Research Guides: Book Arts: Bookbinding Tools and Materials

Information about Tools and Materials, and How to Use Them

For information about where to buy materials, click on Suggested Links and Readings

Bookbinding Tools

Bone Folder The essential bookbinding tool for beginners and professionals. These bone folders are handmade of genuine bone in three different styles and various lengths. Useful for turning corners on cloth and leather, scoring paper, folding, smoothing out surfaces, and burnishing surfaces. Each bone folder varies slightly in thickness and shape.
Teflon Folder These Teflon Bone Folders are perfect for folding paper, bookcloth, mylar, boards and other soft materials. These Teflon Bone Folders are superior to the traditional bone folders in that Teflon will not glaze or mar delicate papers or fabrics. Once you have used these you will see and feel the difference.
Olfa Knife With a positive slide lock, built-in pocket clip/blade snapper, and slim design, it's a popular choice with professionals.
Professional Dividers Dividers are used for marking out work. They can also be used to measure the distance between two points. They provide a high degree of accuracy and repeatability.
Student Dividers Dividers are used for marking out work. They can also be used to measure the distance between two points. They provide a high degree of accuracy and repeatability.
Teflon Scissors Nevanon is the latest technology in scissors. Nevanon Scissors incorporate a stainless steel ultra sharp blade with a Teflon coating that eliminates gummy residue.
Ruler
Triangle (Measuring)

Adhesives

Adhesives and When to Use What Sarah Smith's description of bookbinding adhesives and how to use them

Glues – Tips, Techniques, Types & Recipes Information and demos of various bookbinding glues from iBookbinding

How to make starch paste using a microwave from iBookbinding

How to make cheap wheat paste at home, from iBookbinding

Jim Escalante's tutorial on how to make methyl cellulose adhesive

Paper & Boards

Paper Sizes explained by JetPens Explore how international paper sizes work, then take a look at how different sizes compare to Letter size and what paper sizes work best for different applications.

Cloths and Fabrics

Making Bookcloth - Handmade Books and Journals
Kristi Warren's method for making book cloth with household cloth and wheat paste

Jim Escalante's tutorial on how to make book cloth with any fabric and methyl cellulose adhesive (works better if your strain the lumps out of the methyl celluolose)

Book Arts

Information about Tools and Materials, and How to Use Them

Bookbinding Tools

Adhesives

Paper & Boards

Cloths and Fabrics

Leather and Parchment

Equipment