This is the first part of our talk with Ben Elbel from Elbel Libro bindery and Bookbinding Out of the Box project. We discuss Ben's path to becoming a bookbinder, and then he shows around his studio in Haarlem, Netherlands. Check below to find the table of contents with timestamps.
The video is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1vdPIDR-Iw
We announce our new giveaway on this podcast! Listen to it to find out how to get a set of our corner cutting jigs for free (with free worldwide shipping)!
In the second part of the podcast, we will talk about Ben's project and will answer several questions that we received from our community.
Our next guest is Todd Davis from the Middlesex Bindery in Massachusetts, United States. You can post your questions to Todd in the comments below. The next Instagram live stream will be dedicated to making a basic sewing frame with only the simples tools and materials. Tune in this Tuesday, 28th of April 2020!
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00:35 - How to pronounce Ben Elbel's name properly 02:10 - Our first meeting in 2015 04:18 - Ben's Path to bookbinding 07:03 - Father's suggestion to study bookbinding and a year at Centro del bel libro Ascona
=== Apprenticeship === 13:33 - Looking for an apprenticeship 14:56 - Apprenticeship in Germany at Die Buchmanufaktur 15:38 - Learning to make things fast 16:03 - Usage of PVA 18:09 - Moving to London 19:20 - German traveling apprentices 22:20 - On taking apprentices at Elbel Libro 23:48 - Starting a career in bookbinding with or without education 26:00 - On the importance of learning French binding
=== Workshop Tour === 29:02 - Workshop tour at Elbel Libro 31:03 - Showroom / Visitor area 35:00 - Ground floor / Workroom / Storage 36:33 - Leather splitting machine in action 40:40 - Storage corner: leather, cloth, cardboard, etc. 44:34 - All the sorts of cardboard Ben has in his studio 45:50 - Superior board: Presspahn and Green Millboard by Conservation By Design (see the links below) 48:05 - Workbench 49:26 - Different heights of mine and Ben's workbenches
Ben Elbel's shop: Presspahn: https://bookbindingoutofthebox.com/collections/products/products/presspan Own tutorials: https://bookbindingoutofthebox.com/collections/bookbinding-tutorials Crisscross binding book: https://bookbindingoutofthebox.com/collections/books-from-others/products/book-crisscross-binding-anne-goy Edgard Claes's piano hinge binding: https://bookbindingoutofthebox.com/collections/books-from-others/products/book-neue-bucheinbandtechnik-scharnierband-in-pergament-edgard-claes
Links and mentions: Ben's first teacher at the city archive in Strasbourg: Bernard Santoni Centro del bel libro Ascona - https://www.cbl-ascona.ch/en/programm/ Regular teachers Ben studied from in Ascona: Edwin Heim (bookbinding), