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| Documenting his first go at making parchment from fish. |
Monday, September 2, 2019
Always Document Your Work and Keep Notes
Always photo-document your work and keep notes, no matter what career stage you're at. You never know when you'll refer back. Even Fritz Otto knows that.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Fritz Otto Goes Fishing
Thanks to Fritz Otto, I'm able to dive into another round of making fish skin parchment and leather. Have three skins in this batch, one coho salmon, and two haddocks. He'll make parchment from one of the haddocks, and then "we'' egg-tan the other and the coho following Nienke Hoogvliet's instructions from her book Fish Leather, a by-product of her RE-SEA ME project. Will be nice to have two identical species to compare.
The skins are soaking in a Mason jar with the dish detergent again. Tomorrow we stake out the one haddock to make parchment, and then start the egg-tanning. Looks straight forward.
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| A few weeks ago, Fritz Otto skinned the fillets we got, freezing the skins until we're ready. This is the coho. |
Back at it, again, with haddock and cohoe salmon. Will try egg tanning with some. Added research for an article on #fishskinbinding. pic.twitter.com/crrhbVUlYf— Peter D. Verheyen (@PressbengelProj) August 31, 2019
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| The skins were rinsed in unscented/un-dyed dish detergent to help remove oils. This process was repeated a few times, the skins kept in the refrigerator in-between to prevent decay. |
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| Next I showed him how to remove any remaining fleshy bits from the skin. |
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| He used a scalpel and scrapped away... |
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| Tiring work he just wanted to hide after. He said it was kind-of gross. I gave him some space... |
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| Reading up from Nienke Hoogvliet's instructions from her book Fish Leather |
See Fritz Otto Goes Fishing 2 for the next steps.
Book Arts arts du livre Canada (Vol 10., Nr. 2, 2019)
"Fish Tales, experiments with fish skin for bookbinding
The New Bookbinder: Journal of Designer Bookbinders (2020)
"Fish Tales, experiments with fish skin for bookbinding
The New Bookbinder: Journal of Designer Bookbinders (2020)
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Bookbinding Supplies | Buchbinderei-Bedarf, 1928
Below the 1928 Braunwarth & Lüthke catalog that gives a wonderful sense of the all the expendable supplies (paper, cloth, leather), hand tools, and equipment that a bookbinder of that time would have had available to them. Schmedt in Hamburg acquired Braunwarth & Lüthke 1990[ish] to give them a branch in Munich.
While not all items are depicted, where they are they can be a great aid to understanding terminology in foreign language manuals, especially in tandem with a resource like the Multi-lingual Bookbinding/Conservation Dictionary, https://bookbindingdictionary.com .
While not all items are depicted, where they are they can be a great aid to understanding terminology in foreign language manuals, especially in tandem with a resource like the Multi-lingual Bookbinding/Conservation Dictionary, https://bookbindingdictionary.com .
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| Braunwarth & Lüthke, München, Braunwarth & Lüthke - Preis-Liste über Materialien, Werkzeuge, Beschläge, Apparate und Maschinen für Buchbindereien und verwandte Branchen.1928. |
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| Scanning all 138 pages with Fritz Otto's help. No worries, the signatures were all loosely sew and the wrapper off, so no damage. |
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| Complete tool sets for apprentices just starting out, and those more advanced. Included were a bone folder, bookbinding knife, paring knife, scissors, sewing needles, keys for securing raised cords in the sewing frame, a green linen apron. The advanced included more of some of the tools and a divider. Mk 14 and 17 respectively. (Page 42) |
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| Everything needed to equip a small hand bindery. Mk 1620 (Page 125) |
View below or download here.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Syracuse Book Bindery
Something a bit closer to home from Syracuse's golden industrial past...
Thanks to a friend and colleague I got this great advertisement for the Syracuse Book Bindery of Jacob H. Miller. The ad is from 1867 and promotes services of all kinds in the "best manner, on short notice, and at low rates." I wonder how they managed it.
I'm looking for a contemporary photo of the location at 23 & 24 Washington St, here in Syracuse, but nothing yet. This is what that location looks like now. While the current building is old, it in all likelihood looked more like the one below the Google Street View image.
Below a view of another bindery... from the 1850s, the site of the Jerry Rescue that was part of Syracuse's abolitionist past. The location of this building is about 2 blocks away and more typical of the architecture of the time. The buildings name gives pause - perhaps an earlier location of our bindery?
Thanks to a friend and colleague I got this great advertisement for the Syracuse Book Bindery of Jacob H. Miller. The ad is from 1867 and promotes services of all kinds in the "best manner, on short notice, and at low rates." I wonder how they managed it.
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| Syracuse Book Bindery of Jacob H. Miller, ca. 1867. |
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| Good, cheap, or fast. You can really only have 2 of those. |
Below a view of another bindery... from the 1850s, the site of the Jerry Rescue that was part of Syracuse's abolitionist past. The location of this building is about 2 blocks away and more typical of the architecture of the time. The buildings name gives pause - perhaps an earlier location of our bindery?
