Monday, December 2, 2013

GLUE!

My glue arrived today! {REALLY BIG GRIN, HUMONGOUS GRIN}

Oh, I know it’s silly to get excited about glue, but this isn’t student’s white glue, or even carpenter’s wood glue. Those you can find in many stores in most decent-sized town. No, this is acid-free book binder’s glue. (I’d had some, but mine had gone lumpy. I’m not using that glue, not even the still-liquid parts around the lumps.) There was one store in Hilo that carried it maybe a decade ago, but I think they closed. So it was make a special trip that would quite likely be fruitless, or hop on the web. I found DEMCO, a library supplies firm I’ve ordered from before, and they still had the kind I’d ordered before. It did work great, until it went lumpy. However, Amazon had some, too, and they’ll give you free shipping on large-enough orders. DEMCO won’t, and they will insist you give them your phone number if they’re going to send you anything. Amazon doesn’t. So I ordered a pint from Amazon, along with some acid free coverboards and a friend’s book that I’ve been meaning to order, to make the order big enough to qualify for that free shipping.

They wrote back promising to send the coverboards immediately, and the glue with the book when it comes out in January.

{groan, rub face} It’s the glue I want immediately! The coverboards can wait; Mom wants a paperback cause it’s lighter and takes less space. So I ordered another pint, and a few books that have been sitting on my wishlist long enough to be in danger of dropping out of print. They promised to send that order more promptly, glue and all. {Smile}

I still expected them to show up around the middle of the month. Nope. Today I got two packages. One had the coverboards, and the other had four books and both pints of glue. Yes, both pints. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but I’m certainly not complaining! {SMILE}

Anyway, now I can bind the booklet I promised to Mom. I can also bind a couple of books I found on the web that appear to be in the public domain that I think she’ll like. But she won’t get those until one or another of the upcoming gift occasions. With Christmas on December 25th, her and Dad’s anniversary on December 27th, and her birthday on January 21st, we have enough occasions coming soon. {SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

2 comments:

  1. I would have commented sooner, but I accidentally hit the wrong button, the computer ate my comment, and I gave up in disgust. Book glue -that is awesome! I've never tried anything in the bookbinding way, but it is really cool that you have that skill -and what a great idea to turn some of those Gutenburg files back into actual books. :) Home-made gifts are simply lovely because they show you're willing to put time into the gift. I'm so glad you got what you needed in a timely manner, too. It sounds like a God thing. :)

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    1. Well, I would have replied sooner if my provider's spamtrap hadn't decided to be over-zealous this month. I've been busy fishing stuff out this morning. {rueful smile}

      I happened across some instructions to bind books back...over two decades now. I was going for my bachelor's degree at the time, and project definition could be stretched to include book binding.... It's fun. Time-consuming, but fun. {Smile}

      Yes, I like getting into Gutenberg for text. A big thing that's been holding me back from binding books more is that I don't want to take apart an already serviceable book to re-bind it. A professor I knew in graduate school would do just that, but... {wince} I also mend books, so I'm used to taking them apart when they need help, but when they don't? {WINCE}

      There's got to be a better way. Well, I finally found a better way: get files off the internet. I have to re-format them to make them suit my purposes, but some of Gutenberg's formats lend themselves to that nicely. {SMILE}

      Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

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