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A 78 year old regular at my library sale asked why I press signatures flat before sewing, and her reason floored me
She told me she was a binder in Des Moines for 30 years and always left a hair of swell because tight spines crack at the hinge within a decade. So now I'm rethinking how hard I knock down my signatures, anyone else leave a little swell on purpose?
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eric_carr1mo ago
30 years and she just drops that on you like it's nothing? That blows my mind. The idea that pressing signatures bone flat actually dooms the book to crack at the hinge is wild. I've always cranked mine down in the press thinking tighter equals better, and now I'm picturing all my old binds splitting open in ten years. A hair of swell sounds like such a small thing but it makes total sense for how the spine flexes when you open it. Honestly she should be teaching a class instead of browsing the sale table.
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