The Lab will be offering a virtual lab tour on Tuesday, January 26th at noon (EST). The Facebook Live event will be hosted on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Facebook page. Staff will give a tour of all of our most used and loved areas of the lab and will highlight how we use the spaces and the equipment, tools, and supplies stored in each space. Following the tour, we will be doing a live Q&A where you can ask us any questions you might have.
We hope you can join us for our first Virtual Tour, but don’t worry if you can’t, a recording of the tour will be available after the event so that you may view it at your leisure.
We recently shared a blog post on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s blog that serves as a companion post to this one. Both posts focus on the repair of two CHPL books, Covered Bridges and When Art Meets Design, that received split-board binding treatments carried out by Kasie. While this post focuses on the treatment itself, the other illustrates the journey of a circulating book through treatment in the lab (and at home) and its eventual return to the library. We highly recommend checking out A Journey from Broken to Mended: Repairing Books in the Preservation Lab.
As a hybrid conservation lab, we treat and house both special collection items and general circulating collection items, as well as everything in between. Special collection items are rare or archival materials that typically do not circulate; basically, books and other objects that you can’t take home with you, are out of print, valuable, and/or are less readily available locally, nationally or even globally. General circulating collections are typically books that can be checked out and taken home, and tend to be newer books, books still in print, and/or more popular books. Since we are a collaborative lab that means that we treat and house special collections and general collections from both the University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) and the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL).
Due to the nature of these two types of collections (general and special), the treatment, documentation and who treats what is very different. Before the pandemic, most of the staff’s time was dedicated to special collection items or the items that fall between the two categories, which we call medium rare, and our students and volunteers, with plenty of hands-on, one-on-one training, handled the bulk of our general collection repairs. But then working from home, all or a majority of the time, became the norm for Lab staff and we had to shift focus and turn to taking on more general collection repairs that we could more easily take home with us. Initially, we took home more difficult sewing projects and mending projects that our students or volunteers either hadn’t gotten to yet or were avoiding for one reason or another. Then, after we could return to the Lab in some capacity to prep our own materials, we realized that split-board bindings* were the ideal general collections treatment for staff to work on from home.
A split-board binding is a new binding or case that incorporates several newly added reinforcement elements that are then sandwiched between two pieces of board that make up the front and back covers.
Kasie’s split board binding cutaway model
Each technician has a cutaway model that they’ve made, so they can easily reference it during treatment.
With the cutaway model you can see the various aspects of the treatment.
Split-board bindings are a great solution for oversized, heavy books like coffee table books and art books with glossy pages, which are very common in both UCL and CHPL general circulating collections. They are also, by far, the most complex general collections treatment we perform in the lab and have always been done by the conservation technicians, instead of our students or volunteers. This is not only because of the complexity of the treatment, but also because of the lengthy treatment time involved; a student or volunteer’s limited weekly schedule in the lab is not conducive to such an extensive treatment. Though it was a general collections treatment reserved solely for the conservation technicians, prior to March 2020 the techs unfortunately had little time to work on these treatments, as our focus was primarily on special collections treatments and housing. Therefore, we had amassed a little backlog of split-board binding treatments – enter quarantine and working from home!
One question that might come to mind, if split-board bindings are so elaborate and extensive, why do them on general collections items at all? Why not just buy a new copy; wouldn’t that be more cost effective? Typically, the books that warrant a split-board binding are more pricey, glossy paged, oversized books, like art and architecture books. And unfortunately, though these books have a much higher retail price than your average James Patterson novel, the construction is generally less than ideal. These books might have beautifully printed, full-color, thick and glossy pages and dynamic cover art, which makes them attractive to the reader, but they also are often sewn with very thin, fragile thread that easily breaks. The spines are generally lined with a layer of rigid plasticized glue that can become very brittle over time. Often, the covers or cases are constructed solely of printed paper, not cloth, and generally have a thick piece of board along the spine (which we call a flat back) that doesn’t allow the book to flex properly when opened and can actually make the spine break down and tear in record time. It is not uncommon for these books to have little to no reinforcement in the attachment of the textblock to the binding (i.e. how the block of pages is attached to the cover), which makes the heavy textblock break away from the cover quite easily with use.
Textblock broken away from the cover
Example of plasticized adhesive that has failed, leaving the textblock unsupported
Example of plasticized adhesive that has failed, leaving the textblock unsupported
Textblock detached from cover and textblock not properly supported
But why are these books constructed so poorly? These large coffee table and art books are constructed with individual use in mind, not with the frequent use and circulation that comes with a library collection item. The split-board treatment, along with many general collection repairs, improves on a bad binding design and makes the book stronger and sturdier, using better binding techniques and materials that can better stand up to use by many library patrons.
A split-board binding treatment involves creating a new binding with new sewn-on endsheets that are reinforced with cloth, at least three sewn on linen tapes (supports), new spine linings, and a new quarter bound case created with two boards at the front cover and two at the back cover, and generally an inlaying of the original cover designs. However, additional elements of treatment may be warranted based on the condition of the book, such as broken sewing, tears, detached leaves, etc. The steps generally proceed in the following order:
Prepare materials in the Lab – new endsheets, starched reinforcing cloth, linen tapes, spine linings, binders board, bookcloth and Bristol board for inlays.
Detach textblock from cover, if needed.
Remove original spine linings, mechanically and with poultices.
If broken, remove original sewing thread and disbind textblock.
Mend any tears and guard any separated, torn or detached leaves.
Sew to include linen tape supports and new endsheets using French link stitch – whether partial/added sewing over the original sewing or complete resewing is dependent on whether the original sewing was intact or if it was broken and the textblock disbound.
Round and back spine, as needed.
New spine linings adhered to the spine:
Reversible layer of kozo fiber tissue with wheat starch paste.
Original stuck-on endbands, if present, or new endbands.
Cloth reinforcement lining (Cambric) with flanges that extends past the spine on both sides.
Several paper linings to further support the textblock.
Create “laminated flanges”, the key characteristic of a split-board binding, using the sewn on linen tapes, the flanged cloth piece adhered to the spine, and the first and last leaves of the new endsheets. Cut laminated flanges into thirds, with the center portion incorporating all the linen tapes.
If the original covers included artwork that should be retained, mechanically remove from the original boards. Remove remaining board backing with poultice.
Remove and clean the original spine.
Cut binder’s board to size – 2 pieces of board are cut for both the front and back covers (4 pieces total). The thickness of the boards used is dependent on the shoulder of the book.
Determine placement of the board and adhere the middle laminated flange segment to the top of inner board, keeping the top and bottom laminated flange segment under the inner board, unattached. Adhere the outer board to the inner, thus sandwiching the middle laminated flange section between the two boards.
If the original cover is being inlayed, create and attach an inlay border of thin Bristol board to the cover boards, as needed.
Covering the boards:
Attach the spine cloth piece and turn in at the head and tail.
Attach the board cloth to the upper and lower boards and turn in the edges.
Bevel the remaining laminated flanges and sewn on cloth reinforcement (Cambric) slightly and attach both, in sequence, to the inner boards.
Adhere the pastedowns and trim the remaining sewn on Cambric to roughly 1/8” – ¼”.
If there are cover inlays, adhere the inlay(s) to the cover(s) within the inlay border.
Adhere the original spine to the new spine of the case.
Preparing materials in the Lab
Using the board shear to cut bookcloth for the covers
Ready for treatment at home
Cleaning the spine
Removing original adhesive
Textblock fully disbound
Mending & guarding
Sewing the textblock
Sewing on linen tape supports
Newly resewn textblock
Rounding & backing the spine
Reversible layer
Cloth reinforcement layer
Preparing paper layers
Fully lined spine
Creating the laminated flanges
Creating the laminated flanges
Prepared textblock
Preparing cover inlays
Removing original cover art
Removing the backing from inlay
Cutting the boards to size
Attaching the inner board
Inner board attached
Outer board attached with laminated flange between boards
Attaching inlay boarder
Adhering spine cloth
Turning-in spine cloth
Adhering cover cloth
Attaching laminated flanges and cloth reinforcement
Adhering pastedowns
Pasting out inlay
Attaching inlays
Trimming inner cloth hinge
Adhering spine title
Completed treatment
When completed the treatment offers a substantial amount of support to the textblock and a robust attachment of the textblock to the new case. While it is an involved treatment that requires a good amount of preparation, work and skill, the end results are worth it all, and the improvements are significant.
Treatments of this magnitude take many, many hours over the course of several weeks. Often, only a few steps of the treatment can be accomplished at a time to account for drying time, and timing out visits to the Lab. To take a sneak peak at what some of the steps of treatment look like please check out the video below:
For an example of how Kasie used a split-board binding treatment and modified it for a special collection item that came to the Lab from UC’s Winkler Center without a case, check out her blog, A Monster of a Treatment.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into a split-board binding treatment! If you did and you want to see more of what we do, and see the Lab, then please check out our Virtual Lab Tour which will take place on Tuesday, January 26th at noon, live on the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Facebook page. For forthcoming information about the Virtual Tour follow the Public Library on Facebook and follow the Lab on Instagram (@thepreservationlab).
*This treatment was originally designed at the Brigham Young University lab. Then it was brought to the University of Kansas lab by Brian Baird, where our conservator, Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer, learned the treatment and thus brought it to the Preservation Lab.
Every year our staff, students and volunteers look forward to our Student & Volunteer Appreciation day, which we affectionately call “fun day”. It generally takes place in late November or early December, always before finals week. It is a time to show our appreciation for all the hard work our students, volunteers and staff do throughout the year, while having an opportunity to come together and learn some new bookbinding or book arts technique. In the past, we’ve done paper marbling, made handmade paper, created German long stitch binds, and more.
I have been coordinating our student & volunteer appreciation days for almost as long as I’ve been in the Lab, so for at least 12 years now. I love it because I am the type of person who enjoys planning these types of things, but also I love watching a student, volunteer or staff member just get really excited about something new. You never know if it’s going to be that quiet new volunteer who just can’t get enough of paper marbling, or that student who doesn’t have any art background but just does the most amazing pulp paintings ever! So after all these years, the thought of 2020/the pandemic ruining everything and not having any sort of student/volunteer appreciation day was just unacceptable!
I immediately thought, “What types of activities could we do virtually that would be no cost to the lab and would give everyone a couple hours to come together and decompress?” After a little brainstorming with Holly, we came up with a Button Hole Stitch binding (which I had recently learned) and a simple dissolving view. With the help of my wonderful student staff member and cohort buddy, Lexie, I prepped kits for our virtual event, as well as prepared a step by step video on creating a button hole stitch binding.
Here are some of the beautiful creations that came out of our little virtual fun day:
The purpose of this blog is to show a relatively easy long-term solution for strengthening and protecting the packaging for shallow banker’s box enclosures. There are two notable benefits to using this solution. The first being that in some cases little to no repairing needs to be done to damaged parts of the box and the second is at no time does any adhesive come into contact with the original piece. I have developed this system down to a science. If I make my measurements correctly, from start to finish, the lid and base jacket can be made from the custom stencils in about 180 minutes.
Ultimately you’ll be cutting 2 pieces of 4 mil Mylar to the following dimensions (W+thx4+4inches x H+thx4+4 inches) with the help of stencils.
To make a stencil I just place the lid in the center of the wastepaper and adding about 1mm all around, trace the width and height. Add 1 wall thickness all around followed by 1 wall board thickness all around then another wall thickness all around. Draw each of these added lines all the way to the edge of the paper.
You may notice little adaptations to the tabs that will be cut out of the Mylar. I make the tabs on opposite sides to create symmetry. Here is a close-up of one.
After scoring and cutting out the Mylar to match the pattern, fold on the lines using either a ruler and bone folder or your fingers.
When you are all ready, place the box in the center of the Mylar sleeve and place double stick tape where the tabs will secure the corners. Start with the outside corners first.
One of the great qualities of this protective wrapper is that it can cut out repair time by the virtue of the strength of the wrapper itself.
Secure the rest of the outside, then inside corners, and we’re done!
Now it’s time to enjoy the music.
Chris Voynovich (CHPL) — Senior Conservation Technician
Poisonous Book Project
In the Victorian era, textiles were colored with a green copper aceto-arsentite, used from 1814 to the late 1800’s. (Side note: this green is sometimes referred to as Paris green or emerald green and was widely used by impressionist painters.) And since books were bound in textiles, it’s no surprise that these vivid green cloths were used to bind publisher’s bindings. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that these copper arsenic covers are lurking within our library collections dating to the 19th century. In 1855, Viridian green was invented which eventually replaced Paris Green; therefore, green cloth bindings from the 20th century to today are of likely no concern.
When faced with the question of how to ID these textiles in the past, I’ve referred researchers to textile conservators who may be more familiar with this subject – as well as paintings conservators since they deal with pigments on a regular basis. The best resource on the subject I could track down was an adjacently-related conservation study on Navajo Textiles, titled, Coping With Arsenic-Based Pesticides on Textile Collections by Jae R. Anderson, Nancy Odegaard, Martina Dawley, Delana Joy Farley, and Werner Zimmt from the American Institute for Conservation ‘s Objects Specialty Group Postprints, Volume 21, 2014.
However, new research being conducted by Melissa Tedone and researchers at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library shines new light on the subject. They provide helpful recommendations on ID, handling, and storage. Please see https://www.iiconservation.org/content/poison-book-project to learn about the Poisonous Book Project being performed by Winterthur Library.
While our lab does not currently perform x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to confirm whether a book is poisonous, there are some visual clues to be aware of. When handling a copy of Rustic Adornments for Homes and Taste (1857) Melissa Tedone notes how “the bright green colorant flakes readily from the bookcloth with even the gentlest touch of my porcupine quill.” This pigment seems to be impregnated into the cloth rather than dyed, and therefore prone to brittleness and flaking.
Recommendations to those without the ability to ID pigments: If you suspect that your book may be bound within the Victorian era of the 19th century, treat the book as though it may contain arsenic.
Place it in a polyester or polypropylene jacket and house it inside an enclosure.
Handle it with gloves that are disposable or are washable
When handling, lay it out on a table with paper liner that can be disposed of after use (or clean the table after use)
If you are in need of a box for storage, University Products and Talas are great resources for purchasing archival housing supplies.
Additional recommendations for libraries by Melissa Tedone and the Winterthur crew include:
Digitize bindings to provide researchers a non-toxic option of handling these texts
Identify and store these books together in one location within collections storage. If these materials are affected in a potential flood or disaster, this will help to streamline handling and containment of these dangerous materials.
Curious to know if there are specific titles of books that have tested positive for “poison?”Check out this link for a table of books identified by the Poisonous Book project and compare against duplicate titles in your collection:
Since testing continues, the Winterthur research team has created a color swatch bookmark to assist with identifying potentially arsenical green bookcloth. The library asks for the consideration of of $5 or more to help cover printing and mailing costs. Email reference@wintherthur.org for more information.
To learn more, check out the 2023 Connecting to Collections (C2C) Care Webinar The Poison Book Project.
Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer (CHPL) – Rare Book and Paper Conservator, Lab Co-Manager
Last month, I showed you how to make a corrugated clamshell. At that time, I mentioned some alternative strategies for special situations, such as considerations of working space, collection size, etc. Pre-made boxes may be the way to go here. They’re generally non-adhesive, and excellent if you have a large collection that needs help, but can’t be worked on right away, for pieces going to off-site storage, or if you’re in a situation where box building space is at a premium, such as many of our work from home setups (I’m currently working at my kitchen table, which is definitely a squeeze sometimes!)
There are multiple ways to obtain pre-made enclosures:
Many commercial binderies offer custom economy boxing. Our Lab uses HF Group (http://www.hfgroup.com/) when needed. Their work is excellent, and their enclosures can be created from sent measurements. This is wonderful for housing items in our collection that require storage, but we feel are too fragile to be shipped.
