Brehmer thread-stitching machines (Fig. 4) make stitches ol various lengths and may be fitted with an arrangement for looping. One of the Brehmer machines produces one size of stitch only, having a length of two, three, tour or live inches. Another machine produces two sizes of stitches, which may be five and four incites, five and three inches, live and two inches, four and three inches, or four and two inches in length. A third machine product s t firee si: es oi stih lies, of any of the following lengths, viz., five four and t In ee inches, five, foui and two incites, five, three and two inches, or four, time and two inches. 'I he fourth machine produces four sizes of stitches, viz., five, four, three and two inches. Hie two-inch stitch is a single one having two holes, and the stitches three, four and five inches in length are double stitches having three holes. These machines will stitch work up to | inch in thickness and will run up to an estimated speed of 2.4*0 st itches per hour. The instruments for effecting the stitching and tying the knot consist of three hooked needles, two grippers and a fork-like device. In operating, the pamphlet to be stitched is placed on the saddle of the machine, above which are the upper gripper and the cutting device. The upper gripper draws the thread along above the paper and the first hooked needle pierces the paper from below and draws the thread down through the paper and between the prongs of the fork fixed in a horizontal position ; the fork then rotates upon its COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. axis so as to wind the thread around it, and thereby forms a loop through whi< I the lower gripper is to pass. In the mean time the second hooked needle has pierced its way through the paper and drawn the thread down, forming a loop. The lower gripper then enters the two loops thus formed and just before the gripper reaches the third hooked needle it opens its jaws, so that the third needle, in its descentafter having pierced the paper, can pass the thread through the open jaws. The jaws then close and the gripper moves back- wards, carrying the thread through the attachment lor making loops. It will I stitch work up to .J -inch in thickness, and its output is estimated at from i,2COto [,8oo st itcl i es per hour. This machine also i has three hooked needles, but the devices for forming the knot are different from those in the Elliott and Brehmer machines and consist of two grippers and a pin. The pamphlet to be stitched is placed on the table of tin' machine, above the needles, and is held firmly in position by the pres- sure plate, on which is fixed a thread- cutting device in the form of shears. The correct length of thread is automatically Fig. 5. two loops, whereupon the tightening oi the thread is effected to secure the knot, and the thread is automatically cut off by the cutting knife secured to the upper part of the machine. The riai tini flachine. The Martini thread-stitching machine (Fig. 5) (sold by Mr. Oscar Friedheim)willproduce a single stitch two or three inches in length and a double stitch four or five inches in length ; and it may be provided with an drawn from the reel and stretched above the pamphlet. The first hooked needle pierces the paper, catches the thread, and draws it downward through the paper. Meanwhile the second needle has acted in a similar manner ; it then makes a quarter- turn, thereby forming a twisted loop which the needle afterwards releases. During this operation the third needle has also pierced through the paper and drawn the remaining portion of the thread down through the paper and between a device COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. which then grips the thread. During this time the pin and the grippers have formed the first loop into a double loop, and this is kept open in the path <>t the gripper- needle. The gripper-needle then passes horizontally through this double loop and the second loop, and opens its jaws to catch the end of the thread which is now held taut : thereupon the jaws close and the gripper-needle recedes, drawing the are glued over (see Fig. 7) and the paper cover attached, thus fastening the loose ends of the thread to the back of the book. This method is of advantage, practically use the books open quite fiat, and >niirallv because no time is occupied in stitching the books. Brehmer's folding machines, if desired, may be provided with single or double thread-stitching appara- tus for doing this work. The apparatus Fig. 6. end of the thread through the loops. When this has occurred the knot is drawn tight and the thread cut by the shears. Thread=Stitching by Folding Hachines. Another method of securing small books made up of a few sections and having paper covers is in vogue on the Continent, especially in Germany, and the extensive- ness of this method of binding testifies to its approval by the trade. Instead of is generally arranged with fixed heads to produce stitches each i,'-^ inches long, having a distance of 3| inches between them ; but, if preferred, the apparatus may be arranged to produce shorter stitches, or the heads may be made adjustable. The Sheridan Perfect Binder. A revolution in the method of binding monthly magazines was inaugurated by the invention of the Sheridan "Perfect Fig. 7. stabbing the sections, pieces of thread are automatically inserted in the sections dur- ing the last fold, by an apparatus on the folding machine, so that the ends of tin- thread project at the back, as in Fig. 6. After the various sections forming the book have been gathered together, their backs Bindei " (Fig. 8), which is now used for funding the Strand Magazine and other publications. This American mechanical contrivance will bind magazines and attach a paper cover without the use of thread or wire. It really accomplishes work similar to that done by hand in to COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. binding, with caoutchouc, magazines and worl tng almost wholly of pi 'This mai le eighteen feel loni elliptical ind 1 1 - manipulated by one n 1 three girls. Its p feature is a set ies of thh .mips w hull 1 ■ mtinuously round the machine in a vertical position. When a pair of jaws approaches the first operatoi they open auti - ad a complete magazine, minus the paj is placed between 1 hem, the fo 3 being upper- most. The magazine is gripped tightly by the jaws and conveyed to a knife v ing horizontally, which ruts off the 1 ie folds. The hark of 1 now consisting of single leaves, passes over a series of small circular saws which roughen the edges to prepare them fot iihesi\ e. and the paper dust is automatically blown into a box. The securely to the magazine, its back is punched and pinched three times by pari oi the mechanism ol the machine before the n is finally delivered upon a e, 1 1 which it is rerrn >\ ed by a girl and placed on a pile. The magazines are allowed to stand fo era! hours before being trimmed in order that the backs may beo ime set. The machine is estimated to work up to the high rate of 2,000 maga tnes per hour, but the actual output 5, oi course, according to the class of work done, and the conditions obtaining. The machine at Messrs. Newnes's premises, when seen by the writer, was turning out the Strand Magazine at the rate of about [,400 per hour. EDITION BINDING. In the following account of modern methods of edition binding the object of Fig. 9. adhesive is applied by two rollers, re- volving in tanks containing a special com- posite mixture, and the magazine then picks up from a small moving tab piei e oi mull, previously (ait to the xact width of the back, to produce the necessary backing. The pieces of mull are fed on to the table by the second operator. Imme- diately the mull has bi d up the magazine passes over a pile of covers conveniently arranged and picks up one in passing, a sufficient quantity of the adhesive having penetrated the mull. The man who controls the machine watches that this operation is done properly. In order to attach the cover the writer has been to describe typical ma- chines constructed for all the different pro- cesses, although, for various reasons, one or two of the processes, such as folding and gathering, continue to be done by hand in most binderies. Folding. The first operation in edition binding is folding, and whether it be done by hand or by machine, great care must be taken to ensure that the margins are equal and that the headlines are perfectly even through- out the book. This process is done by hand if the quantity of sheets be compara- tively small, or if the nature of the work COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. necessitate it. For ordinary book- work, however, folding machines are used in some up-to-date binderies in this country and they are more generally used in America. Machine work necessi- tates the folding of the first sheet of the whole edition before proceeding with the second sheet, and is therefore sometimes disadvantageous because the subsequent operations cannot be commenced until the whole edition is folded. There are numerous folding machines on the market, constructed to make various folds and having different devices for securing correct register of the pages ; some of the machines are adapted for hand-feeding, others have an automatic feeder attached to them. There are machines for folding a sheet once, making four pages; twice, making eight pages; three times, making 16 pages; ami four times, making 32 pages ; besides these, other unusual folds, such as for 24 and 48 pages, may be made. Quadruple 16's and double 32's are now made, and some of them will insert one sheet within another before delivering them. For ordinary book- work the sheets are usually folded three times to produce a folded section* of 16 pages. Broadly speaking, correct register is obtained by feeding the sheets on to the machine according to guides, or to "points" or small slits. Many of the folding machines are equipped with de- vices for guiding and pointing. Feeding to points is done by hand and there are two methods : one method necessitates the sheets being perforated with tin}' holes- done in the process of printing— so that the sheets may be placed over needle-points on the feeding board of the folding ma- chine before the folding-blade descends; in the second method, the sheets are placed on the bed of the machine and, before the folding-blade descends, the operator ad- justs each sheet by the aid of steel points carried on an arm which rises and falls at proper intervals to allow the sheets to be placed beneath the points. The principle on which the folding of the sheets is effected by nearly all the folding machines is very similar: a dull blade descends on the sheet at the part where the fold is to be made and presses it between two rotating rollers which draw it in, thereby making one fold. The sheet is then carried automatically on travelling tapes to another pair of rollers and folded again in the same way, and this process is re- peated until the desired number of folds has been made, when the folded section is delivered into a trough. When sheets of paper are folded transversely to previous folds, puckering or creasing" of the paper inside the folds takes place; this is because 1.' term "section" is here applied to the folded sheet instead of the term " signature " ; the latter word, although largely used by manufacturers of bookbinding machinery and others to describe the lidded sheet, is more correctly applied to the letter or figure placed at the foot bf the flrsl page of each sheet. the innermost bend being least and the outermost bend being greatest in extent, the layers cannot slide over each other, owing to the folded layers being connected at the heads of the successive transverse folds. To obviate this creasing or pucker- ing most of the recent folding machines have devices for perforating or cutting the sheet at certain places during the folding operation. The best-known folding machines are made by the Dexter Co. of New York (whose London agents are Messrs. T. W. and C. B. Sheridan Co.), Chambers Brothers Co. of Philadelphia, the Brown Folding Machine Co., of Erie, Penn- sylvania, Mr. Aug. Brehmer. The Cun- dall Folding Machine Co., Preusse and Co., of Leipzig, Mr. Oscar Friedheim, and the F. C. Fuller Co. of New York. An illustration (Fig. 9) is given of Brehmer's folding machine, size " Ca.," which is arranged to fold sheets from I2i by iSJ inches to 33J by 44 inches, producing sections of 4, 8, 16. 24 or 32 pages as desired ; Fig. 10 shows the posi- tion of the rollers of this machine. The Fig. 10. output of the different machines varies very considerably, according to the make of the machine and whether it is fed b\ hand or automatically ; the range is from about 2,000 to 6,oeo sheets per hour. Dexter riachine. The Dexter Rapid Drop Roll Double 16 Folder (Fig. 11) is designed to fold sheets of 32 pages each, and to deliver them in separate troughs of two sixteen-page sec- tions at an estimated speed of 6,000 sections per hour, or to insert one section within another, forming a section of thirty-two pages. The sheets to be folded are placed on a table at the rear of the machine. An automatic feeding device passes a sheet into the machine and Miscarried by travel- ling tapes to a position above the first pair of folding rollers, where it is adjusted by a mechanical automatic pointing at- tachment by which the sheet is registered to small slits made at the time of printing, thus securing accurate register indepen- dently ol the margin. The sheet is then given its first fold by the folding blade pressing it between the rollers, and as it passes between them it is slit into two parts by a serrated cutting disc attached to "lie of the rollers. The. two separate sheets h COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. are then carried by other travelling tapes into respective positions above two pairs of rollers (set at right angles to the firsl pait I and, after being adjusted by grippers, they arc given their second fold. Each sheet is then conveyed to a position above a pan oi third folding rollers (set at angles to the second folding rollers aqd oi course parallel to the first pair) and adjusted by grippers; these rollers impart the final folding and deliver the two folded found in all well-equipped binderies, but in this country they seem to be conspicu- by theii in a few binderies. The "Crawley" and " Hercules" signature presses, and those made by Mr. u Friedheim, Mr. Karl Krause, and Messrs. .1. Greig and Sons are all well- n. The Crawley Bundling Press (Fig. 12) (sold in Cheat Britain by the I lobbs Manufacturing Co.), takes sections from 3 by .| inches up to g by 12 Fig. 12. sections of 1 6 pages each to two pairs of mllers from which the sections drop into separate delivery troughs. Perforators may be fixed near the second and third fold rollers so that the sections may be partly cut open at the heads to prevent creasing or buckling. If it be desired to turn out one 32-page section instead of two 16's, the third fold blade is thrown out of use on one side of the machine and accelerated speed is given to the sheet that otherwise would be folded by this blade as it passes on top of the other sheet, both of them having had two folds. Then the third fold knife on the one side of the machine comes down and folds the two sheets accurately together and they are delivered in one hopper. As soon as the insertion has been made the 32-page section is deposited into one of the troughs. Bundling. It is not always convenient to commi m - the binding of an edition ol a book as soon as all the sheets have been folded, and foi safety, especially in large binderies, it is necessary to tie up the different sections separately in bundles. For this purpose bundling, or signature presses, have been constructed, by which bundles of equal size 1 -an be tied up neatly under enormous pressure with a board at the top and bot- tom of each bundle, and then stored in the least possible space. In America the advantage of these useful appliances is greatly appreciated and they are to be inches, and il boai Is be used against the heads on each side of the bundle sections of largei size can be pressed. Greig's Bundling Press (Fig. 13) has a trough set at an angle of 45 degrees, into which the sections are placed; pressure is applied by a powerful screw until the sections are quite compact, when they may be conveniently and tightly tied round the four side- before the pressure is released. The "Parkside" Bundling Ma- Fig. 13. chine (Fig. :, designed specially to meet the requirements oi Messrs. Thos. Nelson and Sons' Factory at Edinburgh, but it has now been placed on the market. It is principally constructed oi rolled steel, ami power is obtained bya patented appli- cation of an inverted epicyclic train of 14 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. hardened steel gears. After the sections have been placed in the machine a quartet turn of the clutch handle brings the epi- cyclic gear into action and the platen is driven forward by a simple rotati< E the band lever, thereby putting great pressure on the sections. When the bundle has been tied the clutch levei is given a quarter- turn back to disconnect the gearing completely, and the platen can then be immediately slid back. The machine is made in two sizes: the No. i size takes sections up to y by 6 inches, and the No. 2 size takes sections up to 11 by y inches. End=Papering. Prior to gathering, all the plates and maps are tipped (i.e., pasted) to their respec- tive sections, and the end-papers are attached to the first and last sect ions of the books; mi the subsequent operation of casing-iu one half of each end-paper is pasted to the inside of the adjacent board, while the other half constitute- one of the fly-leaves. ing in a tank of cold liquid glue, which, being i noun ted obliquely, applies a strip of glue leaching not quite to the edge of the seel ion, while the other section is guided past the said wheel without touching it. The two sect ions are then pressed together at the part provided with adhesive, by passing automatically between another pair of rollers, and are finally delivered flat, by means of two more rollers, on to an automatically descending table ; to give the combined sections an incli- nation towards the table there is behind the last rollers an upright plate with a wedge fastened to it, against which wedge the head of the emerging section strikes. Lewis Hachine. An American machine, the Lewis End- papering machine (Fig. l6) (sold by the E. C. Fuller Co., New York), is designed to cut, fold, and