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Pro tip: press your signatures with a bone folder BEFORE you punch holes, saved me 2 hours in Tacoma
A bookbinder at the Tacoma shop I visit showed me this back in March and I finally tried it on a batch of 8 journals this week. You fold each signature, then run the bone folder along the fold like normal, but then you press the whole stack under weight for about 20 minutes before you even touch the awl. The folds get so tight and flat that my holes lined up dead straight on the first try, no wiggle, no redrilling, nothing. I used to punch right after folding and always got that sloppy sag in the middle of the spine. Does anyone else press first, or am I the last one to hear about this?
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wells.evan6h ago
And if you press it overnight it gets even flatter, I stack mine under a couple bricks and the holes practically drill themselves. The trick works because the paper fibers lock together once they cool, so you get a spine that stays tight years later instead of loosening up.
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