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I used to glue my headbands flat until a rainy day in Portland showed me why they curve
For my first ten books, I just stuck the headband straight onto the spine with PVA. Then last fall, I was rebinding a water-damaged novel from a Portland library sale, and the old headband had this perfect, springy curve that fit the rounded back. I realized it's not just decoration, it needs to move with the book. Now I shape mine over a dowel before attaching them, so they have some give. Does anyone else have a different method for making headbands flexible?
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skylerb536mo ago
My old copy of The Hobbit has a headband that's basically a flat ribbon now. I always thought it was just a weird printing choice until I saw a video on bookbinding.
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ivanp786mo ago
Those headbands are actually functional, they protect the spine from dust and damage. The ribbon gets flattened over time from being on a shelf. It's pretty cool how much thought went into old book design, even the small stuff.
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rosecarr6mo ago
Actually, headbands are mostly decorative now, but old ones used silk thread for real reinforcement.
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caleb_bell54mo ago
Wait, FLATTENED from just sitting on a shelf?? That's actually wild. I never knew those headbands did anything real, I just thought they were for looks.
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