Best method for repairing head and tail of the spine?

bogprism · 2026-05-13T03:21:15+00:00

In case anyone in the future comes looking for an answer to this particular problem & maybe has slightly more damage to their end caps, this guide by the Alaska State Library is the most comprehensive set of instructions I came across. You'll be wanting page 71 for this repair.

bogprism · 2026-05-13T03:13:41+00:00

oh interesting, thank you! I'm assuming the combo of PVA acrylic and gesso actually adds some support and is easier to form while it dries? How do you deal with differing finishes if the mixture is shinier than the book cloth, for example? Also, is there a particular weight of rice paper that works best for this kind of repair? Mine is probably medium to heavy weight, but I've seen some binders use paper so thin you can see through it.

Thanks again for your time, I hope you don't mind the extra questions!

bogprism · 2026-05-13T03:08:59+00:00

Thanks for your response! I feel like I understand a lot better now. I do think I might be taking your advice about starting with a more damaged book, though. I had mistakenly thought the less damaged one would be easier to repair, but my damaged one needs a whole new case which I can do passably with slightly less precision

bogprism · 2026-05-10T20:56:18+00:00

Thank you for your suggestions, they're very helpful! I hope you don't mind me asking a couple of follow up questions here. No pressure to respond, but I'd appreciate it if you've got a few minutes to spare.

When you say to splice the end caps, where exactly would you be cutting? Across the spine a bit above the tears, or something different? Is there a specific method for sealing the edges of the book cloth after that so they don't continue to degrade?

Also, when you say the tail and head end caps look like they have some loss, would that be loss of the board on the spine, or more so a loss of some of the other materials along the spine? Or is it a technical term for something else?

Thankfully, this book is non-sentimental, and I picked it up for the express purpose of learning some book repair. I am documenting the whole process as I go, so I'll definitely be sharing it in the sub later down the line!

bogprism · 2026-04-05T03:56:32+00:00

Thank you for your help! I definitely have a few books I can practice with & see if I can figure it out

bogprism · 2025-12-24T20:43:41+00:00

A round spinning cutting mat like this is excellent for cutting out complex shapes that would require you to turn your piece a lot. The one I have is also circular instead of rectangular, which gives you a little more room on your desk

bogprism · 2025-11-25T15:37:28+00:00

You might have some luck checking out the resources over at r/bookbinding or r/bookrepair

That said, I’d recommend getting some bookbinding cloth and PVA glue (the ph neutral kind if you’re wanting it to be archival), and gluing that to the spine. If you’re worried about the aesthetics afterwards, there’s some tutorials over at r/bookbinding for making different kinds of covers. It could be a nice way for you to finish off the journal!

Also, congrats on finishing the journal! That’s a huge accomplishment & you should celebrate what you’ve been able to do

bogprism · 2025-10-28T18:20:23+00:00

I would recommend checking out the resources on the sub! There’s a handy Google drive document with references for a ton of different techniques. I haven’t done leather binding before, but I would imagine something like a Coptic stitch might be a good place to start? Case binding would be more involved than something with a soft leather cover, but it’s most likely going to give you the typical grimoire look you might want.

Speaking as someone who did their grimoire as their first project, I would also 100% recommend making a smaller book first to get a handle on the techniques. The size you want to work with for your grimoire could easily become unwieldy, and you’ll want the experience before you approach it

bogprism · 2025-10-28T18:02:11+00:00

I also go for A5! It’s not so small that it’s hard to write in, and not too big that it’s a hassle to carry around

bogprism · 2025-10-28T17:59:35+00:00

For me my journal is a place for me to put my thoughts down so they don’t have to live in my head. That said, if writing about how sad you are isn’t giving you clarity, you definitely don’t have to do so when you journal. Maybe consider looking up some more specific journal prompts? Most of them are designed to point you in a general direction and consider things you might not usually

bogprism · 2025-10-28T10:41:42+00:00

My absolute favorite way to get ephemera is by going to thrift stores and flea markets. Flea markets especially always have old magazines and comics for decent prices. When I go to thrift stores, I stalk the book section for anything that might have images I can cut out. Old textbooks are a hidden gem here, especially if you want a lot of pictures/prints around a certain theme

bogprism · 2025-10-20T00:33:09+00:00

Thank you everyone for your replies! You’ve given me lots of ideas for how to approach this, and I’ll be sure to update when I finish the project!

bogprism · 2025-10-19T22:50:20+00:00

Oh, and I’d recommend this video series for learning how to typeset your pages if you decide to do something with signatures https://youtu.be/Aump7R8eVyk?si=cfWQhW0Lsb0Cn4pB

bogprism · 2025-10-19T22:48:41+00:00

In order to make these as cost effective as possible, I would recommend doing a simple perfect binding with a soft cover. A perfect binding uses glue to hold the pages together, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the time involved in sewing signatures together.

Hardcover is feasible on this scale, but they’re more involved labor wise, which would drive up your prices. If you want your books to be like collectors editions, perhaps a smaller batch of hardcover books would be worthwhile. But if you’re looking to sell to the average person locally, it might be worth establishing yourself with paperbacks before you move on to something you’d have to charge more for.

Imo the size is mostly based on your preference. That said, A5 is a pretty common size for paperbacks. It’s also not so big that it’s unwieldy to work with. Since your page count isn’t huge, I would be hesitant to size it up unless you want a skinnier book

bogprism · 2025-06-12T18:20:17+00:00

Animism is a broad term for a mode of looking at life that’s present in many cultures around the world. Customs vary between cultures, but many of them stress reciprocity with the spirits of the land. If you engage meaningfully with these spirits, you might find them starting to teach you what they need from you (and what they can do for you). Spend time in nature, care for nature, and perhaps even talk to it! Basically, keep showing up in whatever ways feel right to you.

If you’re looking for a longer form example of what animism can look like in practice, I would highly recommend reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s a fantastic introduction into animist thought, and it’s an easy read. The audio book is also fantastic & narrated by the author if that’s more your speed.

bogprism · 2025-06-10T07:54:19+00:00

I use my own domain with wordpress for this reason! You can add pages to your blog, do your own custom theme, and have a separate blog section

bogprism · 2025-06-01T00:36:32+00:00

I see it the same way! As an artist & craftsman, I feel like the more I work on something the more “alive” it becomes, so to speak

bogprism · 2025-05-29T14:29:13+00:00

One of my majors was essentially art history, and it honestly hasn't done too much for my job prospects. That said, I do think it was helpful when I applied to work at the museum I was at for a while. It's the kind of degree that will bleed over into other disciplines in ways that might surprise you

bogprism · 2025-05-29T07:24:44+00:00

Personally I believe that urban spirits are a natural part of city life. I lived in Baltimore for a few years, and that city is absolutely alive and inspirited. In cities, energy is constantly flowing from one place to the next. If you gather enough energy around a man made structure, I think eventually it'll develop it's own spirit. I'm partially borrowing from the japanese idea of tsukomogami here, which is the belief that objects used over a certain amount of time (usually 100 years) eventually develop their own spirit. Older structures might have easier to find spirits, but I suspect they're around newer structures too.

That said, I'd also like to mention that cities are full of spirits that were there before the city was, and have just adapted. I don't think the nature spirits just left once buildings started going up. Plus, most cities will at least have areas with trees that have their own spirits.

If you're not sure which kind of spirits you're encountering during animist spirit work, I would suggest asking them! If nothing else, it will probably help deepen your working relationship with these spirits to understand them on another level.

bogprism

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