Rounding & Backing, Trimming the Top, Edge decoration

These are the things that were dealt with today. Rounding is getting a round shape to the spine of the book. Backing is where the roundness is firmed up, and the "shoulders" are created, where the hinges fit. If you look at the books from the profile, with the spine up, it looks like a mushroom shape.

Then we trim the top edge of the book & coverboards, so it's very even, and put it in a press, where it's finished to a smooth surface, and then the edge is decorated with paint.

That's the step I'm in now -- I'll be decorating the top edge of my first book tomorrow. We'll also be starting to work with leather.

Didn't get too many pictures of this process, but here is my book in the press following the rounding & backing process. You can KIND of see the shape of the spine.