tip on end-papers to the first and last sect lonsof a book concurrently, and therefore the working parts of the machine are duplicated. On the top of the machine je> : **"* ' m "^Hl " ' ■ fi''C Fig. 14. Brehmer flachine. The Brehmer End-sheet Pasting ma- chine (Fig. 15), which was placed on the "market at the end of 1007, accomplishes this work at an estimated speed of about 1,800 to 2,700 sections per hour. This ma- chine is also intended for pasting to se< tions plates and maps of any size. The end- papers and section to be connected together are laid on two flaps respectively ; these flaps fold towards each other, bringing the two sections into contact with a pair of vertical rollers which seize and carry them forward. A partition provided with a tongue, extending beyond the rollers, is fixed in line with their meeting faces in order to separate the lower parts of the end-paper and section which are not gripped by the rollers ; one section is brought into contact with a wheel, revolv- are two hoppers in which are placed piles of the first and last sections respectively. It will be convenient to describe only one set of the working parts of the machine. Each hopper is provided with feeding mechanism; the bottom section is separated from the pile by means of a suction cup, and a pair of nippers transfers it to the place where it is to be united to the end- papers. The nippers then release the section and it falls upon the upper surface of an inclined table consisting of endless tapes which cause the folded edge of the section to come up against stop pins. A line of paste is now applied to the lower face of the section at the folded edge by a dabbing strip, which is supplied with paste by descending at proper intervals until it comes into contact with the surface of a roller revolving in a trough of paste. While COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. these operations are taking place the end- papers are being prepared for attachment to the section. At the rear oi the machine are two rolls of paper for making the end- papers. The paper is led over a folding device that folds it through the centre. It is then passed through and under cutting devices which cut it into proper lengths. The feeding and cutting de\ ices areadjusl - able to the lengths required. By means of feed tapes the end-paper is cai ried foi ward until it is advanced upon a small table ini- stream on carrier belts. This process of making end-papers is intended for long runs, like school books; for short runs the roll feed and folding apparatus can be dis- engaged and folded end-papers fed to the machine by hand. The speed of the ma- i I ■ is estimated at about 80 sections per minute. Gathering. Alter the end papers have been attached to the first and last sections, the folded Fig. 15. mediately beneath the section. The section and end-paper are registered by an auto- matic device and the pasted portion ol the section is brought into contact with the corresponding marginal portion of the end-paper. The folded edges ol these are then pressed tightly togethei .md passed out through the machine in an endless sections are ready fai "gathering."' II this work is to be done bj hand, separate piles oi the dilli lent sections which are to con- stitute a complete book are arranged in then consecutive order upon tables ; these tables are sometimes oi a horse-shoe shape and the gatherer walks around the inner side and gathers the hook by taking the [6 // ; 17 IS COMMERCIAL B< >OKBINDING top section from each pile, commi the pile of tlie lasl seel ion. The weai i w oi I- of gathei ing maj m >w be obA iated by using gathering machines, oi winch there arc several on the market. The on of these machines is somewhat similar; the sections are placed in a si of box. - or hoppers ami they are delivered automatically on to an endless band which travels in front of the boxes. In America these gathering machines seem to be com- monly used tin book-work, but in tins country most binders prefer to have the work of gathering done by female labour, and the machines arc used chiefly for magazine work. fiercer Gathering flachine. The Mercer Gathering machine (Fig. 17) -old by Messrs. T. W. and C. B. Sheridan Co.) may be described in detail. It has a series of boxes arranged in a row on the bed of the machine and in each box is placed a pile of sections, the first box containing a quantity of the last section of the book, the second box containing the section im- mediately before the last, and so on. Each box is so constructed that, by means of suction apparatus, the under section of each pile is carried to the necessary position where it may be seized by the grippers which work in connection with it.. These grippers, consisting of a pair of jaws, move alternately backwards and forwards. As they advance they open shortly before they reach the edge of the section, and on the completion of such movement they close and grasp the section between them. The grippers then retire, carrying the section until it is brought directly over a travel- ling endless band, moving across the ma- chine from left to right, when the section is released so that it falls upon that part of the band which is at that moment under the grippers. The band has a continuous motion and is speeded to correspond with the speed of the jaws, so that upon the next operation of the machine the different sec- tions on the band are moved forward to the position to receive the section from the next box. By the time the band has travelled across the machine a complete set of sections has been obtained and it is only necessary for them to be removed by an attendant, usually a girl. Should one or more of the grippers fail to operate efficiently, this fact is indicated to the operator of the machine by an electric indicator, which rings a bell and shows on a dial before the operator the number of the box which has missed. The standard size machine may be employed for gather- ing sections of various sizes from 9 by 1 if inches to 4! by 5 inches, as the sides and back of each box are adjustable. The ma- chines are built in series of five boxes each and suitable arrangements are provided for coupling two or more series so that any convenient number of sections may be gathered in one pile, but if more than twenty boxes are required the makers ad- vise the installation of two machines. The est imated speed ol the machine is 2, |.oo 1 K-- pei in mi . Juengst Gathering Machine. The makers of the Juengst Gatherer- Collator claim that their machine de- tects imperfect sections; that is to say, if a section should have one or more sheets missing, or one or more sheets too many, the machine, by means of a closely set micrometer, would detect the missing sheet, or the section of extra-thickness, and by an arrangement of levers cause the ma- chine to stop, lurch lever in connection with a box has an indicating ball on its end and this is caused to rise whenever an error occurs, so that the operator is guided to the seat of the trouble. These machines can be built with any number of boxes. Four operators are required to run a twenty-four box machine : two to feed the sections in the boxes, one to remove the imperfect sections when the machine stops after detecting one, and one to re- move the gathered books. It is esti- mated that 2,500 to 3,000 books per hour can be gathered by this machine. A patent wire stitcher can be attached to this machine to work in unison with it ; the conveyor changes the position of the sections from horizontal to vertical and then passes them into the stitcher to be stitched with two or more staples of the well-known form. The Plimpton Gathering machine and that made by Gullberg and Smith are also well-known in America. Collating. After gathering, the books must be col- lated in order to see that all the sections are in their correct sequence and that none are in duplicate or missing. This is done by holding firmly in the right hand the folded sheets of the gathered book, at the head, while the left hand holds the sheets lightly at the left hand bottom corner ; by turning the sheets downward with the right hand they are made to spring upward and fan out, and the left thumb controls them as the collator watches the small figure or letter printed at the foot of the first page of each section. Sewing. The next operation is sewing. Sewing is the foundation of bookbinding and is the most essential process upon which the utility of a book depends. Thread and wire are both used in the sewing of books. Wire=Sewing. In this country wire is not used to any appreciable extent for the sewing of letter- press books, but in Germany books are commonly sewn with wire. Machines for doing this work are necessarily more com- plex in construction than wire-stitching machines. A typical wire book-sewing ma- chine (Fig. i8)isthatmadebyMr.Aug.Breh- 19 20 COMMERC1 \l. BOOKBINDING mer, which is used for the sewing ol many importanl publications, including Baede- ker's Guides and Brockhaus's Konversations Lexikon. This machine is equally suitable lor letterpress wink, guard hooks, pattern books, post card alliums, and similar work. The machine is fed automatically from spools by small steel rollers and at each revolution as many U-shaped staples are produced as are requisite for each section. A section, having been placed on an oscil- lating table, is brought into position for Fig. 19. being sfwn. The staples are driven from the inside of the section through the fold and through the tapes or open fabric which is stretched and firmly held by clas] - directly opposite to each staple binder and inserter. The projecting legs of tl e staples are clinched over, thus producing a firm connection between the section and the tapes or fabric, whichever is used. In order to reduce the swell in the back of the book which would be caused if the staples in the various sections were all in- serted in a corresponding position, the machine is so constructed that each staple- forming apparatus lias two or three shifts. whereby the staples in adjoining sections are inserted in different positions so that there appear on the hack two 01 three times as many rows of staples as there are staples in each section. Fig. [g illustrates the positions of the staples in a book that was sewn when the machine was arranged for three shifts ; for thesake of clearness the backingmaterial has been omitted from the illustration. It is estimated that about 2.000 sections per hour can he sewn on this machine. There is no doubt that this method of sew- ing is very strong ; indeed, so firmly are the sections held together that usually the books thussewn have not that degree of plia- bility possessed by books sewn with thread. Another objection to wire-sewn books con- cerns the binder : when it is necessary to rebind such books, the girls in "pulling" them are exposed to the danger of having their fingers torn by the staples. The greatest objection, however, to wire-sewn books lies in the fact that sooner or later the wire will rust and rot the paper and the back fabric to which, it is secured. so that the book will fall to pieces and cannot be rebound without first repairing every fold- an expensive method which would only be adopted for rare and valuable books, because if the book were in print it would generally he cheaper to procure a new copy than to pay the cost of repairing the sheets. Doubtless if only alumenoid wire were used this latter objection would be removed, but as this wire is expensive, its use is chiefly con- fined to the sewing of books that are to be sent to the East The various climatic conditions to which books destined for the East will be subjected necessitate the employment of a non-rusting wire, such as alumenoid. Thread-Sewing. Thread book-sewing machines are u^ed almost exclusively for edition work in this country and in America. The first book- sewing machine was invented in 18^6 bv the late Mr. David M. Smyth, of Hartford. Conn.. U.S.A.; since that date the Smyth Manufacturing Co. and other manu- facturers have invented other machines embodying various improvements, and there are now several < fficient machines on the market adapted for different kinds ol work. Smyth nachines. The Smyth Book-sewing machines are of two styles: 1he most rapid style has a four-feed aim aid the other has a single- feed arm. Curved needles are used in all tic Smyth hook-sewing machines and the length of stitch is therefore uniariable, : determined by the curvature of the needles used The four-feed aim style, as its name im- plies, has four radial aims : these arms COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. eel From a pei pendicular rod am I I )ci in 1 1 continuous feeding oi sections. As an arm presents itsell to the operator she places a section ovei it accurately by means ol a gauge. The arm, by making a quarter-revolution, brings t he section under a seriesol curved needles and the arm is then given an upward move meiii in adjust the section, so as to ensure that the sewing shall take place exactly in the centre of the fold. To facilitate the carrying the threads pass into the section ome ol the holes thus made and come oul again at others. At the holes ol egress is a series of loopers which hold open the loops from the previous stitches in order to allow the needles to pass through them. The loopers then withdraw, leaving their loops around the needles and then come forward taking new loops from them. The needles then recede, leaving these new loops round the loopers, and they occupy Fig. 20. movement of the needles, a series ol holes is made in the section by punches carried in the arm ; this method obviates previous preparation of the section by sawing and it has the advantage of bringing the burr of the paper outside the fold. The needles their original position in readiness for the next section. The first and last sections of each book are lipped with paste by the operator to give additional strength to the sections. The sections alter being sewn are automatically pushed back on a hori- 23 C< >MMERCIAL B( >< »KBINDING. zontal fable forming one continuous iou of sections. At convenient times the books are separated from each other by the cutting of certain threads; if the books are sewn on tapes or cords it is also neces- sary to pull the tapes or cords through each book a sufficient distance to allow portions tor the slips. The Improved No. 3 Smyth Eook-sewing machine (Fig. 20) is equipped with six needles lor making stitches nearly 1 inch Frg. 21. Fig. 22. n length, and one or more needles can be used, according to the size of the book to be sewn. This machine is estimated to run at a speed of 55 to 60 sections per minute, and it will sew sections as small as 2 inches long with one stitch, a crown 8vo. (7i by 5 inches) with four stitches and three tapes or cords, and a book as large as 12 inches by o inches with six stitches and five tapes or cords. The style of sew- ing is " all along,"' and the sewing may be plain (or French)— i.e., without tapes or other material atthe back— through or over tapes, or over sunken cords. Fig. 21 illus- tape The braiding thread is an auxiliary thread which proceeds in a zig-zag direi timi over the tape andconnects the thi ol alternate sections on either side ot the tape. Fig. 23 shows on a much larger scale two series of stitches connected by the braiding thread which thus holds dowii the tape. The No. 7 machine (Fig. 24) is also of the four-radial arm style and resembles the one previously described in its general operation and appearance. It has, how- ever, shorter feed arms, enabling it to run at the high speed of seventy to eighty sec- tions per minute — a speed which an operator could not maintain for any length of time. The machine is equipped with three pairs of needles, and either these or twopairsonlycan be used at one time. The needles are adjustable in relation to each other in order to allow the stitches to be placed in any desired positions in the back of the book. The machine will sew sections from 5! by 2 inches to 10J by ;' inches, and the method of sewing- is known as " two sheets on," each pair of threads being interlooped, one thread of each pair going into every other section, and the other thread into the alternate ones. The machine is constructed for plain (or French) sewing, sewing through mull or crash, or over raised or sunken cords, or through tapes. Fig. 25 shows the plain sewing done by this machine ; Fig. 26 illustrates similar sewing over raised or sunken cords, and Fig. 27 shows on a larger scale the same kind of sewing. Fig. 28 shows two books sewn through mull as they come from this machine with the sewing thread between them cut but the mull or crash uncut ; before the sewing thread had been cut these two books were close together with a fold of mull between them, made by an automatic device. The single arm style of machine (Fig. 29) in its general operation resembles the four-feed arm style, but differs from it materially in construction, being some- Fig. 23. trates the plain sewing produced by this machine. Fig. 22 illustrates the same style of sewing done by this machine, with the addition of the braiding thread and what heavier and adapted for larger and heavier work, such as heavy ledgers, ac- count books, guard books, etc., although it will also sew the same class of work as 23 C< MMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. i li.it foi which the piv\ ii iiis machines are gned. It sews on the "all along " pi inciple, a ml each si itch is slight l\ less than i inches long. The needles are ad justable in i rial ion to each < ither and one 01 nh ire ' 'I them can be used at one time, rding to the si p of the book to'be sewn. Tins machine will do plain (or French) sewing, sewing over tapes or webbing (single or double), or over raised or sunken cords. The plain sewing produced by tins machine is similar to that shown in Fig. 21. Fig. 30 shows simi- in hrs ; and the No. 6 machine is ei pupped with eighl needles enabling it to sev 1 ions from 2 by - 1 ! inches up to Hi I lin lies. The machines having a single-feed arm aie necessarily slower than those of the loin deed arm style, and 1 heir out put varies considerably, according to the 1 lass ,4 work being sewn: the No. 4 machine, of which an illustration is given (Fig. 29), is esti- mated to run at speeds varying from 30 to 45 sections per minute, but if the work is heavy the speed is naturally reduced. U114JJU1 Fig. 24. lar sewing over tapes, and it will be observed that separate holes have been made in the serin. us for the braiding thread. Fi^. 