Homemade Book Press

In an ideal world I would have a lovely Cast Iron Nipping Press. Unfortunately they are frequently over priced because they are Antiques/Collector’s items (or even worse still an Antique ‘ornament’). If their only use or value was solely as a Nipping Press you’d probably pick them up for £50. So in keeping with my motto “stop whining and just get on with it” – I have a Homemade Book Press of sorts.

After I did my first Bookbinding course 3 years ago I knew I needed some form of Book Press. Our Tutor Guy Begbie suggested 2 sheets of thick MDF and some heavy weights to start with. I was idly talking to a work colleague about this one day because I was having great difficulty finding anywhere that would cut MDF to size. He said he had some left over bits from his Ikea work top which he could cut to size for me. I had also seen some Homemade ones which had Bolts and Wing-Nuts on them, he said he could drill holes for this if I wanted.

You would have thought it would be easy to find the Bolts I wanted, but after several visits to places like B&Q, Homebase, Travis Perkins etc. I eventually found exactly the ones I wanted from Screwfix They still send me a catalogue every know then, the Screwfix catalogue is one of my favourite things to browse through (I don’t know what it is but I love looking at tools etc. I’m the same if I visit a DIY store I just can’t keep away from the tools).

I then had to decide on a size. I wanted it to go up to A3 if possible, but including an allowance for the bolts this would have been huge. I compromised, it will do A3 but I have to remove the bolts.

So with my all my measurements and instructions my work colleague duly made the press for me. I was delighted. The other people in work were very bemused by our conversations and when he eventually brought it in to work even more baffled, but not as baffled as the people who saw me lugging it home on the Train from Bristol to Cardiff! So sincere thanks to Kristian Benning for making the press for me, I am eternally grateful. The Blueberry Patch is the shop he runs with his wife.

French Stitch Binding – Ready to be glued

I also use it when marking and gluing the spine, its not perfect but its perfect for me at the moment. One day I will have an amazing studio with at least 3 cast iron nipping presses in all different sizes, and while I’m at it a lovely wooden plan chest for all my paper.

“Dreams are essential to life”
Anais Nin

(Link for Bolts on Screwfix.com in case anyone wants to try to make this).