I used to glue my headbands flat until a rainy day in Portland showed me why they curve

For my first ten books, I just stuck the headband straight onto the spine with PVA. Then last fall, I was rebinding a water-damaged novel from a Portland library sale, and the old headband had this perfect, springy curve that fit the rounded back. I realized it's not just decoration, it needs to move with the book. Now I shape mine over a dowel before attaching them, so they have some give. Does anyone else have a different method for making headbands flexible?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerb5323d agoTop Commenter

My old copy of The Hobbit has a headband that's basically a flat ribbon now. I always thought it was just a weird printing choice until I saw a video on bookbinding.

ivanp7823d ago

Those headbands are actually functional, they protect the spine from dust and damage. The ribbon gets flattened over time from being on a shelf. It's pretty cool how much thought went into old book design, even the small stuff.

rosecarr23d ago

Actually, headbands are mostly decorative now, but old ones used silk thread for real reinforcement.