Double Fan Binding

So far, I’ve been able make a book each month and learn something new with each book made- all four of them. As making photo books is my motivation for taking up this craft, one bottleneck is printing the material for the books. Having a collection of Valentines Day cards already done made last month’s book not too bad as far as time demands. 

It would seem that there would be more time available during March given social distancing and travel restrictions. As the month passed, however, I looked for content already printed in letter sized paper and of sufficient pages per topic/event to justify making it into a book. Some of the collections were ruled out as I had punched holes in the pages so they would fit into a ringed case.

Another goal that has developed as I’ve made these books is to learn a new step or technique while still hopefully ending with a viable product. While spending/wasting time on Reddit, I came across  double fan binding as a solution for single page binding. It was not an entirely new technique.

Several years ago, I had a go at perfect binding. I enrolled for a year at  IPRC- “ a Portland, OR 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing people access to tools and resources for creating independently published media and artwork”. Perfect binding seemed a means to binding my photos in book format without having to learn bookbinding and IPRC promised access to the equipment needed to make soft cover books- the perfect binding machine and block trimmer.

It was not a positive experience. Their hot press machine was on the wonky side and in order to use it a staff member trained to use it needed to be present. These members were in short supply and with irregular schedules. Further, much of the staff seemed to have the artistic temperament. It seemed that I gave off the wrong pheromones. Finally perfect binding should be (and is referred to by bookbinders) as imperfect binding. 

Double fold binding as presented by Darryn Schneider of DAS fame, does not require a machine and is stronger than perfect binding. It can also be reinforced with embedded threads. Further research presented the complication of PVA not working as well with coated papers. The suggested glue was polyurethane reactive which needs to be applied with a hot gun. Since I don’t have a glue gun, I went with the PVA and a variation of the embedded thread on Darryn’s video.

The first part was the double fan glue application using PVA Jade.

Pressure applied after dble bind gluing spine edges.

Then was a series of 1/16” deep cuts parallel to the spine ¼” apart which was a deviation from his method, but voiced by him as an alternate approach. My hope was that being parallel the threads would hold the pages in a stab binding manner. The thickest nonwaxed thread I had was a nice tight fit with the shallow slots made with the saw. 

Then I re-applied the glue six times in thin layers over two days to build it up. 

The rest was as usual. No attempt at rounding the back here as the book case was ¾” thick. 

I was a bit impatient in paring the leather, the consequence being a gouge. My good luck was in being able to move the gouge and it’s fill to a spine crease where it is completely hidden!

Gouge repair below exposed left hinge groove.

 

When preparing to attach the case to the cover, much to my chagrin I found that the cover was short about an ⅛” width narrow. The inkjet paper used was more film than paper in character, so I was apprehensive whether my paring chisels and Moxon vise would be up to the task. No worries; while the material dulled the chisel, the setup served its purpose.

A week later, the binding is holding up except for the lower ½” edge of the first two pages where it becomes unglued. This is not an issue except if laying the turned page completely down. 

The middle of the block is holding up well.

Thus, I’ll have to do research on hot-glueing with PUR if double fan binding papers with a glossy finish. It might will be that cutting the grooves for the threads a little deeper will do the job.