BINDING & STITCHING
Needle & Thread
A blunt-tipped needle and waxed linen thread: the joint that holds a book together.
4Binding stage Rank 14 of 28
Line drawing
| Needle size | 16–20, blunt tapestry type |
| Needle length | 38–50 mm |
| Thread | Linen, 18/3 or 25/3 |
| Wax | Beeswax block |
| Thread per section | About 2.5 × the spine height |
| Stations | 5–7 for an octavo |
| Tension | Firm enough to hold, loose enough to close |
| Knot | A weaver’s knot or a simple overhand, inside the section |
| Thread | Linen 18/3 (about 0.5 mm) |
| Needle | Blunt, size 18 |
| Suitable stock | All paper sections |
| Processes | Section sewing, Coptic, long stitch, kettle stitch |
| Compatible materials | Paper, vellum, leather at the joint |
| Thread length per section | 2.5 × spine height, plus 120 mm |
| Breaking strain | About 4 kg for 18/3 linen, well above what a book needs |
| Archival | Linen is stable and acid-free |
There is a simulator for this. Bindery Simulator runs the same relationships in 3D, so you can change a number and watch what it does to the result.
Overview
Bookbinding needles are blunt. A sharp needle splits the paper fibres; a blunt one finds the hole the awl made and follows it. The thread is linen, usually 18/3, and it is waxed with beeswax before use so it does not twist, fray, or catch on the paper.
Thread thickness is matched to the section. Too thick and the sections cannot close; too thin and the thread cuts into the paper at each station. For a standard octavo in 100 gsm paper, 18/3 linen is about right.
4Binding: Folding, sewing, gluing and casing in.
Safety
Before you use itWaxed thread cuts fingers when it is pulled tight. Pull with the thread over the side of the hand, not across the palm.
Before you use itNeedles go astray. Count them back into the packet at the end of every session.
Using it well
- Wax the thread by pulling it across a block of beeswax two or three times. Waxed thread does not kink, and a kinked thread is what tears a section.
- Do not knot at the start of a section. Sew the first two sections together and tie off in the middle of the third, where the knot is hidden and cannot pull through.
- Keep the tension even by feel, section to section. A section sewn tighter than its neighbours pulls the text block out of square.
What it works with
Papers and substrates
- All paper sections
Type and fonts
- Not applicable
Processes
- Coptic sewing
- Long stitch
- Kettle stitch
- Case binding
- Repair
Note. Specifications are conventional working ranges for this class of tool, not a measurement of any particular machine. Follow the instructions that came with your own equipment, and treat every figure here as a starting point to check rather than a limit to trust. Nothing on this page is for sale and no manufacturer had any input into it.
