Bookbinding: Your First Journal

Standard printer paper (80gsm) is ideal for a beginner journal. It's easy to fold, accepts pen and pencil well, and is cheap enough to use without precious feelings. A ream of A4 printer paper divided into folded sections (signatures: folded sheets nested together, the basic sewn unit of a hand-bound book) is your text block, meaning all the signatures combined before being cased into the cover.

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Bookbinding thread is thicker and stronger than sewing thread. Waxed linen thread, coated in wax to reduce friction and tangling, is the traditional choice. The wax stops the thread snagging as you sew. Available from bookbinding suppliers (Shepherds, Hewit). Or wax ordinary thread by pulling it across beeswax.

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Blunt needles (or tapestry needles) for sewing signatures together. Sharp needles tear paper. Bookbinding suppliers sell packs; tapestry needles from a haberdashery are identical.

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For piercing the holes in the spine of each signature before sewing. A sharp awl (a pointed hand tool for piercing paper and board) driven through the folded paper creates a clean, consistent hole. An ice pick or a thick darning needle works for small projects.

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For the front and back covers. Bookbinding board (Davey board), a dense rigid board made for book covers, is the professional choice: rigid, stable, and available in various thicknesses. Thick card (cereal box card doubled up) works for practice. Cut 3mm larger than the text block on the top, bottom, and fore-edge.

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Bookbinding PVA (polyvinyl acetate, a flexible reversible adhesive) is the correct choice. It dries flexible, stays reversible (important for conservation), and bonds book cloth and paper reliably. Standard craft PVA works for beginners. Apply with a brush, always in the direction of the paper grain.

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