Cloth
Images and text by Garry
Harrison,
Head, Circulating Collections Conservation,
Indiana
University Libraries Preservation Department
Shown below are the various
types of cloth used in our lab. Buckram, canapetta, cialux, and sailcloth
are used for covering; the remainder for functional purposes. The
close-up images attempt to convey an idea of relative coarseness/fineness
of weave, and the dime serves as a scale reference.
Buckram
Buckram
This is a heavy, durable cloth
which is starched for stiffness, as opposed to having a paper backing, as
in the case of both canapetta and cialux. Buckram is a good utility
cloth, used for the spines of wrappers, pamphlet-type binders made
in-house, and grey/white board portfolio-type enclosures. It is available
in 4" wide rolls, which makes it very handy for these enclosure spine
applications. Buckram can also be used as cover material for book repair
treatments but is not generally our cloth of choice for
this.
The exposed surface of the
bolt of buckram in this image is the backside of the cloth. The gloss is
due to starching.
Canapetta
Canapetta
This is an Italian book cloth
that is durable, fairly resistant to staining from adhesives, and
pleasing to the eye. Its prominent counter-grain provides the tactile
and visual sensation of strength. It comes in a wide variety of colors
and works well for all repairs, cloth-covered enclosures, and new cases
for books.
Cialux
Cialux
This book cloth is highly
flexible, has a smooth texture and a fine weave, and comes in a variety of
colors. However, it is less forgiving than Canapetta in regard to glue
staining, if adhesive comes in contact with the show side of the
fabric.
Cotton
backliner
Cotton
backliner
In casebinding, the super is
the part of the book that holds the text block in the cover, by means of
being adhered to both. We keep two types of super cloth on hand, a
medium weight muslin (pictured) and a heavier, flannel-backed variety is
used for extra strength. This latter is normally used on large and/or
heavy books. Many books use a thin gauze-like cloth to hold the book
together. Not surprisingly, this type of super tends to fail, so
although it is still available (and still widely used for new books), we
abstain from using it.
Hinge
cloth
Hinge
cloth
This is a thin linen which has
been starched or sized and is quite strong for its
weight. It is the material used for the hinges of new end sheets and for
new headbands of books receiving
higher-level treatments.
Here is pictured hinge cloth
in the pre-cut form in which it is normally used.
Sailcloth
Sailcloth
A substantial canvas, sail
cloth is available in large-width bolts and is thus used primarily for
covering large enclosures, most commonly those of the portfolio
type.
Stretch cloth
Stretch
cloth
This is used for the super of
adhesive-bound books bound by the double-fan process we use here. Because
it is stretchy, it allows the book to lay flat when opened, reducing the
potential for damage due to over-opening, as when photocopying.
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Complete Treatments Manual Table of Contents