Last month a relative from the US was staying with us at our apartment here in Moscow. On one of the last days she asked me if I can make her sketchbook look a bit better. It was an ordinary black notebook (like Moleskin), with black spine lining, black covers and black magnetic fastener.
OK, I need help! I need some ideas! Just look what happens at our living room (my workshop), when I’m working!
This week I have spent not only working on my current bookbinding projects, but also planning and building some things for my new workshop.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about using (and making) soft weights for a box making project. That text received some very nice comments and I have decided to follow-up with a bit of research: how to make the best soft weights?
Couple of weeks ago I have shared with you my experience with soft weights. I needed them during construction of false rounded spines for a box project. Today I would like to share my thoughts on making those false spines.
Several days ago I was repairing a Siddur (a book of prayers) for a friend. I came to his office to offer him a choice of leather to pick a piece for the new cover. He intrigued me with a question then: “Why wouldn’t you try to make a leather kippah?”
Oh, that feeling, when you plan to make or do something for a long time and save it for later just because you don’t really need it? That was the case with soft weights for me.
Every time I travel I look for some book or bookbinding-related locations in almost every city or town I visit. Past trip to Italy was no exception. Unfortunately, this time we had a very tight schedule (3500 kilometers just in 11 days) and almost no time for museums. However, we had a full day in Venice and I hoped to find something interesting there.
Vacation season has arrived! Me and my wife decided to visit Italy this summer. We have quite an itinerary and will drive from the north of the country to the south and back.
There are some historical discrepancies in the video, still I like the approach very much =)
Looks like someone has a lot spare time and that someone is me. Yesterday I’ve spent an hour and a half wrapping handles of my newly made lying press with a rope. I know, I know, usually you can see something like wooden handles. But I don’t have a lathe in my workshop (yet). I had some old handles made with bare steel nuts and I thought: why don’t give that idea a chance?
![shakespeare_in_metro[1]](https://www.ibookbinding.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/shakespeare_in_metro1-580x326-225x126.png)
A new Shakespeare-themed train would be in service in the Moscow Underground for six month starting today. Joint project by the British Council and Moscow Metro have resulted in the eighteenth themed train and fourth literary-themed train to be in operation in the Russian capital at the moment.
Rare book department of the National Library of Ukraine could’t account for their copy of ‘The Apostle’ — the oldest book printed in the modern borders of Ukraine.
“…If you’re detecting a light floral aroma, you’re probably smelling 2-ethyl hexanol, a kind of alcohol, that’s often used in solvents, but also in flavors and scents…”
I’ve took my time before posting something new at iBookBinding.com. There are lots of topics I would like to cover, but April is traditionally a busy month for me and the first days of May I’ve spent organizing my small woodworking workshop. For a long time, I wanted to make different bookbinding tools and now it is becoming a reality.