3' illustrates raised or sunken handwork as done by the single-feed arm machines. This style ol machine is built in three sizes: the No. 4 machine (Fig. 30) hassix needles and will sew sections from 2 by 2! inches up to 14 by tS inches ; the No. 5 machine also has six needles and will sew sections from 2 by 2I inches up to 16 by 19 Brehmer's flachines. Brehmer's Book-sewing machines all have single-feed arms. The machine (Fig. 32), first placed by him on the market in [884, has several essential features peculiar to itself. It sews with single thread "all along" inside the sections: usually three threads are used for sewing a book, the thread from the first section enters the fourth section, the thread from the second enters the fifth, and so on. This machine COMMERCIAL BO< >KBINDING cuts the head and tail of earh section in order to allow a thread to pass from one section into another, and to prevent the threads being cut by the guillotine when the edges of the book are being trimmed. The section to be sewn is placed by the operator over the feed arm. according to a gauge, and is brought into position under straight needles, each of which carries in its eye a thread sup- plied by a separate spool. The section is cut at its head and tail by knives and the needles descend through the fold : when the needles reach their lowest limit they re- cede slightly to form the threads into loops. A shuttle carrying a continuous thread and located in one of the shuttle boxes, which are fixed on either side of the machine, is now directed, by means of a channel in the feed arm. through the loops thus formed (see of the book. I iu 34 illustrates the sewing over tape done by this machine and si the slit-. The threads from the needles may pass over the hack of the sections in .1 straight line, or they may be run in a zig-zag manner in order to obtain a Fig. 25 Fig. ',.-,'. and it enters a shuttle box on the other side "I the machine. The needles then retire to their original position, draw- ing the thread delivered by the shuttle tight into the fold of the section. The second and third sections are sewn simi- larly, receiving their threads from the second and third shuttles respectively. The fourth section receives its thread from first shuttle on its return journey to its original shuttle box. and at each revolution ot the machine one shuttle acts as described until the complete book is sewn. The first and last sections of each book are usually >e\vn twice to give greater firmness to the book. The machine will sew hooks on tapes or cords, mull or canvas, or other suitable backing material, which may be run all the way or partly across the back Fig. 27. stronger hold upon the material to which the book is sewn. This machine meets the requirement- extra thick hooks, such as Kelly's large Directories ami \\ "hitaker's Reference Cata- logue which are sewn by this machine- as il is most desirable that the swell in the hack of t lie hook caused by the thread should be reduced to a modicum. This method of sewing is also employed by some binders for edition work, and this is to be depre- cated for several reasons. The slits need not be more than 1-inch before the book is trimmed, but owing to careless operating the slits are nearly always made much larger than is necessary : consequently, Fig. 28. when the book is re-bound the kettle- stitches cannot be made as near the head and tail of the book as is desirable. In reading a hook, too, it is usually held in the hand and the reader's thumb presses the open section at the tail, causing the slits to become lai g Brehmer's three other machines are much to be preferred for ordinary book-work. These machines are equipped with straight needles which sew with double thread, ami Fig. 29. Fh. 30. Fig. 31, 2b O )MMl.K('I.\l. Bi >< >KBINDING. no cuts in the heads and tails ol thi tions are required. The needles are so adapted thai the distance between the stitches and also the length of stitch may be varied to suit books of different sizes. The No. a machine (Fig. 35) is specially adapted for account books, ledgers, letter books, and therefore it uses two kinds ol needles ; stoul needles are used for accounl books and similar heavy work, and linn ones for Icl lei press \yi >i I i I 5 i apacily is such that it will sew books of any size up to [8 inches long and the sections may be faced with linen. The sewing may be Fig. 32. copying books and other heavy work, but it will sew books of any size from a ledger 22 inches long to a small pocket book, and it will sew linen-faced sections. It is con- structed either for sewing over tapes or through them and the tapes may be of three different widths, viz., , 7 j-inch, jj-inch, or plain (or French) or through or over tapes. When sewing over tapes, two different widths of them, viz . |-inch and /..-inch may be used, and when sewing through tapes they may be [-inch in width. This machine is designed to run up to an estimated speed of 45 sec- i-inch. The maximum speed of this ma- chine is estimated at 35 sections per minute. The No. 33V machine is constructed for sewing account books and letterpress tions per minute. Fig. 3G illustrab sewing over tapes done by this machine. The needles in Brehmer's machines N is. 33 and 3$l are arranged to make chain 27 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. stitches at the head and tail of each book The No. 38 machine (Fig. 37) is speciallj designed foi letterpress work and the sew ing may be plain (or French) or on tape cord, canvas or mull. Fig. 38 illustrate-. the sewing over tapes done by this machine when sewing " all alone"; the stitches in Fig. 34. the neighbouring sections are of different lengths because of the automatic working cil the needles which carry the threads in a zig-zag direction over the tape. The needles in this machine di> not make .1 chain stitch at the tail of the book because the maker is ol opinion that, as tin' machine is primarily designed for books having comparatively thin sections, the chain stitch would cause an objectionable swell in the back of the b 10k at the tail portion. The machine will sew books of anj size up to 14 inches long and 9! inches wide a crown 8vo. may have lour tapes .Hid its highest speed is esti- mated at 56 sections per minute. This type of machine may be supplied to sew on the " two sheets on" principle ; Fig. 39 illustrates the plain sewing done by this machine when arranged for sewing "two sheets on." When sewing on tape, cord, canvas or mull, all the Brehmer machines require wooden blocks to separate one book from the next after sewing, in order to allow slips of sufficient length for each book ; the thickness of the blocks of course deter- mines the length of the slips. This method of using blocks secures uniformity in the length of slips and obviates the work ol pulling each book along the tapes winch are tightly secured to the backs of the books. The books after being sewn pass automatically along a suit- able trough at the rear of the ma- chine and are cut apart at convenient tunes. The operation of the three above- mentioned machines is similar to that ol the Martini machines, which are also Fig. 35. _'N <"< >MMERCIAL BO< >KBINDING. of the single-arm type and are equipped with straight needles. After a section has been correctly placed on the feed-arm, consisting of two steel plates, it is brought up under a series Fig. 36. ol needles and hooks; punches carried in the feed-arm then penetrate the section from within, to facilitate the ingress and egress of the needles and to" bring the burr of the paper outside the section. The needles carrying the hooked needles; these hooked needles cany the loops oul ol the section and hold them until the next section is sewn. The loops from the succeeding section are can ied i hr< mgh the loops of the pre\ ions section, which are then re- leased ami a chain stitch is thereby made. It is nol necessary to tip with paste the first and last sections — an obvious advantage when sewing books printed on coated papei because the dropping of a stitch between two books practically locks t he thread, and when the backs of the books are glued in the lining-up process it is impos- sible to unravel the threads. riartini machines. The Martini Book-sewing machine, National No. i (Fig. 40), is usually equipped with tour stitching heads, but one or two additional heads can lie supplied, so that from one to six stitches can be placed in each section. according to its size. The length of the &•£§*& Fig. 37, threads then descend into the section and. withdrawing slightly, form loops which are carried transversely within the section and deposited on the respective stitch is mwariable, being 1' inches long, but the sewing devices are adjustable and the stitches may be brought within | inch of each other or placed 1 ', or i; ; inches 29 COMMERC) \l B( x >KBlNt>lNG. apart, to allow the stitches to be placed within the proper distance from the head and tail of each hook. The ni.u hine has .1 regulator for adjusting sections thai may have hern fed unevenly, and fingers which and 11 inches wide, and it is possible to sew in one operation two hooks up to • Town 8vo. size, each having three stitches in the sections. The machine will do plain (or French) sewing, sewing through mull or through tape, or through both if required, and its estimated speed is fifty-five to sixty sections per minute if the sections are fed one at a time; if the sections are fed two at a time by an ambi- dexterous operator its esti- mated maximum speed is eighty sections per minute. As each hook is sewn the re- quisite length (which may be varied) of mull or tape is automatically folded down to provide slips. Fig. 41 illustrates the sewing pro- Fig. 38. hold down the section alter it lias been sewn ; these lingers are provided in con- nection with the sewing of guards which might otherwise rise up. The machine will sew books from the smallest size up to a maximum of 16 inches long Fig. 39. Fig. 40. 30 COMMERi I \l. B< >< >KBlNt>ING» duced by this machine when sevviag those shown in Fig. 38 which illustrate through tape. the sewing ovei tape done by Brehi The National No. 2 machine is similar in No. 38 machine; these zig-zag stitches construction to the National No. i, and over tin :rial ma\ be of three besides being adapted for the same kinds lengths, viz., ,■•,,. .. 01 of .111 inch Fig. 41. of sewing as the No. 1 11 will also sew over tape or cord. It is built in three sizes for taking books up to 13!. 18 and 23 inches long respectively. When sewing over tape or cord ziz-zag stitches are made similar to When doing plain sewing the stitches may be ol tour lengths, viz.. :, inch, i T %, 1!. or 1 j inches.. I "pon reference to the various diagrams of sewing it will be observed that while Fig. 42 3i COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. the thread is formed into a chain at one end ol the stitch, at the other end a single thread passes from one section to the next. When sewing on the National No. i the chain portion of the stitch is naturally placed towards the head "I the book and jequentlya single thread goesfrom one seel ion to the next at the tail. The needles ol the National No. : are so arranged that a chain stitch may be placed at the head I 4 u A B Fig. 43. and tad of a book. The National No _> hi additional improvement consisting ol an automatic adjustable saddle, whei Edler's nachine. Edler's Book-sewing machine (Fig. 4.2 does sewing similar to Brehmer's No. .-;< s machine, but the needles arc so arranged that a chain stitch can be put at the head and tail of a book. The machine is con- structed for plain (or French) sewing, or for sewing through or over tape, or through mull. When doing plain sewing the stitches may lie \% inch, i] or \\ inches long : when sewing through or over tape or through mull the stitches are \\ inches long and the tapes may be either \ or \ inch in width. nachine Sewing v. Hand=Sewing. By the use of one or other of these book- sewing machines sewing in several differ- ent ways may be done: the books may be sewn either "all along" or "two sheets on"; the sewing may be plain (or French), through mull, through or over tapes, through mull and through tapes, or over cords. The output per hour of the different machines varies according to the machine used and the nature of the work, but any of the machines by the above-mentioned manufacturers will sew work equal in quantity to that done by at least five girls. A fair esti- mate for the average output of a ma- 1.500 sections the kind of machine used. The fundamental differences between ma- chine-sewing and hand-sewing are that with one exception (the Brehmer machine that slits the heads and tads of the sections) the machines sew with double thread, and when sewing " all along " as many threads are used as there are to be stitches in each section. An examination of a machine- sewn book will show that each length of thread in a given section is independent of the adjacent length, and that the sections are united by a .-enes ol threads passing horizontally along the back of the book : diagram 13 ol Fig. 43 illustrates, in section, machine sewing through tapes chine is about 1,000 to per hour, according to Fig. 44. it is possible to feed sections of differenl thicknesses, without any adjustment on the part of the operator, anil to ensure pro- per tension on the thread. when lour threads are used. In hand-sew- ing one continuous thread is used, as shown in diagram A ol Fig. 43. the thread going vertically through die whole length 32 C( MMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. i if each seel ion. Each thread in a machine- -i w n bi »ok is interloi >ped with itsell embodied in each is a chain stitch, which the makers of the machines wrongly term a "■ kettle stitch." The principle of machine sewing is a good one because the thread is always held under an even tension, which may be varied to suit the work being sewn, and no section will come out of a hook until every si itch in the section lias been cut or broken ; whereas when sewing by hand the sewer requires considerable experience bef< n e she can impart correct and even tension to the thread. Moreover, in a hand-sewn book if the thread is broken, not only will the sec- tion come out of the book, but the whole sewing will-become loose. The chain stitch. however, is not so strong as the hand-made kettle -stitch, as may be seen by a compari- son of Fig. 44 with the other figures showing thechainstitch (Figs.36,38,4i),butthechain stitch can be made quite strong enough for the featherweight and other inferior papers which are so largely used at the present time in book production. It will lie observed that the chain stitch is formed by the threads of the neighbouring sec- tions passing through one another; the hand-made kettle-stitch, on the other hand, can combine three or more sections at every operation. Smashing or Pressing. The book after being sewn is made compact by pressing, although sometimes this operation is done prior to the sewing. In the early days of the craft the books were made as solid as possible by beat- methods are now obsolete, so far as ordi- nary edition work is concerned, the swell being taken Out ol a book by a smashing or nipping machine, which rapidly accom- plishes us work in a thorough and effec- Fig. 45. ing them on a stone with a short-handled heavy hammer, a practice mentioned by Clement Barksdale in his Xympha Libethris ; or, the Cotswold Muse, published in 165 1 :— Has my muse made a fault? Friend I entreat, Before you bind her up, you would her beat ; Though she's not loose or wanton, I can tell, Unless you beat her, you'll not bind her well. This old-fashioned process was superseded by the rolling machine. Both these Fig. 46. tive manner, and facilitates accurate trimming. There are several good smash- ing machines on the market. Greig's smashing machine (Fig. 45) has two platens: the lower one is stationary but adjustable in order to suit the various thicknesses of books, and the upper one is movable. The smashing is effected by the rising and falling of the upper platen, which brings pressure to bear against the lower one. The upper platen, measuring 22 by 6 inches, opens to a space of about 4 -J or 5 inches, and has a rise and fall of i| niches when the machine is in action. Usually the whole surface of the books is not smashed or pressed at once ; the operator retains his hold on the books, allowing only a portion of the surface to be pressed at one time, and he turns the pile after each squeeze until the books are made thoroughly compact. Two operators can feed in the hooks to be smashed, one being stationed at either side of the machine, and the capacity of the machine largely depends upon the agility of the operators. The speed of Greig's machine provides for about 25 to 33 nips per minute, and it has been estimated that in a week two men can nip about 50,000 books of the average size of 6-| by 4' inches by 5 inch thick. For encyclopaedias and other large books Messrs. John Greig and Sons make a larger and heavier size. Cutting of Edges. The book is now ready for the treatment of its edges. The question as to whether or not the edges of a book should be cut by the publishers' binder is a moot one. Some persons, probably those in the minor- ity, appear to experience much delight in cutting, with an elegant paper knife, the 33 << MMERCIAL r.onKI'.INDINr,. edges ol a book, and to derive great satis- faction From the knowledge that the pages have not been fingered by any reader with more catholic tastes than they possess; on the other hand, busy readers have a natural antipathy to cutting the leaves ol a boo! when it ran be d with mathematical precision by machinery in a fraction of the time that would be spent in hand-cutting. There are valid reasonsfor and against the practice of issuing books with uncut edges, and the matter should be decided in the light of the future use to which the book is to be put. If the cover which the book is to receive is intended to be a permanent one. then the fastidious taste of the antiquary should be sacri- ficed to the convenience of the busy reader, and the edges carefully trim- med ; but if the cover be regarded merely as a tem- pi nary one, then it may be advisable to leave the edges uncut, so that when the book is rebound wide margins may lie left 'There are, however, addi- tional objections to tin- latter course : when the edges are cut by hand they become rough and if the reader be careless, jagged also-- thereby mak- ing it difficult forthereader to turn over the leaves quickly, and books with their edges so cut become veritable dust-traps. At Ihe prcsenl time the usual practice is lo issue