A pre-made enclosure can also be a great option for very small items, to keep them from becoming lost on the shelf.
Under normal circumstances, a box created in the Lab for a small piece would be lined with foam to keep it from moving around in the larger cavity, but when the pandemic hit, we thought it might be a good idea to find ways to do this that didn’t require foam, which might be expensive or difficult to source or store.
Enter the Kyle Insert. Developed by Kyle Olmon, it is an answer to the ongoing question of new ways to store smaller items that will keep them safe and prevent them from getting lost. It works well for things like artist books, which are often incredibly small. It’s also a time saver in lieu of foams. I don’t know about you, but cutting foam is not my favorite thing. An alternative is always welcome when it is appropriate, and we (and the books!) can always benefit from having multiple ways to solve problems.
Written instructions from Kyle Olmon are available on-line at https://kyleolmon.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/kyle_insert_v2_instructions.pdf . I found that the insert made more sense to me when I had a visual representation. It’s a surprisingly simple structure but may not seem that way on paper. In light of that, I did something a little different and put together a video of my assembly efforts, interspersed with instructions and diagrams from Kyle Olmon throughout. Hopefully the video combined with Mr. Olmon’s excellent instructions will help you get started with this form!
Admittedly the title of this blog is a bit dry, but whenever I see the phrase stationery binding my eyes dart and the corners of my mouth start to move upward. Since trying my hand at an accounting book at Paper and Book Intensive 2017 in Chela Metzger’s workshop Early Modern Record-Keeping Book Structures, I have enjoyed learning more about their variations, creating historical models, and using the form as an inspiration for artist’s books.
After digging into Katherine Beaty’s essay Tackets, Buckles, and Overbands: Italian Stationery Bindings of the HBS Medici Family Collectionthe in the latest volume of Suave Mechanicals (http://www.thelegacypress.com/suave-mechanicals-vol-6.html), I decided to attempt a model of the second largest laminated archival bind. Beaty’s essay provides excellent descriptions of the various accounting books within the Medici collection, helping guide me in the construction of the model and filling in large gaps in my knowledge.
Katherine Beaty’s essay is not a “how to” manual, so all the errors and false assumptions that present themselves in the final model are mine alone. Making this at home with materials I had on-hand provided some challenges, so there are some missteps in terms of historical accuracy. But, in the end I’ll give the final product solid B for effort! And I had a great time making it.
Laminated leather archival binding with buckle fastening, size 34 x 27 cm.
As you might imagine remote work for a preservation lab is…complicated. Not all items awaiting treatment are good candidates for repair in the home studios of staff – the repair might require specialized equipment that is only available in the lab (e.g. suction table), the item may be too valuable to transport to a private home without engaging UC risk management and CHPL administration (i.e. all our special collections!), or the object may be too large to safely be worked on in our diminutive setups (e.g. many books with the folio designation).
But, that doesn’t mean that work from home isn’t happening! The image below is a batch of completed treatments awaiting return to our partners. These treatments are general circulating items that have been repaired, as well as items receiving custom enclosures created without the object, using just the objects measurements. The materials have been treated from home and now, on our new abbreviated lab schedule, are being end processed and returned to their originating institutions.
Though we all deeply miss the day-to-day work in the Preservation Lab, remotely we maintain our ethos of preservation stewardship keeping us connected to the lab’s preservation mission and the missions of our parent institutions. In this, we remain unchanged.
University of Cincinnati Libraries (UCL) and Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) materials awaiting packing for delivery.
Tuxedo boxes are fantastic, accessible enclosures. Sadly, they do have their limitations, as anything does. If you’re working with a piece that is a larger or heavier (or both!), a piece that is a bit more delicate and in need of more protection, or a piece that isn’t all in one piece, you may want to look at a corrugated clamshell.