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| The Jerry Rescue Building was located in Clinton Square on the corner of Clinton Street and Water Street. From the Syracuse Historic Walking Tour pages. |
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Fritz Otto Buchbinder
Needed a little help, alright a lot of help, in the studio, something that was very evident during Bookbinder Barbie's visit. We had fun, worked well together, and I was able to teach her about some of my favorite weird bookbinding proclivities like making parchment from fish skin. Most of what I learned from that experience was that working alone can be hard for any number of reasons.
That got me talking to some old connections in Germany, and through them learned about a very motivated and well-versed binder, Fritz Otto Buchbinder, who was looking for some new experiences. He's a Journeyman (Geselle) working towards his Meister, learned from some very good (and not so good) binders in the trade, and spent time at one of the few remaining art academies teaching binding. There are also a lot of under- and unemployed bookbinders around...
He arrived recently on the friendly skies of Lusthansa. They even managed to lose all his tools, save one. Ouch! To the rescue. the New World's best tool maker, Jeff Peachey who was able to outfit him with some of his finest tools. I was able to scare up some bone folders and Berlin-style brushes with the metal handle that he likes so much. The one tool he managed to save was the bone folder his Meister gave him as an apprentice. This Meister had gotten from the Meister of his Meisterin. Apparently it had guided a certain Franz through his career as a binder. There it is grinning from the pocket of his lab coat.
I look forward to having Fritz Otto in the studio with me, teaching him things as well as learning from him. He's curious, loves exploring the old binding manuals and trade publications. Mostly, I'm sure he'll get me binding more. I'll also be glad for his help working on the layout and running the trains.
That got me talking to some old connections in Germany, and through them learned about a very motivated and well-versed binder, Fritz Otto Buchbinder, who was looking for some new experiences. He's a Journeyman (Geselle) working towards his Meister, learned from some very good (and not so good) binders in the trade, and spent time at one of the few remaining art academies teaching binding. There are also a lot of under- and unemployed bookbinders around...
He arrived recently on the friendly skies of Lusthansa. They even managed to lose all his tools, save one. Ouch! To the rescue. the New World's best tool maker, Jeff Peachey who was able to outfit him with some of his finest tools. I was able to scare up some bone folders and Berlin-style brushes with the metal handle that he likes so much. The one tool he managed to save was the bone folder his Meister gave him as an apprentice. This Meister had gotten from the Meister of his Meisterin. Apparently it had guided a certain Franz through his career as a binder. There it is grinning from the pocket of his lab coat.
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| Fritz Otto Buchbinder with his Peachey Swiss paring knife. |
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| The tool starter set, more will appear as they are needed and made. |
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| Looking at paring knifes in the 1928 Braunwarth & Lüthke catalog. Fritz prefers the Swiss and French styles of knives to the traditional German kind. This is the result of bad experiences he had with the knife his Meister gave him – Said it was a stumpfe Gurke... (dull cucumber). |
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| Fritz is already getting lost in the Fachbibliothek. He's glad to find his familiar German manuals, but is also very interested in what he can learn from the English (and other) ones. I'm sure his English will improve quickly. |
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| Fritz was blown away to see this binding from the "golden age" of German binding, the period between the World Wars. |
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| Examining a "Dorfner-style" open joint binding on the print-on-demand version of Ernst Collin's The Bone Folder (Der Pressbengel). |
I look forward to having Fritz Otto in the studio with me, teaching him things as well as learning from him. He's curious, loves exploring the old binding manuals and trade publications. Mostly, I'm sure he'll get me binding more. I'll also be glad for his help working on the layout and running the trains.
Monday, August 5, 2019
A Fish Skin Rug
I was recently made aware of Studio Nienke Hoogvliet, "a design studio for material research, experimental and conceptual design based in The Hague, The Netherlands. The studio was founded in 2013 with a focus on "raising awareness of social and environmental problems in the textile, leather and food industry."
In her project SEA ME she researches how seaweed can contribute to a more sustainable textile industry. RE-SEA ME focuses on the applications of fish skin. She also published a book describing her method of preparing skins without chemicals. Based on the video this looks like she is making parchment, a topic dear to my heart. The book costs $75 including shipping to the US. Can't wait to get my copy and wish I had a rug like she made. Perhaps I need to make my own.
In her project SEA ME she researches how seaweed can contribute to a more sustainable textile industry. RE-SEA ME focuses on the applications of fish skin. She also published a book describing her method of preparing skins without chemicals. Based on the video this looks like she is making parchment, a topic dear to my heart. The book costs $75 including shipping to the US. Can't wait to get my copy and wish I had a rug like she made. Perhaps I need to make my own.
RE-SEA ME is the continuation of SEA ME. To show the duality between plastic waste in the oceans and the sustainable materials the oceans have to offer, Nienke continued her search for materials out of the sea. She discovered that fish skins are a waste product of the fishing industry, while you can also make them into beautiful leather.