publishers' books with the three edges i ut ; anil occasionally the edges are tinted or the top edge is gilt. Probably the best treatment for the edges of publishers books is to cut and gild the top and to h i e uncut the lore-edge and tail. The culting of edges, needless to say, is not pei loi mecl by a plough hut by a cutting machine, of which there is an almost end- less variety. Immediately before the books Fig. 48. Fig. 47. are placed on- the bed of the cutting ma- chine, it is very essential that the books be knocked up squarely at the back and head, otherwise the books will have a very objec- tionable appearance when they are cut. Some machines have only one knife, others have two knives, and others have three ; some of them are self-clamping, others must be hand-clamped by means of a screw. Most of them, how- ever, work on the same prin- ciple : several books are placed on the bed of the ma- chine according to a gauge. the clamp grips them tightly, and a heavy knife descends .ind rapidly cuts the edges. Reliable cutting machines, lor hand or power, are sup- plied by Messrs. John Greig and Sons. Messrs. Furnival and Co., Ltd., Messrs. Harrild and Sons. Messrs. Peter Hooker. Ltd.. The Seybold Machine Co.. of Dayton, Ohio (whose London agents are Messrs Walters. Jackson and Co.), The Brown and Carver in., of Oswego. New York 34 C< >MMERC1 \l. B< m >KBINDIN< i. (whose London agents are the Cana- dian-American Machinen Co.), \I' T. W. and C. B. Sherida'n Co., Mi i i Friedheim, Messrs. Hughes and Kimber, Ltd., and Mr. Karl Krause (whose London agents arc Messrs. Kampe and Co Greig's "New Conqueror" Guillotine. Greig's "Now Conqueror" (Fig. (.6 typical specimen of an up-to-date i utting machine with a single knife. The knife bein.ua longone.several small piles of books may be cut at one operation. The b thickness up to six inches, and it is estimated to give aboul twenty cuts pet minute the highesl speed al which any operator could safely manipulate his work. It is made in vario to cut work ranging from 30 inches to 76 inches wide. If the books are to have their heads, tails and fore-edgescut, they musl he put through a one-knife machine three times. Usuallya quantity of books to he so cut are all put through the machine before the second cutting takes place, which of course necessitates an alteration of the gauge; Fig. 49. having been accurately placed on the bed of the machine according to a back gauge, one movement of the front lever suffices to start the machine and complete thecycle of operations, as it is entirely auto- matic in its action : the books are clamped under heavy pressure, the knife descends cutting through the paper, and returnstoits first position ; the clamp releases the books andthemachinestopsinorderthat the work may be removed. This machine cuts paper and when all the books in the batch have had two edges cut, the gauge is again altered for the final cutting. Furnival's "Express" Guillotine. A very popular machine is Furnival's "Express" Self-clamp guillotine (Fig. 47) in which the clamping is usually effected by hydraulic power, but it may be fitted with a weight clamping arrangement if desired. The illustration is a view of the 35 COMMERC1 \l B< (OKBINDING. machine fitted with " grid-iron "clamp and e, which is onh su] iplied when spei ialh ■ ■ dei ed il is also fitted with a patent silent clutch. The knife ran be stopped at any part of the cut, and the pressure can be regulated to suit various kinds "I work. The guillotine is made in varioussizes to < u1 worl< ranging in width from 26 to 64 inches. Seybold "Duplex" Cutter. The Seybold "Duplex" cutter (Fig. |M (which is sold in this country by Messrs. \ alters, Jackson and Co.) is equipped with two knives which act automatically and simultaneously, so th.it two edges are cu1 at one opera- tion ol the machine thereby doing more work in a given time than is implished by a machine with a single curately the machine is set in motion, the piles are automaticallj clamped, and the knives descend and cu1 the fore-edges. [n order to bring the other uncut edges under the knives, the table is given a quar- ter-turn and this movement brings the knives into their correct position for the ?e d cutting; the knives then descend and cut the heads and tails, and the piles are afterwards released from the pressure oi the clamps. This machine will cut work six inches high, any si/e between 5 by 2-5 inches up to 16 by 12 inches. Seybold Continuous Trimmer. A remarkable machine for effecting an enormous output in a short time is the Seybold Continuous Feed Book Trimmei which, at every single operation, de- livers a small pile of luniks having three Fif>. 50. knife. In the lu ad ol the machine the cutting knives are arranged parallel to each other, and are secured to carriages mounted on bars having horizontal tracks upon which the carriages may travel. For this machine it is necessary to have a num- ber oi sets of pattern blocks of varying sizes to correspond to the different si. 1 s oi books. Two small piles D i books having been accurately placed, back to back, on cutting blocks fixed to a movable table thereby exposing to view the foui edges which ;u e to be cui two ] ■aitci n 1 oards are selected oi the size to which the books are to be trimmed and are fixed hori zontally to the clamping mechanism. The ■ 1 the km\ ( s having been set ac- edges trimmed. Its distinctive features are three cutting knives, each provided with an independent automatic clamp lot- clamping the kicks during the cutting operation, and a table which revolves in- termittently and carries the piles of books under the knives which operate simul- taneously, so that when the heads and tails oi the 1 ( oks 111 one pile are being trimmed, the fore-edges oi books in another pile are also being ti in med. Alter the operatoi has placed three piles of books on the machine its action, as its name implies, is continuous, the table making a rter-revolution at each movement. In feeding the machine the operator places a pile oi books, according to a back gauge. 36 COMMERCIAL BO< >KBINDIN< i on the empty section ol the table immeg diately in front of him while the table is at rest, and an auxiliary clamp is broughl down upon the hooks to prevenl displace ment while the table rotates and until the automatic clamps carried by the knives Fig. SI. are brought into operation. The table is then automatically released and by the first quarter-revolution the pile is brought into correct position between two paral- lel knives, the table is locked, the clamps carried by the knives come into operation, and the knives de- scend and cut the heads and tails of the books; by the second move- ment of the table the same pile is carried under the third knife which cuts the fore-edges of the books : by the third turn the pile is brought to a delivery point where the books are removed by a boy ; and, by the fourth quarter-revolu- tion the empty section is brought in front of the operator. The operator is entirely eliminated from danger as the nearest knife is three feet from him. The machine is estimated to trim six hundred piles per hour of any size from a minimum of 3I by 6 inches to a maximum of 13I by 18 inches and 6 inches high ; and the change from one size to another is simply and quickly effected. Oswego Continuous Trimmer. Another effective machine deserv- ing of particular notice is Brown and Carver's Oswego Continuous Trimming Machine (Eig. 4Q) (sold in this country by the Cana- dian - American Machinery Co.) which, in its construction andg general operation, resembles the r eybold Continuous Trimmer. The operato places a pile of books to be cut on a rotating table against a side and back gauge. The pile is clamped by automatic pile-holders and the table is then gi\ en ,1 quai ter-turn m order to bring the pile between two ad- justable knives; these knives descend and cul two sides of the pile in one operation after the automatic clamps have idown and grasped the edges ol the pile firmly. The table is then given a second quarter-revolution to bring the pile under the third knife and auto- matic clam]) for the third cut. The third movement of the table brings the pile to the fourth position where the pile-holder automatically releases the pile so that it may be easily and quickly removed. The machine is de- signed to cut books ol any size from ]\ by (> inches up to 13J by 18 inches. fiercer Trimming flachine. Eor trimming books that are to have deckle-edges the Mercer Continuous Book Trimming Machine (Fig. 50) (sold by Mr. Oscar Friedhemi) may be usefully employed. This machine. about 6 feet 3 inches in length and 4 feet 3 inches in width, has a suitable table upon which the books to be trim- med are placed in readiness for the op- erator. Eixed to the right-hand side of the machine, near the middle, is a circular cutting knife. After the back gauge has been set, so that the knife will cut off Fig. 52. the desired amount from the edge of the books, tin 1 operator places a book against the back ^'auge and then pushes it along the table until it is gripped be- M COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. ! two horizontal endless chains, made ol .1 series ol metal cross-bars. The operating surfaces of the chains are Fig. S3. parallel to each other. The upper chain presses down upon the upper side of the book and the lower one carries the book past the rapidly revolving cutting knife (driven by an ordinary driving belt) in such a manner as to bring the fore-edge in contai I with it. These chains, of course, also serve to deliver tin- book at the rear of the machine where they are removed by a boy. Mounted on the machine in an emery wheel for sharpen- ing the knife- edge of the disc from time to time. The machine will operate on b ioks of different thickness) - ; by one adjustment the pie- sure on the work may be re- gulated, as the wheels carry- ing the upper chain are mounted in a frame capable of rising or falling as may be required. The machine will trim books from 15 inches square down to 4 inches square, and one. two. or three 1 ks inav. he fed ,il each imated togi ve an nut put pel" hour ol I.Noo. 4.600 and 5.400 hooks respectively. Krause's Cutting flachines. The best-kno,wn •>! Krause's cutting machines which are sold in this country by Messrs. Kampe and Co.) is his " Rapid " guillotine 1 Fig. 51) which has the following features: a fric- tion clutch, an arrangement for the auto- matic stoppage of the knife when in its high- est position, an arrangement for throwing in and out of gear at any part ol the cut, a cut indicatOl (to show the exact line .,1 the cut before the descent of the knife), an adjustable table, and a parallel adjust- ment to provide against either under or over cutting. The machine is estimated to make 1 u enty cuts pei minute, and is made in four sizes, the length of cut of the smallest size being 40 inches and the largest 70 inches. The three-sided cutting machine (Fig. 52) trims books in piles up to 5! inches high, on three sides with only a single clamping ; after the first cut the revolving table, which isturned by hand, automatically locks itself in exact position ready for the next cut, and the operation is repeated lor the third side of the pile. A different clamping plate is required for each size ol hook to be cut. The machine is made in five sizes; the smallest size will cut work from 2 X % by 3^ inches up to y T ', T by o T 7 B inches, and the largest will cut work from 1 1 t.t by 19JJ, inches up to ig§ by 23 inches. Krause's new " Rapid " three-side trim- ming machine! Fig. 53) has three knives which will cut in one operation the three sides of a pile of hooks or magazines. The piles may be as high as (>':. inches and may vary in size from 2| by 4' inches to p) by 2 y : inches. The front knife requires no adjustment, and the two side knives may he set in a few minutes by means of two cranks along a scale marked in inches. Fig. 54. a (MMERCl \1. BOOKBINDING. The material is fed to two back gauges and a side gauge which automaticallj re cedes when the knife descends. The foot clamp shown in the illustration serves to hold the pile of material in position until the knives descend, when the automatic self-clamp comes into action and grips the material firmly until the three cuts have been completed. Glueing'iip. When the book has been trimmed il is ready for "glueing-up," a process winch is still done by hand. The back of the book is. or should be, well brushed over with a thin coating of glue to hold the sections firmly together. After the glue has ceased to be "tacky." but before it has become dry and hard, the book is rounded and backed. Rounding and Backing. The operations of rounding and backing are very important and great care should be exercised in their execution. If the sew- ing or the backing process has been imper- fectly executed the book will not last long, however well the subsequent operations may have been performed. The object of rounding the backs of books is to prevent their assuming a bad convex or concave shape, or perhaps a combination of the two; and the books are backed to provide the necessary grooves in which the boards should fit. In earlier days this work was done by hand with a hammer, and this practice still obtains in ordinary binding. In hand-work the back is rounded by being laid flat on a table and then tapped first on one side of the back and then on the other. The book is next put between a pair of backing boards and placed in a lying press, with the back of the book projecting sufficiently to allow the proper grooves to be made; this is done by striking the back with a hammer in such a way that the folds of the outer sections are turned over, forming the grooves. The Crawley flachine. The Crawley Rounding and Backing Machine ( Fi^,. ^-i ) (sold by The Hobbs M'f'g. Co . and' Messrs. T. W. and C. B. Sheridan Co.) rounds and backs each book by one continuous action, at esti- mated speeds varying from 350 to 750 books per hour, according to the nature of the work, the ability of the operator, and the size of the machine. The operator in feeding the machine holds the book in both hands and inserts it between a pair of rounding rollers so that the back of the book rests against a pair of guides which have previously been accuratelyset. The rollers also having been properly adjusted, the upper one now descends and presses the book between it and the lower roller. The guides then rise out of the way, and the rollers rotate sufficiently to round the back and to move the book rearward far enough to pass it between a pair of jaws; the back of the book then projects sufficiently beyond the rear edge of the jaws to enable the backing device to form on 1 he hook joints of the proper size. The jaws then grasp the book firmly, the rollers release their grasp and thejawsswing rearward, bring- ing the book in contact with an oscillating backing plate. The backing plate is of cast iron and has a concave polished face' This plate, winch describes an arc in its movements, first touches the centre oi tin- back of the book and then by two or three movements turns the ends oi the sections both ways evenly from the centre and forms the joints for the boards. The pie- sure which the backing plate exerts upon the back and joints of the book may be re- gulated. The book having been backed, the jaws move forward towards the operator and release their grasp of the book; before this movement is completed another book has been inserted between the rounding-rollers so that the book between the jaws is pushed out by the second book, which takes its place be- tween the jaws. The first book is then removed by the operator. The upper roller is adjustable so that thin and thick books may be gripped equally well, and a number of backing plates are provided with each machine, as it is necessary to use a plate \ inch wider than the thick- ness of the book to produce a correct joint; this joint should be the same size as the thickness of the boards used for the covers. The Crawley machine can be had in three sizes: the" small size will take bi » iks 3 inches to 10 inches wide, 2^ inches to I2| inches high or long, and \ inch to 1; inches thick, at a fast speed of fourteen or a slow speed of nine books per minute ; the standard size will take books 3| inches to loi inches wide, 2\ inches to I2| inches high or long, and { inch to 3! inches thick, at a fast speed of eleven or a slow speed of seven books per minute; the extra large size will take books _\\ inches to 11^, inches wide. l\ inches, to 17 inches, high or long and ', inch to 3* inches thick, at a last speed of nine or a slow- speed of six books per minute. The "Rupert" machine. The "Rupert" Rounding and Backing Machine (sold by 'Messrs. Valters, Jackson and Co.) is similar in construction to the Crawley machine as the patent of the earlier pattern of the latter has expired, but there are still some patented improve- ments on the latest model of the Crawley machine. It is constructed to take books ^ inches to 10! inches wide. i\ to 1 1 ; inches long, and" \ inch to 2! inches thick and the estimated output is 600 to 700 books per hour. Lining, etc. The next process is lining. The strength and flexibility of the back depends upon the materials used and the care taken in applying them. The back receives its second coating of glue and a strip of mull or super (slightly less in length than that 39 ( i iMMKKi l.