Old library lady taught me a hinge trick 5 years ago, still use it today

Back in 2017 I was repairing a beat-up 1940s hymnal at the public library in Eugene and this retired binder named Ruth watched me struggle with the hinge. She said "stop fighting the grain," then showed me how to dampen the spine and let it sit under weight for 15 minutes before pressing. Do you guys ever learn something from a stranger that just sticks with you like that, or is it mostly trial and error?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_dixon23d ago

That's a cool story but honestly the real lesson is how most people never even notice the craft stuff that keeps things working. We just toss broken books and furniture without thinking there's a whole skill set behind fixing them. Ruth probably saved that hymnal because she saw it as a piece of history, not just a chore.

the_riley23d ago

We had a 1952 copy of The Grapes of Wrath come through our shop with the spine split clean down the middle, and my mentor showed me the same basic idea but with a twist: he said to use a spray bottle with distilled water, not a damp cloth, because the cloth leaves uneven moisture. That Eugene librarian thing about letting it sit 15 minutes under weight, did she say anything about the type of board to press with, or was it just any flat surface? I wonder if the press weight matters as much as the timing, because I've seen people rush it and the paper curls anyway.