She went to fish shops to collect their waste and discovered a way of tanning the skins without any chemicals. By using an old technique, that requires a lot of manual labour, she created a strong, sustainable and beautiful material that can be used like regular leather. To show the abilities of the leather, Nienke designed a small stool with fish leather seating. To continue the SEA ME collection, she also designed a conceptual rug where the fish leather is sown into a discarded fishing net.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Bookbinder Barbie Visits Syracuse
So, @BookbinderBarbie is a real thing. In some ways she is becoming an "influencer" and a meme for the bookbinding and book arts set online, at least I hope she will become. We could all use a lighthearted ambassador that makes what we do accessible to the "masses," at least I think so.
She was started by North Bennet Street School Bookbinding (NBSS) students a year ago, and has been sharing her experiences in that program and during her travels ever since. This summer she is visiting binders, conservators, printers, artists, and many others throughout the US, before heading back to start her second year at NBSS. Think of it as a series of intense, short-term internships.
I was fortunate to have her visit this past week, and we had some great experiences in a few short days. She got here late because Air USPS "lost her," then decompressed for an evening by looking at some books including one about her in a past life, and playing with the trains. Next day we headed across Syracuse to see some sights and visit Boxcar Press and the great people there. That evening, I taught her the stiffened paper binding (Steifbroschure) and we made a 1/4 fish leather binding with sides covered in hand printed cloth made by an artist in Venice. This was a prelude to making her own parchment from salmon the next day. That next day she got to go to work with me, and while I was doing my thing with spreadsheets (she wasn't interested) she received a personal tour of Syracuse University Libraries' amazing Plastics Collection from Courtney, the curator. She was an instant fan!
After we got home it was time to make that parchment. Below a few photos, embedded posts from with links to the others from Syracuse. To see all her adventures, you know you want to, scroll through her Insta feed, better yet follow for there is much more to come.
Links to all the posts from Syracuse:
She was started by North Bennet Street School Bookbinding (NBSS) students a year ago, and has been sharing her experiences in that program and during her travels ever since. This summer she is visiting binders, conservators, printers, artists, and many others throughout the US, before heading back to start her second year at NBSS. Think of it as a series of intense, short-term internships.
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| Bookbinderbarbie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bookbinderbarbie/ |
I was fortunate to have her visit this past week, and we had some great experiences in a few short days. She got here late because Air USPS "lost her," then decompressed for an evening by looking at some books including one about her in a past life, and playing with the trains. Next day we headed across Syracuse to see some sights and visit Boxcar Press and the great people there. That evening, I taught her the stiffened paper binding (Steifbroschure) and we made a 1/4 fish leather binding with sides covered in hand printed cloth made by an artist in Venice. This was a prelude to making her own parchment from salmon the next day. That next day she got to go to work with me, and while I was doing my thing with spreadsheets (she wasn't interested) she received a personal tour of Syracuse University Libraries' amazing Plastics Collection from Courtney, the curator. She was an instant fan!
After we got home it was time to make that parchment. Below a few photos, embedded posts from with links to the others from Syracuse. To see all her adventures, you know you want to, scroll through her Insta feed, better yet follow for there is much more to come.
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| Richard Minsky Nice to see Barbara Slate's Marvel Barbie comic. It's been 25 years since Barbie taught at the Center for Book Arts. Looks like a new bookbinder Barbie may take that position ❣️ Barbie #43, July, 1994. |
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| Making a 1/4 fishskin case binding with printed cloth sides. Barbie came with her own tools. |
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| The stiffened paper binding (Steifbroschure) More under https://pressbengel.blogspot.com/search/label/steifbroschure |
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| Syracuse's own Niagara Mohawk building, an art deco gem. |
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| I got to go shopping for a delicious meal in advance of Barbie's visit. Yum! |
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| Stretching out the salmon parchment. |
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| Inspecting the stretched out skin. |
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| A full step-by-step description of the process can be found under https://pressbengel.blogspot.com/2018/05/ more-fish-parchment-mehr-fisch-pergament.html |
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| Finally, looking at some books, here the Boss Dog Press edition of Ernst Collin's Pressbengel that was translated by Peter D. Verheyen as The Bone Folder. Download the text laid out for binding in the left sidebar, make some fish parchment, and bind your own copy. Make sure to share pictures. |
Links to all the posts from Syracuse:
I can't wait to see what Barbie does next and how she grows as an emerging professional. Perhaps she'll tell her story in a journal article or blog post somewhere. I know I had a wonderful time hosting her, and know all the others she visited did as well. What a great way to spend the summer. Made me feel young again.
Related, perhaps other programs and individual book artists could adopt this concept with their own Avatars, and then they could all converse and grow together as practicing binders and book arts professionals.
Related, perhaps other programs and individual book artists could adopt this concept with their own Avatars, and then they could all converse and grow together as practicing binders and book arts professionals.
Oh, Twitter seems to be enjoying her, too.
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| Some tweet reactions! |
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