\l. BOOKBINDING. of the book, but considerably wider than the thickness of it) is attached. A strip of brown or other strong paper, the width oi the back, is put on top of the mull and rubbed down firmly with a folder or rounded stick : in the case of large and heavy books then hacks are generally strengthened by having two or more pieces n| paper glued to them in the same way. If the hooks have gilt tops, headbands are affixed to both the head and tail of each book. When the books are dry they are ready for " casing-in " ; that is to say, the hook is ready to be enclosed in a hook- cover or " case." By this method the cover for the book may be made in another department of the binder}' while the pre- ceding operations are being performed. Casing versus Binding. There is a fundamental difference be- tween the methods of attaching the covers of a "cased " book and a "bound "book. In casing a book, whether the covering ma- terial be boards, cloth, buckram, or leather, the sides of the book are pasted and the ready-made cover is simply attached to them ; there is thus no structural con- nection between the sheets of the book and the cover. In binding a book, using the term in its correct technical meaning, the slips are firmly secured to the boards, and the complete cover forms an integral part of the structure of the book. Boards. The work of case-making is now done entirely by machinery. The case-making machines must necessarily produce cases uniformly in size one with another, and Fig. 55. there is an entire absence ol finger-marks, lumps, brush-marks, and so forth, which are liable to occur on cases made by hand. The first stage in the making of the cover is to prepare hoards oi the required sizefoi the hook. The cutting of boards a few at a time, hitherto performed by a lever cut- ting machine having a descending knife, is now done more expeditiously by a rotary cutting machine driven by steam or electric power, of which there are a considerable number in vise. A rotary cutting machine consists of an iron table having a planed surface, parallel feed gauges, and several pairs of adjustable circular cutters. The steel cutters revolve on two spindles, the upper (utters working against the lower ones in shear fashion. Two feedings are necessary to obtain hoards of the required size for book-covers. The cutters are first adjusted li >r cutting the sheets of boards into strips ; a sheet of board is then fed between a pair of steel rollers which force the board against the revolving cutters ; these cutters divide the boards into strips and they are delivered by means of another pair of steel rollers. The strips are subsequently put through the machine after the cutters have been adjusted, and thus cut into boards, all perfectly accurate in size. The firms of Furnival and Co., Ltd., O. Friedheim, Karl Krause, T. W. and C. B. Sheridan Co., Richmond and Co., and John Greig and Sons all make rotary cutting machines, some of which have as many as ten pairs of cutters. Greig's millboard cutting machines (Fig. 55) will cut flat boards from -JV to { inch. These machines are of different widths and may be supplied with any reasonable num- ber of cutters: the bookbinders' size is 42 inches wide between frames or cheeks, and is provided with seven pairs of cutters. Smyth Cloth Cutting nachines. If the cases are to be made by the Smyth Case-making Machine, the cloth must first he cut up into rectangular sheets of the proper size for the cases which are to be made ; that is to say, the sheet of cloth must be sufficiently large to overlap Ihe boards by about | or | inch. For this pur- pose the Smyth Cloth-cutting Machines (Fig. 56) are used. These machines are con- structed to take a roll of bookbinders' cloth of the standard length and diameter and to cut accurately rectangular sheets in only a fraction of the time that would be occu- pied if the work were done by hand. It is quite obvious that such a machine pos- sesses the additional advantage of cutting the cloth more economically than would be done in practice by hand. The cloth is automatically fed over and through a straightening device consisting of adjust- able rods, in order to remove the curl com- pletely; it then passes through the feeding- 111 rubber rollers which draw the cloth between a series of circular cutters for the purpose of slitting it lengthwise. The feeding-in arrangement is adjustable, and its action is intermittent; alter the cloth lias hem drawn between the cutters for the desired distance, there is a pause, and the knife descends crosswise, rutting the longitudinal strips into rectangular sheets. The sheets are then delivered upon the re- ceiving table. The No. 1 machine will cut and deliver rectangular sheets of any size varying from the lull width of the cloth bv COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING 24 inches, to 3 inches by 5 inches; the \o. 2 machine is similar to 1 he one just de- scribed, but its feeding-in arrangement per- mits the cloth to be cut to its full width by 36 inches. These machines are equipped with a rewinding attachment so that any portion of the roll not cut into rectangular sheets may be rolled again for future use. Smyth Case=nakers. The sheets are next prepared for the Smyth Case-making Machine (Fig. 57) by in a tank containing glue kepi al the necessary heat by gas burners. The roller thai applies the glue is fitted with two scrapers, one to scrape it clean and the other to regulate the quantity of glue that is to be applied to the fabric. The cloth is then automatically carried on to a plat- form in the centre of the machine and a picker, by means of suction, lifts and carries a pair of boards from the hoppers at the rear of the machine, containing piles of boards cut to the requisite size, and cor- Fig. 56. being placed in a corner-cutting device and having their corners nipped off. A pile of sheets so cut is placed on a table to the left of the operator of the case-making machine. The operator feeds a sheet of cloth, reverse side uppermost, to the gripper fingers of a cvlinder which simply grip the front edge of the cloth. This cylinder in rotating causes the cloth to fall away from it and the whole of the under surface of the cloth comes into contact with a roller which revolves reciprocally rectly places them on the glued fabric. If the back lining is to be of thick paper it is automatically cut from a reel at the rearof the machine and fed on to the case, but it thin boards are to be used for this purpose they are applied by hand— work usually done by a boy. The platform then descends and the cloth is folded over head and tail and at the same time the corners are nicked in. After a momentary pause to allow the head and tail folds to adhere to the boards, the second folding" bars come 4> C< tMMERCIAL I'.OOKWNDIW.. into operation and these fold the fabric over the fore-edges. The case is then run into a press and remains under pressure while the next case is being made. The pressing arrangement is ingeniously adapted to suit the various thicknesses ol boards and widths between the boards. It consists el a ti.it indiarubber bag filled with water, on to which the ease is placed. and a platen, which lowers at its proper time and presses the case on to the bag; - per minute, ! by 8-| inches. The No. 2 machine (Fig. 58) resembles the one just described, but is heavier in construction and is modified in details to manipulate heavier work. It is designed to run at a speed of 8 to 10 cases per minute, or about 450 to 600 per hour, Fig. 57. the bag, being flexible, rises in the hollow between the boards, thus properly pressing the whole cover. At the proper time the press opens, delivering the finished case on to an automatic lowering table. A boy is occasionally required to remove the piles ol cases from the table, and to keep the machine supplied with materials. The No. 1 machine (Fig. 57), is de- signed to run at ;\ speed of 10 to 12 and to make cases ol all sizes between 7 inches by 1 t inches and 14 by 22 inches. An attachment may be incorporated to make eases 7 by 7 inches to 7 by i i inches. The Special No. 2 machine has an increased range, being adapted lor making cases from 7 by 7 inches to 16 by 22 inches, and it is equipped with a round-corner attach- ment. Tin; machines will make cases from 43 C< MMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. boards with either square 01 bevelled edges, using cither plain or grained bool binders' cloth, calico, linen, the basket 01 open mesh cloth, also plain or punted paper- covers. These machines will also produce cases with backs of a different material to that used on the sides, or similar material but of a different colour. Cases so made Fig. 59. pass twice through the machine: in the in -a working the boards are joined together by the hack strip of cloth or paper ; in the second working the semi-made cases are placed in the hopper, and a siding up attachment is placed in position ii; the machine; the two pieces ol material to covet the sidesare then fed to the machine and the cases made as previously de- si ribed. sheridan Case=naker. The Sheridan Case-making Machine (Fig. 59) is larger than the Smyth machine, and being more complex, con- siderably longer time is oc- cupied in setting it up for working cases of a particular si/e. and it is therefore oi greatest service when very long runs are required ; but having been adjusted, the actual output of the Sheridan machine per hour exceeds that of the Smyth case- maker. In operating this machine, it is first necessary to cut the ordinary rolls of cloth (about 36 to 44 inches in width) into rolls of a width requisite for the 1 ases it is desired to make, and for this purpose a special cloth slitter and rewinder is supplied with the machine. A roll having been fixed to the machine, the reverse sirle of the cloth is automatically pressed into contact with a cylinder which revolves in a tank of glue, and the cloth is thereby coated with a suitable quantity ol glue. The glued cloth is then carried over roll las. and pairs of boards, cut to the proper v a y COMMI'.KCIAI. BOOKBINDING. size, arc successively Fed on to the cloth from a magazine or hopper by reciprocating pushers. Each pair of boards is fed simul taneously, the two boards being placed in correct position relatively to each other and in the successive pairs, in order to pro vide the requisite amount of cloth for turn- ing in. The fabric now carrying the hoards passes between rollers which not only press the boards firmly to the cloth, but give to it a forward movement. A knife, provided al each end witli a small V-shaped cutter, then cuts across the cloth midway between e.nh two successive pans of boards, thus cutting the corners to the correct shape. If a stiffening strip is to be applied to thecase, it is fed automatically in suitable lengths from a hopper, after which the advancing edge of the cloth is folded over the boards and pressed down by a roller, and the rear edge is turned forward and also pressed down by another roller. These rollers are both wider in diameter at the middle, in order that the overlapping ends of the cloth between the boards may be pressed down. Another roller then passes between the two boards of the pair to press the back lining to the back of the cover. Afterwards the side (laps are folded over and pressed down by side rollers, and thecase is then delivered in a trough, being subsequently passed through the case-smoother by the assistant. Fig. 60 shows the successive stages in the making of cases on the Sheridan case- maker ; the cloth is lettered A, the boards are lettered B, and the stiffening strips are lettered C. This machine with the aid of one man and a boy or girl will make cloth cases with either square or bevelled edges, from 8| by 5! inches up to 17 by 11 inches, at an estimated speed of about 1,000 cases per hour. Decoration of Covers. The cover is now ready to receive its title andany ornamentation that may bedesired. Cloth book-covers may be decorated by embossing, blind-stamping, stamping in gold or alloyed metals, or printing in colour, or by a combination of some of these processes. For blocking in "blind" (i.e., the impress- ing of the die directly on to the book- cover without the use of any foil or ink) or in gold and for printing in colour, dies or blocks cut in relief are required. If the cover is only to be blocked in blind or gold or printed in one colour, a single die will suffice, but if two or more colours are required, a separate die must be made for each colour (each die of course requiring a separate working) unless the colours are to be "blended" in such a way that the colours are applied in bands across or up and down the cover. Usually the maximum number of colours is four, and more fre- quently only one or two are used, with or without the combination of gold. Needless to say, great accuracy must be observed in the making of the various dies for one cover, as it is most essential that they should register correctly. In order to get a good sharp impression the die is made ol brass il the number ol co\ ers to be blocked or printed is a larg e ; bul il the num ber be comparatively small an electro 1 used as Us cost is considerably less than that ' if a brass die. There is an enormous variety of machines fordoing the work of blocking and printing, and it would be impossible to enumerate them all ; however, the principle upon which these machines work is practically the same m all cases. The block is fixed to an upper plate or "platen" situated in the head of the machine under a heating box which is kept at correct and constant temperature by means of efficient gas jets or jets of steam running through it. To attach the block to the platen various ad- hesives are used ; usually a sheet of brown paper is first glued to the platen and then the block is glued to it. 'The bed or lower platen of the press is provided with lax- gauges so that the covers to be stamped may all be led in exactly thesame position. Blocking in blind is only suitable for cloth having a rough or grained surface; on cloth having a smooth surface the effect of blocking is not apparent. When blocking in gold or other metal foils the cloth book-covers are not prepared with anv ad- hesive medium if the work is to be turned out as cheaply as possible, the composition of the cloth and the glue beneath it being- depended upon to provide the necessary agglutination. In the better-class work-, however, the cloth is prepared by "wash- ing" ; probably the oldest form of adhesive is the glaire of eggs, but for commercial work this has now been largely superseded by dried albumen or blocking powders. A cover having had the gold leaf laid on by hand as for hand tooling, it is placed on the lower platen and then brought in contact with the heated die which gives the impression and fixes the gold leal wherever it has touched the cover. The superfluous gold is then rubbed off with a rag or piece of rubber, leaving the orna- mentation visible. For blocking in relief a die of hardened brass cut in intaglio (known as the female die) and a raised counter die (known as a " force " or the male die) made up of mill- board, sugar-paper or papier-mache, are required. The female die is fixed on the upper platen and the male die is attached to the lower platen in a corresponding position. The machine is worked as for stamping, heat, of course, being required, and the interposition of the book-cover be tween the two dies causes its surface to be raised. Colour printing to be effective requires a smooth cloth, and frequently each colour requires a second coat to give a good effect. The process of printing covers with inks of different colours is done without heat, and frequently some of the platen printing presses are used, such as Colt's Armory platen press, style (> machine. 45 COMMERC1 W. BOOKBINDING. The inking i ent can ied in the head oi the ma* hine consists ol a duel to supplj the ink I Hers which automal i- cally ink the block while the operatoi is Feeding i he co\ er. In many of the ma- chines the duel maj be divided in qrdet t< i contain inks ol several differenl colours, so that more than one coloui may be applied ,ii one impression ; bul the applica tion "I several colours at one time is limited by the design. " Beatrice " Press. Messrs. Valters, Jackson and Co.'s "Beatrice" press (Fig. 61) is a typical one adapted for embossing and block- ing in blind and gold and printing in ink. This machine is set at an angle with the view of attaining a high rate ol speed, estimated at [,ooo impressions pei hour, with accurate register and good im pression. The top platen is so arranged that when drawn out it folds up, in ordei Fig. 61. that alterations to the Mock may be made conveniently without removing it from the machine. A book cover having been placed on the bottom platen, which has an in-and-out movement, it travels in as it rises under the head of the machine, and the 1 1. covet is pressed firmly against i he die ; the bottom platen then desi ends and moves out again, allowing a rest suffi- ciently long to perm i.l thecovei to be taken i >ll and another placed on. Tins machine is made in three sizes : two machines I a blocking surface 12 inches by ro inches, ami a bottom tal >le i , by 1 1 inches, and the other machine has a blocking surface [6 by 14 inches and a bottom table [8 by i<5 inches, khe inking arrangemenl ol this machine is carried in the back pari oi the head and can easd\ be disengaged when blocking in blind or in void. Kampe's Presses. Messrs. Kampe's and Co.'s " Rock " ^old blocking and embossing press No. 3a for hand pi. we! (Fig. 62) Is Idled With atmOS- phei ic Mas burners and is made in five : the smallest size has a bed 15 i 13 1 5! inches, and a blocking plate guaranteed tO bll >ck CI >\ lis T |,\ 1 J j inches ; I he Fig. 62 largest sizehasa bed ,:: : j by 23! inches and a plate for blocking covers up to i6| by 21 inches. 'khe " Rock " gold blocking and inking press No. 2 (Fig. 63) is also fitted with atmospheric burners and ar- ranged lor hand power. It is adapted for Fig. 63. -mailer V izi No. 1 and si/e inches ■ork will No. and blocl 2 w 1 is mac <. work 11 bloc e in t t>\ by k Wol wo sizes : 7 : | inches, k 7 bvN, 46 COMMERCIAL P>< >OKBI\T)INO. Friedheim's Presses. Mr. Oscar Friedheim's blocking and embossing presses cover a very wide range to meet the various requirements Fig. 64. of bookbinders. One of his presses can be furnished with an automatic colouring apparatus for producing in one operation coloured and blocked book- covers. The machine is arranged power, and the estimated numbei oJ iiiipir--i.ui-- pei hour that can be ob- d is i. ood. The machine is fitted for gas heating with atmospheric burners, unless .in arrangement for steam is specially required, and the size of the heating box and of the hanging plate is 8g by i<>' : inches. Fig. 64 illustrates his press Xo. 1020 for hand-power which is fitted with a high insertion box and an adjustable table for the book-cover to rest upon whilsl in the press. The box can be regulated to suit the size of the book-< over to he woi ked. This comparatively light machine, which is usually fitted lor gas heating with atmospheric burners, is made in eleven sizes: the smallest size lias a heating box 11 inches and a hanging plate q 1 by 1: inches, and the largest size has a heat- box 21 by 27I inches and a hanging plate 22 by 2Qg inches. In contrast to Fig. 64 an illustration (Fig. 05) is given of his heavy four poster blocking and embossing press. No. 1034 arranged for power, which is a very power-' ful machine, being capable of exerting a pie-siire of about 400 tons. A pressure in- dicator can be fitted in order to show the amount of pressure being exerted. This press is fitted for gas heating with atmos- pheric burners, and it has a heating box 25I by 33' inches and a hanging plate 285 by 33-2 inches. An illustration is also given of Fried- heim's double-sided blocking and emboss- ing press (Fig. 66) for two operators. This machine is also fitted for gas heating with atmospheric burners, and is made in four COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. sizes; the smallesl si; e has a heating box i ^ by it»; inchesand a hanging plate i.