Leather
Our high-grade leathers have been specially selected, tanned, and dressed for the craft bookbinding market.
For modern bindings, we typically use goatskin leather from Harmatan and Oakridge Ltd, who apply historic techniques to draw out the leather’s natural beauty and grain.
For older books, particularly 18th- and 19th-century books, we recommend calfskin. Our calfskin leather is supplied by the 200-year-old family-run tannery, J Hewit & Sons Ltd, who have held a Royal Warrant for 50 years, first to Queen Elizabeth II and now to King Charles III.
Cloth
Our cloths are supplied by FJ Ratchford Ltd, who have been at the leading edge of luxury covering materials for books and packaging since 1889.
Their cloths include Heritage Library buckram, which is durable and washable, and Colorado tissue-lined rayon, which is ideal for older books where original bindings need to be saved.
FJ Ratchford also offer a range of leathercloths in various shades inspired by traditional Rexine. We recommend these if you’re looking for a high-quality leather alternative with an embossed, leather-like grain.
Marbled paper
We have a great stock of beautiful marbled papers, which we use to make decorative endpapers or to dress book boards in a half-leather binding.
Each sheet is marbled by hand following the traditional method of floating water-based paints on a size made from carrageen moss. Handmade marbled papers are becoming increasingly rare.
We offer a range of time-honoured marble patterns dating from the 17th century.
Foil blocking device
We have one of the original PräGnant foil blocking devices. It uses thermstatically controlled type and block holders to emboss words and designs onto our book covers in gold or silver.
Hand-finishing tools
We have a range of hand-finishing tools for use on a stove, including decorative fillet rolls for antique embossing.
Presses
We use a nipping press for laminating endpapers and pressing the bulk out of sections and magazines.
Our large desktop press is for pressing multiple books after gluing in.
We have a large laying press for sawing grooves for sewing, and backing, which is the process of forming the joints on a book to accommodate the boards.
Finally we have two finishing presses for holding books while pulling leather over the spine, re-backing, or hand-finishing.
Guillotine
Moving the bindery to Paul’s home meant replacing the business’s 80-year-old guillotine, which none of Paul’s employees had been allowed to use because it didn’t meet health and safety standards. Oops. The newer model is modern and compact and used to trim book edges and give them a smooth finish before binding.
Kettle
Our kettle has the marvelous capability of heating water. Seriously, though, it’s the most crucial piece of equipment in the operation, providing Paul with the required stamina and fortitude, especially after a weekend with the grandchildren!
Record player
Also necessary to the operation is Paul’s vast collection of progressive rock albums on vinyl and iTunes. Paul would be lost without the sounds of Genesis, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater, among countless others.
The Abbey Bookbindery 