Book Restoration
At the OBS Bindery and Repair shop we can restore all kinds of books, and we specialize in Bible restoration. We can rebind your favorite handheld bible or the large bible that has been in your family for generations. We have in stock a large selection of materials from which to choose, including leather, imitation leather and a great variety of cloth cover materials. Usually we can closely match the material and style of the original binding.
It may be hard to believe that the pictures below are of the same bible. Quite often, we receive bibles with pages that are torn and missing small pieces. The bible in these pictures had a great number of tattered pages and the original binding was completely in disrepair. The photos of the new binding is a good example of the quality of our work.
This next Bible restoration was completed summer 2015. The volume is smaller and less ornate, but in need of a lot of help.
The before pictures show broken binding, bent text block, as well as loose and tattered pages, which all needed some attention.
Front cover is loose and separated from the spine and text block.
You can see the prominent fold of the text block here, as well as loose page sections, detached spine binding, and generally worn condition
The Restoration and New Binding Process Begins
The text block, the pages, needs to be squared to eliminate the fold in the middle of the book.
A bit of humidity and a weighted-drying process are employed.
Once the block is squared again, the process of rebinding can begin. We start with a basic cover, which will be covered in your choice of real or faux leather or cloth for the binding. In restoration work, our goal is to have it look as close to the original style as possible, unless the client has another preference.
The Final Product
The title replicates what was on the original in both size and style. The bookmark was restored and the text block is now as it should be - the warp is gone, pages line up, and it should be set for many years to come. The tabs have been repaired and the spine reads like the original version. The only change here was the addition of a family name to the front cover.
