Japanese Bookbinding Tutorial

[rabiosocorazon]

I share this tutorial made by my fiancée. Regards.

Alberto Puebla.

 

This is going to be a tutorial on a type of Japanese bookbinding. However, it's not the typical Japanese bookbinding - it's a type of Japanese bookbinding called multisection journal.

 

Materials (check out my post for materials to have more details and know where to buy them):

• Card
• Paper for the covers
• Paper for the body of the journal
• Bookbinding glue
• Thread

Tools (check out my post on tools to know more about them):

• Cutting mat
• Folder
• Cutter
• Ruler
• Needle
• Press
• Awl

Instructions:
1) Fold the paper you are going to use for the body of the journal. You will fold it in five groups of five papers each. Each one of this groups will be called signature from now on. Put them in the press. They should be there for some hours at least in order to get the best results.

2) Mark this in the paper you are going to use for the cover:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DgOgJwA1D98/UUizHNlhriI/AAAAAAAAAN8/aMKhS97TUJ8/s400/Japanese+bookbinding.png

Cut the black squares and mark with the folder the continuous and discontinuous lines. We are going to fold them later.

3) Now it's time to cut the card. We are going to use it so that the covers have some body and strength. For that, cut the card a little bit smaller than the size of the signature; for example, 2 millimeters less per side. We need the card to fit the space I called "Size of the signature" on the sketch above.

4) We are going to place the card on the cover paper, put some glue on the uncut corners and fold them. They will glue to the card and hold it still. Then we will put some glue on the three margins of 1 cm and fold them, one at a time. That way, we will hold still the card.

5) The last margin, the one of 0'7 cm, will be glued to the first signature (or the last one, depending on if you are doing the front cover or the back cover):

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ncGXPKnj-E0/UUi-CIFu16I/AAAAAAAAAOE/dhS9Jt5S2og/s320/Japanese+bookbinding_3.png

6) Mark on the spine of the five signatures this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RS6HeT-wevI/UUi-Z9SqWDI/AAAAAAAAAOM/FcFzly5a3eU/s320/Japanese+bookbinding_2.png

7) Punch this marks with the awl in order to make holes. Be careful not to punch your cutting mat!

8) Sew following the scheme below:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e_k0CdXcr2k/UUuALRmdNEI/AAAAAAAAAPc/KN8QuyoB2Ic/s640/IMG_2893_R.jpg

Each section is a signature. Start at hole number 1, from inside the signature to outside and insert the needle in number 2. The thread will go up the surface in number 3 and inserted in number 4, and so on. You can use two separate threads for each row. Please, note that the numbers 2 & 6, 3 & 7, 1 & 9, 8 & 16, 10 & 14 and 11 & 15 are the same hole.

9) Now you have to glue the first and the last page to the covers. To do that, put some glue on the three borders of the paper and close the cover. Open it to make sure it has glued correctly and put some draft paper between the cover and the page that is now the first one, so the humidity of the glue doesn't pass to other pages.

Here are some images of this journals:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jABAcCX9GCQ/UUi_wBYkirI/AAAAAAAAAOU/StFYtWyCRTw/s320/IMG_1589_R.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMpfhvG_exY/UUi_30LJ9NI/AAAAAAAAAOc/nCqd_9clP0I/s320/IMG_1578.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ErMPEMpJB8I/UUi__Ww46hI/AAAAAAAAAOk/bujlgiZEjAc/s320/IMG_2612_R.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ssESlcSsMSM/UUjAJa0iGeI/AAAAAAAAAOs/LHwoielYoJE/s320/IMG_2468.JPG

Edited June 30, 2013 by rabiosocorazon

[zebra baker]

These are quite lovely. I am impressed!

[rabiosocorazon]

These are quite lovely. I am impressed!

Thank you!

[Avetikus]

Very nice! I love the idea of a 'split' cover. Thank you for the tutorial.

 

I'm going to use this idea for my next project except I'll punch a center hole and run coptic stitching the whole length. I'm not very good at knots and want to make only one with the thread tension even all the way across. I'm afraid if I make two separate loops I won't get the tension equal.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

-Av

[rabiosocorazon]

Very nice! I love the idea of a 'split' cover. Thank you for the tutorial.

 

I'm going to use this idea for my next project except I'll punch a center hole and run coptic stitching the whole length. I'm not very good at knots and want to make only one with the thread tension even all the way across. I'm afraid if I make two separate loops I won't get the tension equal.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

-Av

Thank you!