Lost Gutenberg Bibles / Binding Project Update:
Greetings Everyone!
I've been getting emails asking for an update on how I'm getting along on binding the Gutenberg Bibles.
Things have been going along very smoothly. Spacing out the various tasks to limit "wear and tear" on the joints and muscles! That might sound odd, but to bind a single volume of the bibles requires over 250 individual steps. The ones that have the ability to cause the most 'trouble', physically, are the wooden boards, the leather paring, the brass work, and the tooling. All of these demand so much from the elbows and fingers, and there is SO much of it to do, that I need to be mindful of spacing these tasks out appropriately, and blending in other work. The sewing is probably the most cathartic of all the tasks, but the derrière does become quite tired, as it takes many hours to sew a single volume in the packed-herringbone style on four stations of double cords.
The Lost Gutenbergs website is now up, and in short order the full suite of pages will be up as well. Here's a link the Home Page:
As most everybody knows, BBWS has grown tremendously in the fine bookbinding leather business, by our global exclusive agency with Franz Hoffmann Fine Leathers, Stuttgart, Germany. I've used Hoffmann's leathers since the late 1980's, and have never found a more beautiful and "precious" line of leathers for bookbinding and conservation. The name just hasn't received that much attention because Johann Dargel (the owner for 54 years, until he sold it in 2007) never had a selling agent, anywhere. Only the office on Schwabstrasse! Hoffmann's is 85 years old!!
Back to Gutenbergs for a moment...
Many fellow binders have asked me how I achieved such a high degree of authentic color tone and 'retracted' look to the pigskin, as well as the clasps and catches. These are things that I will be discussing at a future lecture/demonstration in New York City later this year. I'll keep you posted on the venue.
I will say, however, that the initial help I received in aging alum-tawed pigskin came directly from Bernard C. Middleton. On my first visit to his home and bindery in the mid- '90's, he had just completed a small folio in this style. I had already been working with alum-tawed pigskin (and aging it to an 'acceptable' standard) for years, but Bernard's help clarified some points.
Our NEW BBWS WEBSITE is nearing it's debut, so the .com address will soon begin taking directly to the commercial BBWS PRODUCTS website, instead of re-directing folks to this blog. There'll be a link on bookbinders.com to this blog.
I'll try to get another update posted here soon!
Here's a few new photo's for you to enjoy.
Thanks to SO MANY of you around the world for taking such a great interest in BBWS and The Lost Gutenbergs! We're humbled by it all.
Michael & Minnie
Our now famous "BBWS Gryphon".
Another photograph of our "German Braided End-bands."
I've been getting emails asking for an update on how I'm getting along on binding the Gutenberg Bibles.
Things have been going along very smoothly. Spacing out the various tasks to limit "wear and tear" on the joints and muscles! That might sound odd, but to bind a single volume of the bibles requires over 250 individual steps. The ones that have the ability to cause the most 'trouble', physically, are the wooden boards, the leather paring, the brass work, and the tooling. All of these demand so much from the elbows and fingers, and there is SO much of it to do, that I need to be mindful of spacing these tasks out appropriately, and blending in other work. The sewing is probably the most cathartic of all the tasks, but the derrière does become quite tired, as it takes many hours to sew a single volume in the packed-herringbone style on four stations of double cords.
The Lost Gutenbergs website is now up, and in short order the full suite of pages will be up as well. Here's a link the Home Page:
As most everybody knows, BBWS has grown tremendously in the fine bookbinding leather business, by our global exclusive agency with Franz Hoffmann Fine Leathers, Stuttgart, Germany. I've used Hoffmann's leathers since the late 1980's, and have never found a more beautiful and "precious" line of leathers for bookbinding and conservation. The name just hasn't received that much attention because Johann Dargel (the owner for 54 years, until he sold it in 2007) never had a selling agent, anywhere. Only the office on Schwabstrasse! Hoffmann's is 85 years old!!
Back to Gutenbergs for a moment...
Many fellow binders have asked me how I achieved such a high degree of authentic color tone and 'retracted' look to the pigskin, as well as the clasps and catches. These are things that I will be discussing at a future lecture/demonstration in New York City later this year. I'll keep you posted on the venue.
I will say, however, that the initial help I received in aging alum-tawed pigskin came directly from Bernard C. Middleton. On my first visit to his home and bindery in the mid- '90's, he had just completed a small folio in this style. I had already been working with alum-tawed pigskin (and aging it to an 'acceptable' standard) for years, but Bernard's help clarified some points.
Our NEW BBWS WEBSITE is nearing it's debut, so the .com address will soon begin taking directly to the commercial BBWS PRODUCTS website, instead of re-directing folks to this blog. There'll be a link on bookbinders.com to this blog.
I'll try to get another update posted here soon!
Here's a few new photo's for you to enjoy.
Thanks to SO MANY of you around the world for taking such a great interest in BBWS and The Lost Gutenbergs! We're humbled by it all.
Michael & Minnie
Our now famous "BBWS Gryphon".
Another photograph of our "German Braided End-bands."
Posted by Michael Chrisman at 8/9/2009 11:07 AM 
Categories: LOST GUTENBERG BIBLES::,Lost Gutenbergs,Welcome to BBWS!,Michael LeRoy Chrisman
Categories: LOST GUTENBERG BIBLES::,Lost Gutenbergs,Welcome to BBWS!,Michael LeRoy Chrisman
well done..
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