-i' b\ K) inches; the largest size has a heating box M), bv 23I inches and a hanging plate 2o| by 26 inches. The tables move auto- matically in and out m adjustable V shaped guides, and either can be imme- diately disconnected without interfering with the other. The machines, according to their sizes, give pressures estimated at 140, 1 75, and 223 tons respectively, and they are fitted with a pressure indicator to en- able the operator to see the amount of pressure the machine is exerting. Sheridan Presses. The T. W. and C. B. Sheridan Co.'s arch presses (Fig. 67) arc massive and strong, and are made in two sizes : the No. 3 press has a head 15 In- 13 inches, and a bed ig by supporting plate. In working the machine .1 i.id opens an unbound book near its middle and places it correctly, by means of a gauge, on the book-supporting plate attached to the arm nearest to him. The arm then makes a third-revolution, bring- ing the book into the centre of the machine. It then descends to lowermost position, and. to prevent the leaves of the book opening as the book travels down, air at considerable pressure is forced against each side of the book by a pair of nozzles. Two rollers supplied with paste by reci- procating paste-boxes, are now presented to either side of the book and they apply a greater amount of paste near the joints and to those portions of the book having mull than to the other portions of the sides This ingenious application of paste is effected by the rollers being made to rotate "-%:'::- Fig. 66. 14 1 , inches, and can be supplied either for embossing only or for embossing and ink- ing ; the No. 5 press lias a head iS by 15 inches and a bed 23 by 1 7| inches, and is made in three styles, viz.. for smashing, for embossing, and for embossing and inking. Smyth Casing=in Hachine. The case having been made and orna- mented, u is reach- to be combined with the book, 'fiie Smj th < )asing in Machine I ig, 68) performs the work ol casing in in a more satisfactory manner than is usually dene bv hand, and runs at an estimated sp r ed ol 10 to 13 books pei minute, gr\ ing an output of about 5C0 books per hour. 'fins machine is equipped with three radial anus, each holding a vertical book- backward at the time the book is descend- ing, so that the peripheries of the rollers may be coated with an extra quantity of paste. The two paste rollers are each fined with an upper and lower scraper, which can be easily adjusted by the operatoi to suil any thickness of joint and quality ol end-paper. As the book com- mences to rise a case from the magazine or hopper at the rear of the machine is auto- maticallj fed into a position directly above the book. In the meantime the jointing-in device has been broughl immediately above the case into which the book is to be fixed; thispieceol mechanism stretches the back of thecase across the back of the book. firmly forces the case into the joints, and swinging arms come down firmly, pressing 48 i . MMERCIAL B< »< >KBINDING. the sides of the case against the sides ol thg book. After the book reaches its upper limit thearm nukes;! third-revolution and the book is removed by the operator. The machine is adapted I * > i" books ol any si/.e, the covers of which may lie made on any of the Smyth case-making machines; the covers may be .is small as .| by 7 '. inches, or as large as 14 by 22 inches, and the thickness of the book may vary from } inch to 3 inches. The machine will also case-in " flat back " and " tight back " books. The backs of the latter must be glued by hand immediately before they are fed to the machine and when they are removed the operator draws his hand once or twice across the back of each book, so on to the book blade, the knife edge of winch enters the middle ol the book, thus making b unnecessary for the operatoi to open the book. An automatu pushei places the book in its coi rei 1 position on the blade. The book-blade has a pendent extension situated immedi ately above a tank holding paste or other adhesive material, and as the blade de scends the pendent extension dips into this tank. The paste in the tank is kept at a constant level by an auxiliary reservoir containing sufficient paste for half-a-day's working. The pasting device consists of a pair of plates, one on each side of the Made, timed to move in and out as the book-blade rises and falls. When the book- Fig. 67. as to set the back joint. Tight-back books. although not very common in this country, are largely used on the Continent. "Parkside" Casin£=in Hachine. Another machine for casing-in is the "Parkside" Casing-in Machine, (Fig. <»i). (sold by Mr. Oscar Friedheim) which was placed on the market 111 [908. n feeding this machine the- bonk to be cased is placed on its fore-edge in a bell-mouthed guide which supports it: the book is then pushed forward by hand blade is in its uppermost position, the pasting plates advance into contact with the pendent extension, which has just emerged from the paste-pot and has risen between adjustable scrapers for removing the superfluous paste. There are two sets ol scrapers: one set regulates the amount Of paste on the pendent extension, and the other set. consisting of a series of short scrapers, is provided to remove entirely the paste from the blade at the head and tail of the book, and thus obviate smearing its edges. As the pasting plates recede TJ Ci )MMERCIAL B< x >KBINt)lNG. the book-blade descends, and when it has reached its lowermost position the plates advance and apply the paste to the sides of the book. The pasting plates are so arranged thai they gel righl into, and leave an extra supply of paste in the joints el the book. The application of this extra amount ol paste at the joints is the result oi a recent improvement and is effected as follows: when the pasting plates are hopper containing a pile of cases and the I )ot ton: one is automatically drawn out and led on to a device for rounding the back and forming the joints. This device consists of a suitably heated "former" which is rounded on the top and lias a longitudi- nal groove at each side for forming the joints. The lower edges of two inclined blades are directed into the grooves and. by applying pressure to the back of thecase, Fig. 68. taking tin paste from the pendent ex- tension, the latter makes a slight down- ward movement so that a small qi tity ol paste is deposited on the top edge of each pasting plate, which is grooved. While these movements are taking place the case is also being prepared for the book. At the rear ol the machine is a cause it to take the exact shape of the " former." The pressure of the inclined blade is then released and the case is further ad- vanced into a position directly above the hook, this position being accurately fixed by automatic lays. Thus the book and case are both placed automatically in then correct relative positions. While the case 50 Fig. 69. :3! ( < >MMER< IAL B< N >'KBINDIN< .. is being placed above the book, the book is in its lowermost position, and as it ascends it enters into and hits the cover, and the cased book is then removed by hand from the knife-edged 1 k-blade. The machine is made in three sizes : size No. i is a one-size machine made to suit the requirements of Messrs. Thomas Nelson and Sons' Parkside Works ; size No. 2 will take cases from q;, 1 by 14I inches to 4 by 7| inches, and the books may range in thickness from j-inch to 2 inches; size No. 3 will take cases from 14 by 22 inches to .-; , by 5! inches, and the Books may range in thickness from \ inch to ; inches. The No. 2 size machine is estimated to give an oul put of 750 books per hour with one opera tor, and it is slated that with two operators over 1.100 hooks have been taken out of this machine. '1 'lie No. 3 size machine is arranged for working ai different speeds. according to the size of the books to be cased. The time occupied in adapting the machine to suit a different size of book to that for which the machine happens to be set is about five or six minutes. Pressing. As the hooks are removed from the casing- in machine they are consigned to the stand- ing press in which they a re stacked, the hooks in each pile usually being arranged with their backs and fore-edges alternating. There are several kinds of standing presses : some of them are worked by different ar- rangements of cog-wheels, screws and levers, whilst in others the pressure is ob- tained by hydraulic power. In edition binding hydraulic presses are generally used as they are very capacious, and im- mense pressure is obtainable in them. An illustration (Fig. 70) is given of Greig's hydraulic press. It is estimated that over the area of the ram's circle the respective pressures at two tons per square inch are 25 tons for a 4-inch ram, 57 tons for a 6-inch ram. 101 tonsforan 8-inch ram, 157 tons for a 10- inch ram, and 226 tons for a 12- inch ram. After remaining in the press for a few- hours the books are removed to receive their wrappers or jackets, and they are ihen ready for delivery to the publisher. 52 C< >MMERCIAL B< >< >KBINDING. DEFECTIVE PUBLISHERS' BINDINGS. The primary desiderata of all books, so far as their physical aspect is concerned, are durability of paper and durability ol binding; yet a cursory examination of publishers' books at the presenl day will nncal the fact that they are the very antithesis of the durable books ol earliei centuries. The competition between pub- lishers is so keen that they have b< en com- pelled to minimise their expenses in every conceivable way ; consequently modern books are usually printed on paper of very poor quality, inferior binding materials are largely used, the machines employed in the different processes of edition binding are rarely permitted to do the good work it is possible for them to perform, and the work is rushed through the bindery with reckless haste. It is not uncommon to find that many modern books are defective because of some of the following causes: I.— Sew- ing too loosely. 2. - The use of thread, tape, and mull of inferior quality. 3. Sewing with the minimum number of stitches on to the minimum number of tapes or cords or. dispensing with the tapes or cords, and substituting mull of the flimsiest texture. 4.— Fixing the back lin- ing of mull to the book before it has been rounded and backed, and setting the rounding and backing machine inaccur- ately, thereby rounding the book imper- fectly, and breaking many of the strands of the mull and the texture of the paper at the folds. 5. — Tipping the illustrations with paste instead of either guarding them or printing them on paper sufficiently wide to allow the inner margin to befoldedround the adjoining section. 6. -The use of in- ferior glue in glueing-up. 7. The cutting of slips of insufficient length. 8.— Imper- fect casing-in, which may be due to the application of an insufficient quantity of paste at the joints, or not setting the book squarely in its cover. 9. — Insufficient press- ing immediately after the casing-in opera- tion. 10.— The use of cloth of poor quality, unsuitable ink, and cheap metal foil in- stead of either gold leaf or suitable ink. All the operations of forwarding are im- portant and the imperfect execution of any of them will militate against the service- ability of a book, although some of the operations are naturally of more conse- quence than others. Doubtless book- purchasers generally get good value for their money, but it is patent to the most superficial observer of modern books, and it is appallingly evident to librarians, that there is great need for an improved pub- lishers' binding, or to use the technical term "publishers' casing.'" Moreover, the fact that an increasing number of publishers are employing artists of distinction to design new book-covers is an additional reason why books should be issued in a stronger bind- ing than is customary at the present time. SERVICEABLE PUBLISHERS' BINDINGS. Wit h the 1 ibjec! 1 il improving the produc- tion of modern bonks, the Library Associa- tion appointed a Book Production ( )om in it tec. and this Committee has drawn up a series of specifications which it is hoped will be favourably received by publishers when n is issued. There is practical reason why this ( '0111 in it tie -l Id be sanguine ol success. The Binding Committee of the American Library Association has sue ceeded in persuading several large pub lishmg firms to issue some of then books 111 a strong binding at a small extra St and at the Annual ( Conference ol the Ameri can Libi ary Associat ion, held at Lake Minne- tonka, in June, 1908, there were exhibited no less than 112 different books in reinforced bindings; some of the books were bound in accordance with a specification of the American I .ibrary Ass< iciation, while others were bound to effect a compromise between the views of the respective publishers and the Association. The Houghton Mifflin Company, of Boston, U.S.A., are to be highh' commended on their excellent re- inforced binding for The Leaven of Love by Mrs. Clara Louise Burnham. This book is sewn "all along" by hand, with Irish linen thread, over three tapes ; the first and last sections are reinforced in their folds with strips of linen; and the end-papers are made with cloth joints and sewn through. The extra charge to the trade and to the public for this serviceable binding is 10 cents, the retail price of the ordinary edi- tion being §1.50. The American Library Association's Committee on Binding has recently issued useful detailed specifications in the hope that American publishers will pay more attention to the question of binding than they have done in the past, and that such consideration will result in a general im- provement in the methods of edition binding; by permission of the Chairman of the Committee these specifications are printed herein as an appendix (pp. 55 56). It should be noted that this Committee attributes responsibility for inferior work to the publishers and not to the binders. who, of course, estimate for that for which they are asked. L ! p to the present no English publisher has been enterprising enough to emulate the example of the American publishers ol supplying astrong "cased " book in original covers at slightly increased cost, but a praiseworthy step lias been taken by the firms of Henry Frowde and Hodder and Stoughton : these publishers have com- bined for the purpose of issuing a large number of books for children in a special library binding, and they have already issued a separate catalogue of such books. The books are bound from the sheets and the essential features of the bin'ding are :-- 53 COMMERCIAL lu )OK!'.INI)IN( '.. ml I'lic in -i and lasl sect i< >i i^ are lined i ii their folds with jac< met. own 8vo lei The books ha\ e spe< ial limn ji lints, foi which a patent has been ap- plied for. [ ne in " >ks have tighl < n loose backs, according t" the quality of the paper, rhe books are bound in quarter pig- skin or in half pluviusin, as de- sired. 'I'lir writer has been assured by the pub- lishers that as SOOn as possible the plates foi bunks in this library edition will be printed on paper sufficiently wide to allow of then being Folded round the adjoining sec- tion* The prices of books in this special bind- ing compare favourably with those of tin 1 public library binders who make a speci- ality of binding from the sheets for libraries; a book published at 6s. may be obtained in quarter pigskin lor 5s. 6d. net, hi m hall' pluviusin for 5s. net, and a 3s. (id. book is supplied in quarter pigskin toi- ls 8d. net. or in half pluviusin lor 3s. 2d. net. The books are plainly but neatly finished. There is considerable difference of opinion amongst librarians as to the desirability of having books bound from the sheets 111 a special library binding.chiefly because com- paratively lew books are published of which the popularity can be so gauged as to lustilv the extra expense such a binding would entail. While it may be economi- cal io have some books of assured popu- larity bound from the sheets in leather or other expensive material, it is not desir- able 1 " purchase the gi eal ma joritj 1 il in an binding 'I in 1 - tore, greater attention should be devoted io 1 in improvement ol the cased " In 10k on the lines oi the specifications ol the American Library Association, or those to be published by the English Library Association, SO that for a lew pence extra a book could be obtained in a serviceable binding that would guarantee its circula- tion at least sixty or seventy times. Before publishers will agree to issue books in a special library binding they will naturally expect to be assured that a certain mini- mum number of copies would be ordered. If such an assurance could not lie given them by the Library Association at present, a way out ol the difficulty might be found if a large linn of booksellers undertook to provide the special library bindings. As an experiment such a firm could purchase about two hundred copies of a book of assured popularity, and bind them accord- ing to a specification of the Library Association for an extra cost of about six- pence per copy. This sum would be sulti- cient to allow the book to be bound satisfactorily and to have a durable cloth, such as that selected by the United States Bureau ol Standards, a sample ol which is used on the cover of this book ; thespecifi- cation of this (doth will befound on page 57. That publishers' bindings do not meet pre- sent requirements is a truism ; improvements have been suggested, and it is hoped that the publishers will not be slow to produce their books in a manner that would re- dound to their credit and give complete satisfaction to 1 heir customers. 54 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. APPENDIX I. