Inlays and onlays (bookbinding)
Encyclopedia
In bookbinding
, inlays and onlays are pieces of leather adhered to the cover of a book, usually differing in color, grain, or both from the main covering leather. While they are complementary techniques, and may appear similar in their final forms, they are distinct in how they are constructed.
, are shaped pieces of leather the same thickness as the covering leather on a book. A piece of leather the same shape, size, and thickness as the inlay is removed from the covering leather, and the inlay is placed into the resulting space. The edge of the inlay can be tooled, in which case the edge of the inlay is beveled, with the skin side of the leather slightly larger than the flesh side. This gives a smooth, well-supported surface for the impressions of the finishing tools
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, and their edges are usually, though not universally, tooled over in order to hide any minor irregularities.
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
, inlays and onlays are pieces of leather adhered to the cover of a book, usually differing in color, grain, or both from the main covering leather. While they are complementary techniques, and may appear similar in their final forms, they are distinct in how they are constructed.
Inlays
Leather inlays, which are similar in form to inlays in woodworkingInlay
Inlay is a decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often coloured materials into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures that normally are flush with the matrix. In a wood matrix, inlays commonly use wood veneers, but other materials like shells, mother-of-pearl,...
, are shaped pieces of leather the same thickness as the covering leather on a book. A piece of leather the same shape, size, and thickness as the inlay is removed from the covering leather, and the inlay is placed into the resulting space. The edge of the inlay can be tooled, in which case the edge of the inlay is beveled, with the skin side of the leather slightly larger than the flesh side. This gives a smooth, well-supported surface for the impressions of the finishing tools
Finishing (bookbinding)
In bookbinding, finishing refers to the process of decorating the outside of a book, including the lettering of the spine and covers, any additional tooling, and any inlays and onlays...
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Onlays
Often mistaken for inlays, onlays are thin pieces of leather (often less than 0.2 mm) which are adhered over the covering leather on a book. Because of their thinness, onlays are not noticeably raised from the surface of the covering leather. Onlays are adhered to the covering leather with paste or PVAPolyvinyl acetate
Polyvinyl acetate, PVA, PVAc, poly, is a rubbery synthetic polymer with the formula n. It belongs to the polyvinyl esters family with the general formula -[RCOOCHCH2]-...
, and their edges are usually, though not universally, tooled over in order to hide any minor irregularities.