That time my book press slipped and I ended up with a crooked spine on a $150 leather journal

I was in my garage workshop last fall, clamping a folio for a custom order, and the whole press shifted sideways when I wasn't looking, then I had to spend 3 hours carefully prying it apart and re-gluing without tearing the leather, has anyone else had a clamp failure ruin a project mid-step?

3 comments

3 Comments

hugo_robinson2517d ago

Man, honestly I gotta say I side with @the_emery on this one. Three hours of prying and regluing sounds like torture for a mistake that probably nobody would ever spot unless they were really looking for it. I've had my press slip before and I just let the spine dry a bit crooked, and you know what? It gave the book a handmade feel that people actually liked. A perfectly straight spine is nice but a little wobble just shows someone made it with their hands instead of a machine. Plus the leather itself has natural grain variations anyway, so a slight tilt just blends in with all that character. I bet your client would've never even mentioned it if you hadn't pointed it out yourself.

gavinb9717d ago

Big disagree on this one. A crooked spine on a custom bookbinding job is the kind of thing that sticks out the moment you set it on a shelf next to anything else, and three hours of fixing it saves you from having to look at it every time you walk past. People notice that stuff more than you think - call it handmade charm all you want, but most clients paid for straight lines and they'll see that wobble every single time.

the_emery17d ago

Three hours of prying and regluing for a crooked spine? Man, that sounds like a lot of fuss for something that's probably still gonna work fine. I've had presses slip before and just let it dry wonky, nobody's gonna notice unless they're measuring with a ruler. A little off center gives it character, right? Might be worth just rolling with the imperfection next time instead of playing surgeon with the glue.