The corrugated clamshell is a slightly more complex, yet infinitely versatile addition to a good basic preservation enclosure arsenal. Developed by Andrea Krupp in 1988, it’s great for pieces that are awaiting treatment but need stabilization in the meantime. It also works beautifully for boxing sets of items that don’t quite merit the time commitment that a cloth-covered clamshell might. I have also found a corrugated clamshell to be perfect for things like experimental music scores (which may include cards, CDs, or any number of other unexpected items) that need to be shelf-ready in a hurry.
So let’s make one. The material list for this is actually surprisingly small:
A cutting implement, such as a scalpel or X-acto or Olfa knife
At least one ruler. I generally use two – a meter rule for laying down lines, and a 12-inch rule for most cuts.
A bone folder. This should have at least one end that is fully rounded. You don’t want to push through your board!
PVA; archival quality, of course. While there are a few ways to make a non-adhesive box that I won’t get into with this entry, the method we use here in the Lab does require it.
A way to secure the adhered portions of the box. In the Lab, this would be done with large bulldog or binders clips with board scraps to prevent marring, but if you’re at home without something like those, some strategically-placed weights will do nicely.
And of course, your corrugated board. Again, archival quality. For most projects, we use B flute (3mm thickness), but we do use E flute (1.6mm thickness) as well. E flute is used for my example photographs, throughout the entry.
In the Lab, planning for our corrugated boxes begins with an Excel spreadsheet. Brought to us by Ashleigh via UCLA, this greatly shortens our box making time by automating the measurements needed for each project. With just the height, width, and thickness of your piece, the sheet maps out every measurement you need for a snug, custom enclosure. As you can imagine, in a production lab like ours, this is a huge boon. I highly recommend it, and I would be happy to send it to you! (Feel free to email me any time at hyacinth.tucker@uc.edu or check out this link to past OPC workshop handouts!)
E flute spreadsheet, prepped and ready!
Corrugated board, ready for cutting and scoring.
Once we have our measurements secured, it’s time to cut our board down to size and lay down our guide-lines. Two things to remember: 1) be sure to make all your markings on the side of the board with visible corrugated lines, this way the guide-lines and the less aesthetically pleasing side of the box are on the inside of the enclosure (with the exception of fragile items that might rub against the corrugation such as red rotted leather); and 2) do your best to orient the grain in the proper direction. When the box is finished, the visible corrugated lines should run in the same direction as the spine of the book. The overall board sizing can be done with your larger ruler, rather than a board shear or oversized paper cutter, if you’re very careful. That same ruler can then be used to measure out the cutting and scoring lines.
Work in progress, a closeup of a flap cut.
Next, let’s make our box cuts. If you have one, the smaller ruler is great here. Again, the spreadsheet makes this part simple. Cut on the solid lines, score and fold on the dashed lines. One thing that the sheet doesn’t mention is that the inner corners of each box wall need to be cut. Not much; you don’t want to expose your materials to the elements. Just a little corner to keep them from catching on each other when you close your completed box.
Almost done!
Now that all of the cuts are done, we move on to the scoring and creasing. In the Lab, all of the creasing across the width of the box is done with a large crimper, and the lengthwise work is done by hand. Fortunately, if you don’t have access to a crimper, it’s pretty easy to score with one of your rulers and the rounded bone folder. Just take your time, and don’t press too hard; you don’t want to break through the board.
In the absence of bulldog clips, properly placed weights can help hold everything together while the adhesive dries.
Next, let’s pull it all together. First, fold up the sides of your box, to define your inner trays. If you are using 3mm board, this is a great time to use your bone folder to flatten the flaps, in order to prevent bulk when pasted down. Next, tuck the flaps into the fold over portions at each end. This is where the PVA comes in. Put it on the flaps and the interior of the fold-overs. Be generous, but not too generous; we don’t want it to gush out when we make the folds. Secure the fold-overs with the clips/weights, and leave it all to dry. I aim for overnight, if I can, so that the PVA can off-gas a bit before I put the piece inside. If you can leave it for longer, that’s even better.
And there you have it, a lovely custom corrugated clamshell that’s perfect for your needs. In my next post we’ll look at some non-adhesive solutions, and a great way to customize them.
