reuse and recycle
Part of the policy of no bar code is to reduce how much stuff we use, as binderies can be hugely wasteful productions. We don’t put out a huge recycling box every week – we save and reuse as much as we can.
This means board and paper, but it also applies to our leather use. We buy expensive leathers – bookbinding leathers such as the fine binding leathers from Harmatan (c), and Russell’s Oasis(c). These two companies produce various lines of leathers – these ones in particular are the high-end bookbinding leathers, that are vegetable-tanned goatskin, made from goats traditionally raised in Nigeria. The animals are raised in a traditional family-type setting, and all the preliminary tanning happens in Nigeria in this same traditional setting. A variety of native plants are used in the tanning process, and then the tanning process is continued at the English tanneries, also with a variety of vegetable tanning materials. (Both companies talk about this on their websites; this text was written a few weeks after reading about them. No attempt was made to steal their texts!)
First grade skins are getting more and more rare. A first grade skin has no or very small and few scratches and scars. The skin is often very buttery and soft, very pliable and lovely to the touch. The skins are becoming rare because barbed wire is used often in the farming communities, and this can cause scratches on the animals, which of course are things that stay with the body. Given that these skins are more and more rare, and are very expensive, we use as little leather as we can.
This means various adaptations in the work I do that is parallel to my bookbinding work – to minimize leather use. With scraps and odd pieces and edges, I make small boxes. For this work, I have adapted my technique so that the absolute very minimum is discarded. There are no overlaps or fillings (when you bring the leather around to the side of a box, and don’t cut flush, you have to fill in the space created by the thickness of the leather). If you cut the leather flush in a particular way, you don’t need to make this “filling”. A side bonus is the time saved in making the “filling” and also in the finishing work. No, of course I’m not going to tell you ALL my secrets!
New box photos to come tomorrow.
