The Spine

In this section we are going to secure the spine, this includes gluing, using mull/jaconet, putting the headbands on and a bookmark if you desire, then sealing it with one piece of paper to help secure everything.

I recommend cutting out all your stuff before you begin then you don't have to rush while the glue is drying :)

You need a bit of mull about this big, enough to wrap around to where the ribbon/tape goes to. I cut two pieces of mull for this for extra strength and durability.



Then you need some headbands! As I said before, black and red for this one. I went and bought some of this sweet ass red from my suppliers out in Sydney's Industrial area. Usually you only need 2 cuttings, one for head and one for the tail but you can double them up. Traditionally, the more flamboyant the headbands, the more important the book was, plus it draws attention. The headband should be just enough to wrap around the spine of the book snuggly.





Ok time for the best bit! Spread the glue evenly over the whole spine, push the glue into the cracks with the bone folder and your fingers.




Once the glue became tacky I grabbed my first layer of mull and rubbed it in, then added another layer of glue ontop of that



Takings off the weight quickly, I folded the edges in and put the new layer of mull on followed by more glue.




Now glue the headbands on, with glue underneath and on top. If you want a bookmark, glue it down the spine about 2 inches between the mull and the headbands.



Ok now finally while its all still wet, get your cartridge paper and cut out a strip then glue over the top (Yes make sure the grain is going the correct way). Feel free to make a mess, use random paper, or write messages on the spine, no one will ever see it, except maybe a book binder in 100 years time restoring the book, but I doubt that will ever happen.