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Committee on Binding. Binding Specifications for Commercial Work. To i he Publishers : < >n account of the widespread complaint ih.it the modem commercial methods oi binding books are not satisfactory from the standpoint of use in public libraries, the Committee on Binding of the American Library Association has investigated the question with a view to submitting spe- cifications for binding which would add but little to the cost ol any book. but which would add greatly to its serviceability. The responsibility lor poor binding seems to rest with the publishers. The binders have sufficient knowledge, use up-to-date machinery, and in most cases would prefer to do creditable work. On account of the pressure which publishers have brought to bear on them, however, prices have been reduced to such an extent that binders have been obliged to slight their work in order to compete with other binders. More- over most publishers take no interest in the processes of binding and in asking lor bids make no specifications other than the colour and the quality of cloth, and the nature of decorative design to be used. From the standpoint of serviceability these are the least important items and the binder is left free to use poor thread, poor glue, poor back-lining paper : wide oppor- tunity is given to cheapen the work all along the line. The result may be seen in every public library in the country, where all cloth-bound books must be withdrawn from circulation and sent to the bindery when they have been in the hands of less than twenty readers. Larger books ol travel, history, etc., can seldom be issued more than ten times before being rebound, and it is not uncommon to have them part from the covers before being in the hands of five reader^. It is admitted that a fixed standard of bind- ing for all books is impossible since books vary so much in quality of paper, in size, in thickness and number of signatures, but it should be the duty of publishers when ask- ing for bids to take these matters into ac- count, since the serviceability ol books is so vitally affected. A re-bound book is much less attractive than one in tin- original cover and an unattractive book in a public library is as much to the detri- ment of the publisher as it is to the library. Specifications. Paper. Thick heavily, loaded or spongy papers should never be used for bocks that are likely to receive service m public libiaries. While there may be many ex- ceptions, it may be confidently stated that a 70 pound 24 by 36 paper folded with the grain should give the best results. (b) Most books should be printed on signatures ol not more than in p. Thin, light-weighl papei sometimes works well in ;2-page sections, but 64 pages should never be used. ic) Illustrations should, it possible, be printed on a tough paper with an inside margin wide enough to allow folding around the adjoining signature. II illus- trations are printed on brittle paper they should be guarded with tough thin papei and the guard either folded around and sewed through, or folded over and pasted to adjoining signature. Sewing. (a) Ordinary machine sewing should be used. Books weighing over two pounds should be sewed on tapes, bid not through them. (b) I 'se 4 cord best quality cotton thread. Size of the thread depends upon the size ol the book, quality of paper, thickness and number of sections. Thread used on the ordinary novel of 350 to 500 pages should have a tensile strength of at least 7! pounds, when tested double with a thread tester. (c) As many stitches as the back of the book will allow should always be used. They should not be more than one inch apart and should come within ; of an inch of the head and tail of the book. For economy's sake binders sometimes leave out one or two stitches. This always weakens the book. (d) A book should always be sewed all along, never " on and off," except with a book having a large number of thin sec- tions. Binders sometimes sew "on and off" lor the sake of economy since it saves thread. (e) Propei lension should be used so as to sew the book neither too tight nor too loose. The books should be just loose enough so that all looseness will be taken up in rounding and backing the book. 11 it is sewed too tight, rounding the book tends to tear the paper and break the thread. In order to get production when usiii^ inferior thread employers allow operators to loosen up on the tension. This, of course, should not be allowed. (f) All work should be carefully done and only expert operators employed. Forwarding. (a 1 Flat hacks should never be used. It is impossible to make a good joint on hat- backed books. '1 he joint is one of the most important parts of the book. (hi All books should be carefully and uniformly rounded and backed. Mai I should be carefully adjusted. Otherwise, attempts in gel large production will result m poor work, since the machines, if not properly handled, tend to break the thread and to crush and break the paper in the folds d >MMERCIA1, B< >< »KBIND1NG. I >n!\ i he besl qualit\ ol glue suitable loi binding should be used. Ai present pi n es it should cosl ii( il less than 15 c. a pound 1>\ the barrel. The difference in cosl between suitable glue and a cheaper glue 1- not great, since the higher-priced glue covers more surface than the other. In applying the glue care should be taken to see thai the o is thin, even and a small quantity gets in between the sections. Care should be taken not to boil the strength oul "I the glue and glue pots should be cleaned at least once a week. B ii\ hi sup,., should always be used. ( >n b< m iks \\ eighing 1 >\ ei 1 j pounds unbleached muslin or some other material strongei than super should be used. Care should be taken to have the super or muslin wide enough so thai it will cover an inch on the inner margin of each board when the bo< >k is cased in. I I is the practice ol manj binders to use waste papers even newspapers foi back lining. The best quality of regular back lining paper should always be used and cul so that the grain runs from the head to the tail of the book, not from side to side. (I) Covers should fit perfectly and great care used 111 forming the joint. In " casing- 111 " paste should be applied clear up to the joint and to the extreme ends, particularly at the joint. Covers should be forced well into the joint. The cover will thus be fastened to the book its entire length at the joint. This is perhaps the most impor- tant point affecting the serviceability of books. It is the present custom in " casing- in" not to paste clear up to the joint nor to the extreme ends of the book The m fi ir this is that when the book is put in the press the pressure tends to force the paste out at the end or through the cloth and the hook has to be cleaned off. It is confidently stated, however, that no book that does not have a good joint will be serviceable. (Noti . The Committee is informed thai there are casing-in machines which do this work more satisfactorily than it can be do 1 11 ■ by hand, but it has had no opportunity to watch the machines in operation nor to examine books cased in this way after they have seen service in libraries.) 2 Books should be put in the press im mediately after "casing-in" and allowed to remain under heavy pressure until dry. It will be noted that these specifications are in the main general rather than specific, and aim to call the attention of publishers and binders to important items. It is not the purpose of the Committee on Binding to dictate tn binders how deta 1 Is ol pro 1 esses should be performed. The strength ot a book depends in a large measure upon technical del a 1 Is. and specifications lor such dei. uls caniioi be formulated satisfactorily by those who have not had practical ex- perience. It is assumed that in all com- mercial work binders will bind each book on its merits and will vary details accord- ing to the particular requirements of the book in hand. The A.L.A. Committee on Binding hopes that every publisher receiving these speci- fications will give them careful considera- tion. No specification has been included unless it has had the approval of experts outside of the Committee. While each specification is important and affects most materially the serviceability of the books, the Committee feels that a faithful adher- ence to specification "f "under Forwarding would do more to increase the serviceability of hooks than any one change from the universal custom. Arthur L. Bailey, Chairman. Wilmington (Del.) Institute free Library. June 9th, 1909. i i (MMERCIA1 B< >< IKBINDING. APPENDIX II. UNITED STATES BOOK CLOTH, As a result of numerous - protests against the binding of Congressional documents and reports in full sheep, which material has proved undurable, the Bureau of Standards. Washington, made various chemical and physical tests of twenty-three samples of chillis and buckrams, and is a report in 1908. The following specifica- tions for book cloth were subsequently formulated by the Bureau of Standards. and the material now used by the United States Government for the binding of public documents conforms to these specifica- tions : — Fabric. The fabric shall be made from first quality, staple cotton, uniformly woven and of a grade known, as " firsts." The weave shall be two up and two down in the warp, and one up and one down in the weft. The grey cloth shall consist of from 33- 36 threads per centimetre (85-90 per inch) in the warp, and 12-15 threads per centi- metre (30-38 per inch) in the weft. The surface shall be finished smooth and hard and show no tendency to stick when folded upon itself. Thickness, Tensile Strength and Weight The thickness of the finished fabric shall not exceed .30 millimetre (0.012 inch) or be less than .20 millimetre (0.008 inch). The tensile strength of the grey cloth shall not be less than 18 kilogrammes per centimetre (ioo lbs. per inch) of width in the warp and 9 kilogrammes per centimetre (50 lbs. per inch) of width in the welt. The average value for the warp and weft in the finished fabric must show an increase over the average value for the warp and welt in the grey cloth, of at least 10 pei cent, of the strength 1 »f the grey clol h. The finished fabric, when dry, shall weigh not more than 260 grammes per square metre (0.5 lb. per square yard) or less than 200 grammes pei square metre (0.4 lb. per yai d Absorption of Hoisture. At a normal relative air humidity ol 65 percent, it shall not absorb more than 5 per cent, of moisture, or expand (an average of both directions) to exceed .45 per cent., and when subjected in a closed caS( saturated atmosphere, for two hours, at a temperature ol 20 < '. (68 F.), shall not absorb more than 10 per cent. 1 .1 m< »isture, or expand (an n\ erage of both directions) to exceed J per cent. All increases to be computed on the basis of the dr}' weight and dimensions. Folding Endurance. 'l'he folding endurance as determined by the Schopper folder shall be not les S than 65,000 double folds lor the warp, and not less 1 fian 10.000 lor the weft. Colour. Before coating, the fabric musl be dyed with a purely mineral or inorganic coloui (such as iron salts), so as to mutate the colour ol the finished cloth, but somewhat lighter in shade, so as to give the desired " linen " effect. All coal-tar. aniline, vege table or other organic dyes and lakes must be strictly excluded from both fabric and coating, even in traces. The following substances must be also excluded : Chrome yellow and other chromates, ultramarine. browns containing bituminous or other organic matter, compounds of lead and arsenic. The colour of the finished fabric should be slightly darker than the standard sample which will be furnished on application, and it must not show the slightest change of colour after exposure under prescribed conditions to direct sunlight, or to the action of ammonia gas. sulphuretted- hydrogen gas. sulphur-dioxide gas oi illuminating gas. Resistance to Hould and Insects. 'l'he finished fabric shall be immune to the growth of mould or the attack of insects \oii;. for the present some latitude will be allowed in the enforcement of this requirement. since definite knowledge of the causes and the methods of preven- tion are still lacking. Experiments have shown that book cloths have been pro- duced w. lui h meet the requirements. Tests. Physical and chemical tests to verify the properties required by these specifications will be made according to the standard methods lor testing book cloths as used by the Bureau ol Standards, copies of which can be obtained on application. 57 ( < IMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING INDEX. I'M. I.. American Library Association. Com- niii toe on binding .. ... 53, 54 Specifications for commercial work Back, 1 .ming ii]) A.L.A. specifications Backing - Machines ... Beating " Beatrice " Blocking press Binding, Edition ... - Specifications for commercial work. A.L.A. ... 53, 55 39 5& 39 39 33 46 1 1 versus Casing Bindings, Library Publishers' ... Reinforced ... Blocking Presses Boards, ( Cutting <>l Book Cloth, United Stales Govern- ment specifications... Brehmer, Aug. Book-sewing ma- chines ... End-sheet pasting machine Folding machines - Thread-stitching machines Wire book-sewing machines Wire-stitching machines Brown Folding Machine Co. Brown and Carver Co. ... Oswego continuous trimming machine Bundling ... Presses Bureau of Standards^ U.S.A.. Specifi- cations for book cloth ... ... 57 Canadian-American Machinery Co. 35. 37 40 53 53 53 45 45 24 7 '9 37 14 Cased Books, Defective Serviceable ( ase-making Machines. Sheridan ... Smyth * Cases, Decoration of Casing versus binding Gasing-in ... A.L.A. Specifications " Parkside " machine Smyth machine ... ( Chain stitch Chambers Brothers Co Cloth. United States Government specifications Cloth-cutting machines, Smyth Collating ... Colour-printing of book-covers Continuous book trimming machine Mercei ( Continuous feed book trimmer, Sej - bold Continuous trimming machine, < >s- wego ... I Covers, Decoration ol ... < Crawley Bundling press Rounding and hacking ma- 1 nine < Cundall Folding Machine 1 Co. 53 53 44 41 45 40 40 56 4Q 48 33 1 2 4" 19 45 37 36 45 i| 39 1 2 Cutting machines h >r hi >ai ds - for books for (loth ( Cutting ol edges , I h'coration of co\ ers Dexter folding machines Duplex cutter, Seybold Edges, Cult ing ol Edition binding Edler's Book-sewing machine Elliott Thread-stitching machines Embossing... End-papering machines " Express " Guillotine, Furnival's ... Folding ... ' machines ... used for thread-stitching Forwarding, Specifications ol A.L.A. Friedheim, Oscar ... 8, 12, 14. 35, 37- 40. 40 34 4" 33 45 1 2 36 33 Blocking presses Fuller, E. C, Co 12. Furnival and Co., Ltd. 34, " Express " guillotine Gathering ... machines ... Glue. A. L.A. specifications Glueing- up Greig, J., and Sons Bundling press Hydraulic presses Millboard cutting machines ... "New Conqueror'' guillotine Smashing machine Guillotines... Gullberg and Smith Hand-sewing versus machine-sewing Harrild and Sons, Ltd. ... " Hercules" Signature press ... Hobbs Manufacturing Co. ... 14. Hooker, Peter. Ltd. Hughes and Kimber, Ltd. ... 14, Hydraulic presses Juengst gatherer-collator Kampe and Co. ... ... .., 35, Blocking presses Kettle stitch Krause, Karl ... ... '4. 35, Cutting machines Lewis end-papering machine... Library Association Book Production Committee ... 53, Library bindings Lining up back ... A. L. A. specifications ... Machine book-sewing. ALA. speci- fications versus hand-sewing . . Magazines, Binding of, by Sheridan " Perfect Bindet Martini Book-sewing machines — Thread-stitching machines Mercer Continuous book trimming machine Gathering machine 15 13 35 I 1 I I 9 55 49 47 • 5 40 35 \b in 50 39 .14 i I 5-2 4" 35 33 34 19 3- 34 '4 3<) 34 35 52 19 .v s 46 33 ■l" 38 54 53 39 56 32 9 29 8 37 19 A.L.A. American Library Association. 58 C< >MMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. M uslin. A. L. A. specifica ! ions " New ( )onquei qi Guillotine, Greig N ipping machines Oswego Continuous trimming ma chine ... Pamphlets . Paper, A. 1.. A. specifications Parkside" Bundling press — Casing in machine Plimpton Gathering machine Publishers' bindings, Defective Serviceable Pressing Presses. Blocking Bundling ... Hydraulic ... Preusse and Co. Printing. Colour, lor book-covers •* Rapid " Guillotine, Krause's " Rapid "Trimming machine, Krause's Reinforced bindings Richmond and Co. Rolling machines Rotary cutting machines Rounding and backing... — A.L.A. specification^ • — Machines ... "Rupert" Rounding and backing machine Section, Definition of ... Sewing - A.L.A. specifica t ions - By machines versus hand- sewing .. Definition ol With wire ... 37 '4 4^ IQ 53 53 5 2 45 '4 45 38 38 55 40 33 40 39 55 39 39 12 19 55 32 5 19 Se} I 'old Machine ( '1 1. ' ontinuous feed Duplex cutter sin 1 nl. in. T. \V. and < m H 'I. 1 1 immei B . 1 O. 12, li). 35. 39- Blocking presses l 'ase-making machine .. •• Perfect Binder"... Signature, Definition of Presses Smashing ... ... . . Machines ... Smyth Book-sewing machines Case-making machines... ( 'asing-in machines Cloth-cutting machine Specifications for book cloth, United States Government... for commercial bookbinding ■ Stabbing. Definition of Staples, Wire Stitching, Definition of... Machines : thread w i re . . . Super, A.L.A. specifications Thread book-sewing machines stitching by folding machines machines Trimming machines - of edges United States Government specifica- 1 ions for book (doth Walters. Jackson and Co. 7, 34, 35, " Beatrice" blocking press Wire book-sewing machines ... stitching ... machines ... 14 |6 |6 40 48 44 9 12 ■I 33 33 1 1 »' 18 40 55 5<- 2 1 9 7 34 33 39 l<> "9 5 6 A.L.A. = American Library Association. 59 cn\|\||.KCl.