Until next time!
Hyacinth Tucker (UCL) — Bindery and Conservation Technician
When in the course of an item’s history it becomes clear that the book or artifact could use extra attention, or just another element of design to aid in its care and preservation, we create enclosures.
Enclosures create a microclimate that provides a darker more consistent environment for works to be stored in. There are many types of enclosures used for many different reasons, ranging from an impermanent simple paper wrap to more long-term solutions such as cloth covered clamshells.
We use enclosures to provide a range of protection for their contents.
A microclimate providing enhanced consistency concerning heat and humidity fluctuations.
A barrier against damaging UV rays.
Dust and pest control.
A strong support for contents.
Because there is so much documentation done on customized high-end enclosures that require greater skill and experience, such as cloth covered clamshells, I will discuss easy to make, low cost enclosures. To be honest, saving time and money is at the forefront of any business. Enter the elegant tux box.
A tux box serves admirably the need for a cheap, easy first line of defense. We usually create tux boxes using 20-point Bristol board with measurements custom to the book. The tux box provides an adequate barrier against dust and light. Another virtue of the tux box is thatold books that have suffered degradation and have become brittle are provided a more stable structure for storage and handling. It should be mentioned though that because of the nature of the design, temperature, humidity and some dust and light may enter inside the tux box through the exposed corners, possibly allowing these damaging elements inside.
So, let’s make one.
First make 3 jigs. The jigs will provide a guide to add extra board thicknesses to our book box dimensions to account for overlapping our boards during folding. We use 20-point Bristol board. Our jigs are three thicknesses – 1 thickness, 2 thicknesses and 3 thicknesses. We’ll label them 1,2 and 3.
Let’s also make a handy-dandy information guide that will record all our objects measurements and identifying info on a scrap of bristol board. Record the books thickness (TH), width (W), height (H), call number and title of our book. Use tic marks to record measurements as seen below. This will be useful for quick reference as we create our tux box.
There is a grain direction in Bristol board, (the grain direction is which way the fibers are aligned) for this purpose we will cut 1 length of the Bristol board with the grain running the (H) of our book and 1 length the (W) of our book plus 1 board thickness (W+1BT).
Use our information guide and jigs to measure, score and fold the horizontal or inner height-based board as follows: (W-1BT), (TH), (W), (TH) then (W-1BT).
For the outer vertical width-based board we also score and fold starting with an x lightly placed in the corner to identify the outermost flap. With our information guide and jigs and starting from the side with our x we measure, (H), (TH+3BT), (H+1BT), (TH+2BT), (H).
Wrap the horizontal piece around the book and then fit it into the vertical part. You can either use double sided tape or PVA to adhere these two together.
Here is the tux box in its open position. Note where the two boards are joined – only the panel where the back cover will sit.
Next, the tricky part. Creating the flap to secure its closed position. Measure, mark and cut the tongue on the outermost flap, let’s use a visual for this part.
Lastly, cut a slot for the tongue to fit into which secures the tux box closed. Close the tux box as if it is finished with tongue out. With a pencil draw a light “v” in the corner where the tab lays closed. Open the tab and place 2 small holes with a Japanese hole punch or an awl. Cut 2 lines connecting the holes forming a slot. Fit tab into the slot to close. Feel free to round the corners of the tab and all flaps using a corner rounder.
Tux box in the open position.
Tux box in the closed position.
You can also customize tux boxes to accommodate a varity of book sizes. No one wants to add an enclosure to their collection that is the size of a miniature book, it would be so tiny it would get lost. We can adapt the enclosure by adding spacers to bring the overall size of the tux box to at least 5”x7”.
Here is a link to an adaptation made to a clam shell that could also be used in a tux box as well.
So, the tux box is an easy-peasy solution for an extra layer of strength and protection for its contents. Unlike the Hostess Twinkie, the tux box is not expected to endure the apocalypse. I feel given the cost of materials and time spent to make one, it’s a fine, adaptable addition our enclosure family.
Chris Voynovich (CHPL) — Senior Conservation Technician