\l. BO< >KBINDING. Legal Buckram IN WHICH THIS BOOK IS BOUND. "LEGAL BUCKRAM is a Book Cloth made in accordance with thn Specifications <>i the Bureau (it Standards of the United States, for the Preparation of Buckram for binding volumes to lie filed for record. The Sample known as "666," unanimously chosen as Standard on June 1st, 1908, at a meeting in Washington, at which the American Library Association, the Librarian of Congress, the Bureau of Standards. the Public Printer and the Printing Investigation Commission of the Sixtieth Congress were represented, was our "Legal Buckram." The other colours in this line are also prepared in accordance with these same strict Specifications, and are guaranteed to follow all the physical re- quirements, to be free from all aniline dyes, all material attractive to insects and to be absolutely sunfast. JOS. BANCROFT & SONS Go. Sole Agent for the United Kingdom : — W. H. BEERS, 40, St. JOHN STREET, LONDON, E.C. NOTE. THE CASE OF THIS BOOK IS PASTED WITH Arabol Book Glue THE HACK IS ROUNDED WITH Arabol Flexible Glue XX For further Particulars ivrile W. H. BEERS, 40, St. JOHN STREET. LONDON, E.C. ,., I ' MMERCIAL B< >< >KBINDING. Bookbinders' Specialities: BRITISH-MADE FOLDERS AFTER AMERICAN DESIGN. Size : 60 by 40 55 by 45 40 by 30 36 by 48 30 by 20. *""* ■ ' ~~ : &•■ THE BRITISH FOLDER is guaranteed for speed, accuracy and workmanship, and to handle freshly printed work without offsetting". Embodying all latest improvements, viz.: — Automatic Side Register, Drop Roll Feed. Adjustable Tape Stands, Steel Rollers, Improved Packers, Steel Table Top. Repeat orders have been received from the "Graphic" and " Bystander" office amongst others. The Civic Press of Glasgow write: — "We have had one of your Double Royal Job Folders work- ing more or less constantly during the past two years, and we have much pleasure in certifying that it has done its work in a most satisfactory manner, quite exceeding our expectation. We have, therefore, every confidence in re- commending your little machine to firms who have not space for the large number of hand folders necessary to turn out an equivalent amount of work.'' BROWN and CARVER OSWEGO CUTTERS. As Sole Agents (European) for the renowned BROWN and CARVER OSWEGO CUTTERS, we list 90 styles and sizes ranging from 16-in. Rench Machines to 92-in. suitable for Mills. These Cutters designed for quick handling of work ensure a 15 to 20 per cent, increased pro- duction over any other. They give five different clamping pressures on one machine instantly. For all Particulars : Canadian-American Machinery Co., 8, BOUVERIE STREET, LONDON, // here Mac/inns, Cutters and Folders can be seen in operatic n. 61 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. AUG. BREHMER 12, CITY ROAD, LONDON, E.C ESTABLISHED 1876. PARIS EXHIBITION 1900, GRAND PRIX and GOLD MEDAL. WIRE STITCHING MACHINES. Over 18,000 sold in United Kingdom ; 55,000 all over the world. Of many sizes, ranging in price from £2 12s. 6d. to £$$, stitching thicknesses up to 1 1 inches. THE THREAD=STITCH1NG M ACHINE, No. 37, Is now made to produce four sizes of stitches : 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, and 5 inches in length. It is a QUICK Machine (speed up to 2,400 stitches per hour) and not liable to breakdowns or expensive repairs. Can also be used for making loops at end of books for hanging up, and for stringing showcards' calendars, etc. The BEST in the market. Testimonials of leading firms at disposal. THE GLUEING MACHINE, No. 61, For glueing or gumming paper or cloth book covers, etc. , will save 10 per cent, to 15 per cent. GLUE, and from 30 per cent, to 50 per cent, wages as compared with hand labour. THE LEATHER PARING MACHINE, No. 30, J las met with unrivalled success ! Over 250 Machines sold ! Greatest labour-saving machine in existence I Suitable for ALL KINDS of leather. THREAD BOOK SEWING MACHIN ES, In 6 Sizes. For ACCOUNT BOOKS, LETTER COPYING BOOKS, CUAKD BOOKS, LETTERPRESS WORK, etc. Over 1,200 of the various sizes sold. WIRE BOOK SEWING MACHINES, For GUARD BOOKS, SCRAP BOOKS, ALBUMS, etc. FOLDING MACHINES, in 70 Different Sizes and Combinations of Folds. For B0( >K\Y< >RK, STATIONERY WORK, and NEWSPAPERS, o\er 1 ,200 Machines sold. DISC RULING MACHINES. THE ENDSHEET PASTING MACHINE, No. 62. This Machine will automatically paste endsheels, plates or maps, etc., on the outside ot book sections, and is finding great favour with the trade. 02 COMMERCIAL BOOKBIM >l\< , FLEXIBLE GLUE For Bookbinders, Publishers and Account Book Makers. Used by the leading Binders and Publishers. No soaking or boiling required. Ready for use at a moment's notice by heating in the usual way in a Glue Pot. Bends like rubber without splitting or cracking. LION BRAND Gloss Blocking Inks Dry hard and bright overnight. Truilv Mark, Retfisteivd in 1HS4. E. T. MARLER, 14, CHARLES STREET, LONDON, E.C f.3 C< >MMERCIAL Bi >< (KBINDlNG. W. J. CQNNOLL &, Co., L TD 5, Maclean's Buildings, New Street Square, FETTER LANE, E.C. Telephone: 5,183 HOLBORN. Telegrams: " 0CL0NN0C," LONDON. 3T BEST ENGLISH STITCHING WIRE. ( iauge 18.19 20.21 22. 23 Price *—,— ' ■— .— ' — .— ' per lb. 3;d. 4d. 4',d. Gauge 2425 26 28 Price v -»— ' per lb. 4ld. 5M. 61I. PERFORATING MACHINES. Treadle. Steam £ s. d. £ s. d 20 in. Machine with 1 wo 6 in. and One 8 in. Sections 12 18 25 in. Machine with Tin ee 6 in. and < )ne 7 in. Sections ... 15 21 >7 in. Machine with 'liner (> in. and ( hie 9 in. Sections ... 15 15 22 10 50 in. Machine with Five () in Sections 16 10 24 I Vi forating Pins 2^. 9(1. per 100 CONNOLL'S HAND PUNCHING or EYELETTING MACHINE. Large Size. Smai l Size. Price wiih one sel Best Casl Steel Dies 27 6 12- Extra Eyelet I >ies, pei set 3 - 3 - Extra Punching I ties 3 - 3 Pinters': E ngineers and complete furnishers. are Our S PECIALITY. Estimates Free. iEPAIRS 1EMOVALS 64 C< >\IMKk(l.\I. B( >< >KBINDING. Valter5, Jackson & Go., 2, Clerkenwell Green, LONDON, E.C. "RUPERT" BOOK ROUNDER and BACKER. "BEATRICE BLOCKER. Rounds and Backs Books in one continuous operation, 600-700 per hour. Blind Gold and Ink. DUPLEX CUTTER. For Books, Magazines, etc. Valters, Jackson & Co., 2, Clerkenwell Green, LONDON, E.C. COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. THE ORIGINAL AND GENUINE HIGH GRADE MADE MACHINES- WIZARD" AUTOMATIC HAND- THE ORIGINAL BATES." A UTOMATIC HA ND-NUMB KRING MACHINE. Four style* of Figures to selec t from : STYLE A 12345 S1YLE E 67890 STYLE F 12345 STYLE G 67890 REDUCED P RICES. 3 Wheels - 46s. 4 52s. 5 >. - 60s. ° ,, - 68s. 7 ,. - 76s. Packed in wooden box with ink, extra pad and s'ylo. Triplicating Ma- chines kept in stock. Quadruplicat i 11 g , Quintuplicating Ma- chines made to or- der. Machines witi letter wheels kept in stock. Machines with Foreign Numerals made to order. SUPERIOR INKS, is. and 2S. Bottle, post free, size Nos. 1 and 2. Black, Blue, Green, Purple, or Red, record or copying. Sample bottle sent on receipt of six id. stamps. PADS, original " Hates " j&. each ; 6s. 6d. dozen. Insist upon having Machines Numbered and Stamped on the Front Dial Plate. NUMBERING MACHINE. DIAL SETTI N G MOVEMENT in front permitting instan- taneous adjustment for "Consecutive." " Dupli- cate," or '.' Repeat " Numbering. The cheapest on the market. Style of Figures : STYLE B 67890 PRICE- For five wheels 42S. nett. Packed in wooden box •with i/ik, extra J>ad and stylo. The above NEW MACHINE is made by the '• Bates Manufacturing Company," of Orange, N.J., U.S.A., who for seventeen years have enjoyed an enviable reputation in the sale of the " Original Hates Automatic Hand Numbering Machines," and some of their original features are embodied in the construction and manufacture of THE WIZARD." The NEW " WIZARD" is manufactured in Style "L" only, at present. It is mechanically perfect. Superior work- manship in its manufacture. All wearing parts made of steel. Mechanism entirely enclosed. Pad arrangement similar to the Original " Bates." Lowest price, consistent with hign grade made material. Guaranteed by the Manufac- turers. THE t I IMPROVED WETTER 11 With Low THE it WETTER" CHEAPEST Plunger and Lever. Automatic Type-High Numbering Machine. To Number and Print at one impression: Style J 1234 Automatic Type-High Numbering Machines. To Number and Print at one impression. Style J I 1234 5 wheels g 5 wheels 58s. each g 43 S . each Style K Style K 6 wheels 70s. each The "Wetter" Automatic Type-High Numbering Machines kept in Stock. THE MIDGET "WETTER." 1234H234 6 wheels 53s. each THE NEW WETTER." One-Inch wide. For Numbering Strip and Tram CarTickels. The Smallest Automatic Type-Hiah Numbering Machine made in the World. Send your enquiries, and for Price List and for further particulars, to— Hr. SAMUEL INSULL, Sen., Telegrams: "Insull, london." 3 4) Queen Street (Cannon Street), Telephone: No. 7355 LONDON WALL. Chpnnside LONDON F C Bankers: London and South Western, Ltd. Cneapsiae, LUfNUUrN, E.V,. No connection with any other firm or company of similar name. THE STANDARD NUMBERING MACHINES OF THE WORLD. COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. 2, SANDLAND STREET, KAMPE <&, Co., MACHINERY FOR BOOKBINDERS, STATIONERS, BOXMAKERS, etc Wire Stitching Machine, All SIZES, for HAND, TREADLE and POWER Bookbinders' Backing Machine. Gold Blocking Press. Various Styles for HAND and POWER. Also with INKING ATTACHMENT. Lever Nipping Press. Corner Rounding Machine. For HAND, TREADLE and POWER. 67 i '< >MMERCIAL B< )OKBINDING. THE " CARLAW >5 Improved Paging $ numbering machine PHIS Paging Machine is tin- only one of its class at present in use ; the me- chanical principle is entirely different from any other in the market. Its parallel mo- tion causes the head containing the figures to recede at each stroke, and allows the operator to turn the pages of books when numbering. The head is (-(instructed to give as little shake or vibration as possible. All the wearing parts are made of the very best tool steel, and the quality of the workmanship surpasses anything in the number- ing machine line. The Machine can be set to repeat any tigure, or set of figures, any desired number of times ; we usually supply four cams or repeating mechanism with each Machine, which enables the operator to number consecutive, alter- nate, duplicate, triplicate, and quadruplicate figures. Extra mechanism to repeat up to 20 times will be supplied, if desired, at a small additional cost. A long Smut Band is supplied with each Ma- chine, which works auto- matically after each stroke and ensures a clean im- pression. At an extra cost we supply an Appliance that takes the place of a letter wheel, and also.saves the disconnecting of the wheels -the removal of one wheel and replacing of another— as there are three wheels needed iifor the whole alphabet. The new Attachment being automatic, has also the advantage of being in juxtaposition with the number in every case, whether composed of one figure or many figures. The letters will always print in their proper places, and every change is made automatically without stopping machine. The difficulty with movable ciphers is that each time a new decimal is reached, the serial letter must be removed from the zero place of one wheel and inserted in the zero place "I Hi" nexl to the left. This new Serial Alphabet Attachment can be fitted to any of our paging wheel sets, either for single or double head machines. It is necessary to ha\ e the old wheels senl to us to have the Attachment accurately fitted. Makers : DAVID CARLAW & SONS, 11, Finnieston Street, GLASGOW, W. C< )MMERC1 \I. BOOKBINDING. CRAWLEY BUNDLING PRESS No. 358. For compressing and tying up, so as to store in minimum space and protect from dirt, printed folded sheets. It has many advantages over the Power Bundling Presses, costs nothing to run except the wages of the operator, occupies less space and weighs less.; . . CRAWLEY ROUNDING and BACKING MACHINE No. 357. This machine is in use in all the principal binderies throughout this country and America, and is too well known to need description. For further particulars of above apply HOBBS M'f'g. CO., 5961, HATTOIM GARDEN, LONDON, E.C, e 9 rOMMKRClAI. BOOKBINDING. Patent Binders, Case Makers, Wrap- pering Machines, Automatic Gather- ing Machine, Leather Embossing Presses, Blocking and Inking Presses, Die Cutting Presses, Signature Presses, The "Non-Stop" Paper Lifts, The Parkside Casing-in Ma- chine, and Printing and Bookbinding Machinery of all kinds. Dexter" Double-16 Folder and Feeder. Here are some of our Machines for Bookbinders, which make more and better work possible. Send for printed matter: Sheridan's " New Model Automatic Clamp Paper Cutur. 65/69, MOUNT PLEASANT, (New York.) LONDON, E.G. (Chicago.) Telephone H' 186 Post oFna ((ehtral; DYEnBi>amEi& Art * Bookbinders' BloekoTool Cutters,** ••' Engravers, Diesinkersk * Designers COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. Out^jYtoder n JYcKehinery for every branch leads th e way. THE LINOTYPE. The Unrivalled One-man Composing Machine. THE MIEHLE. Leading Two-Revolution Press in the World. THE CENTURETTE. A small machine with a big output. Embodies the best features of the Miehle and of the Century. "THE PRINTING MACHINERY RECORD," which we send post free, gives particulars of our various lines. , Linotype & Machinery Limited, 188 & 189, Fleet St., EX. BOOKBINDERS' Marbling Colours, Varnishes, Blocking Powders Prepared Book-Edge Carmine Marbling Colours Marbling Gum Dragon Gum Arabic Gum Substitute Egg Albumen Leather Varnish Cloth Varnish Paper Varnish Stamping Varnish Anti-Tarnish Fluid Extra Deep Gold Crystal Finishing Varnish Gold Leaf Substitute Imitation Gold Untarnishable Silver Lemon Gold Bronze Powder Blocking Inks Ruling Ink Powder Indigo Ink Powder Blocking Powders for Silk, Cloth, Leather, and Tickets. ENQUIRIES INVITED. GEORGE MORRIS, 291, City Road, LONDON, EX. 7i COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING i LUD. SPIEGELBE^GER, FUERTH, BAVARIA. MANUFACTURER and EXPORTER of GOLD LEAF For BLOCKING and EDGING. jVle^trtl L,eaf and Aluminium J^etijc. Annual Production 128,000,000 Leaves. SAMPLES FREE. ESTABLISHED i8f8. Telegrams: "GOLD, FUERTH.'' MUIR'S Established g£ SSa3Mt^»B Established 2 Centuries Ago. ^^WH 2 Centuries Ago. BEITH, N.B. We have made a speciality of slowly tanned Pigskins for Book- binders for past quarter of a Century, with the well-kncnn results durability. Available in all Colours. JOHN MUIR & S0N. Tanners and Curriers, BE^ITH, SCOTlvANO. Ftgsktn Tyre Factory, for Motor and other Vehicles— 183, Bow Road, LONDON, E. London Offices— Granville House, 3, Arundel Street, Strand, LONDON, W.C, 72 ( < )MMERC I A L ROOK RI X DING. STITCHING WIRE On REELS or in COILS. The FINEST QUALITY on the MARKET. Manufactured specially for the PRINTING and BOOKBINDING TRADES for 30 Years. specialities : ALUMENIOD WIRE. "PARAGON " WIRE for Thick Books. Calendar Suspenders, Paper Clips, Ticket Suspenders, Card Connectors, Eyelets. ROBT. THORNTON, Paragon TWi*e WorUs, CLECKHEATON. THIS MAY INTEREST YOU SOME TIME! Established nearly a Century and STILL WELL TO THE FRONT ! We supply Printing Machinery, Type and Printing Material of all kinds. and Ik ild a very heavy stock for >rompt delivery. We are Manufac- turers, sw vou buy from us at first cost. UL'R PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE " General Machinery and Materials List." 240 pages. '•Type. Borders, Ornaments. Brass Rule." 416 pages. '•Standard Circular." " Bookbinders' List." FREOK. ULLMER. L TD Manufacturers, Standard" Works, Cross Street, Farringdon Road, London. Telephone ; National Holb Telegrams: "Composition, London 73 COMMERCIAL BOOKBINDING. ROBERT H. RUDDOCK, Auctioneer and Valuer to the Printing and Bookbinding Trades. Newspaper Valuer. 71, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C. Telephone : 2595 Central. SPECIALITY: Detailed Individual Priced Inventories ~" for all Purposes. Oldest Established Brass Type Founders in the United Kingdom. L IMettletoim & Sons, Brass Type Founders and Bookbinders' Tool, Roll and Letter Cutters, All kinds of Brass Tools for Cloth and Leather Gilders. Paging Wheels Faced and Re-cut. ST. HELENA STREET, FARRINGDON ROAD, W.C., and 138, FARRINGDON ROAD, E.C. All Kinds of Letters and Tools Re-cut. Special Terms to Dealers. A LARGE STOCK ALWAYS ON HAND. PHONE No. 14274 Central. T i. No. 112. johiv »ha.rf% Wire Manufacturer. SEND FOR SAMPLES AND PRIcES. Highfield Mills, CLECKHEATON. Sole Agent for Australia : P. J. FIRTH, REDFERN, SYDNEY. 74 COMMERCIAL BO< >KBINDING. BERGER & WIRTH, Manufacturers of every description of ^Printing: Inks, 9 Including FIRSTCLASS BOOKBINDERS' and EMBOSSING INKS, BOOKBINDERS' VARNISH and GLOSS VARNISH. CLIFTON BUILDINGS, WORSHIP STREET, LONDON, EX. Telephone: " LONDON WALL 9017." Telegraphic Address : " BERGWIRTH, LONDON." Printing, Paging, and Perforating Machines. IMMEDIATE DELIVERY FROM STOCK. M ATTH E W^OYLE, printers' jfurnisber anb Xiccnseb IDaluer, 55 South John Street, LIVERPOOL. Telephone: BANK 3,825. ESTABLISHED 1892. t ( PERFECTION" Wire Stitching Machines KNOWN AND SOLI) THE WORLD OVER. The J. L. Morrison Co., 65/69, MOUNT PLEASANT, LONDON, W.C. To BOOKBINDERS. LOCHEAD & HOWARD, 8, Dantzic Street, MANCHESTER, Stock all classes of Leathers, Bookcloths and General Binding Materials, TIOX. C< MMERC1 \l B< m (KBIND1NG. Telephone 8.980 WALL. HDfyolesale Boofi&inding. I.\ ERY DESCRIPTION OF CLOTH, MAGAZINE and PAMPHLET WORK, AT THE LOWEST TRADE RATES. Prospectuses, Circulars, etc., folded and banded for post. J. PINCOTT & CO., Bridgewater Square, Barbican, LONDON, E.C. Heyner's Methods of Library Binding. Please send us a dozen of THE WORST BOOKS IN YOUR LIBRARY, ALTOGETHER UNFIT FOR REBINDING BY ANY OTHER METHOD. After being rebound put them into circulation, and judge the result. Real goat morocco backs of any colour required. Carriage paid each way. Prices no higher than ordinary. A. O. HEYNER & Co., 28, Canonbu '* Vi,,as - Islington, LONDON, N. Gold Glues for Bookbinding. No Heating - - Strong. No Smell - Quick Drying. No Waste - - Clean. ALWAYS READY FOR USE. Free Samples and Prices on application from LEO 8ICHEL, 93, Aldersgate Street, LONDON, E.C. Phonf : 9.547 LONDON WALL. BOOKBINDERS' CLOTHS, LABEL CLOTHS, MULLS, CAMBRICS, LINEN BUCKRAMS, BLUE LININGS, CALICOES, etc. SAMPLES I KI'.K ON APPLICATION. T. WILLIAMSON &CO. 8, Palace Square, MANCHESTER. . .,,.1\T,. CD o GO (1) ■^ o ■=£ LU DC m S H >■ h- E O (1) <«- (/} «e £_ .a 03 _c: CO CO +J LU ^^ O) s: CJ aj CD x ~ o — c? — til z Z - - < :- z — ry ■«*■. — 1 ** Z y jL -r- V. Z p r ° Z 'c J 1*3 £ .- ■j — z Sh TOMMKRCIAL ROOKRINDINC. YD 24026 SMYTtUHORNE, L™ Sole Agents for the Smyth Special Bookbinding Machines. NEARLY 3,000 r MYTH SEWERS IN USE, A number of Rep ers having been obtained. Imp. No. 3 Smyth Sewing Machine Smyth No. 4 and 6 Book Sewing 1 (1909 Model), Machine, Suitable for Sewing General Letterpress Work. Suitable for Sewing General Letterpress and Stationery Work. Smyth Casemaking Machines. Smyth Casiog'lo or Pasting^Down Machine. Smyth Cloth Cutting Machine. Smyth New Book Trimming Machine (1910). Those interested are cordially invited to visit our Show-room to inspect the various Smyth Machines we have here under power, and an illustrated port- folio containing a full set of circulars of the above-mentioned machines will be forwarded on application. 19, CURSITOR STREET, Chancery Lane, LONDON, E.C. Telegrams; " SMYTHORNE, LONDON," Telephone; 2.2)5 H0LB0RN : Bookbinders' Machinery and Supplies We have a very fine range of machinery for the Binding Trade, and solicit your enquiries. We can meet all your requirements whether large or small. Caxton-Beatrice Blockers Made in England from the original patterns — not a German imitation. Four supports to head, sliding feed table, powerful inking system. Caxton Rotary Perforator For run-through and stop work. Gives a clean, reliable, slot-like perforation. Easy to adjust, speedy in operation. Stitchers, Cutters, Presses Large and small, hand and power. JOHN HADDON & CO. Specialists in Labor-sating Machinery, SALISBURY SQUARE, FLEET ST.. LONDON, EC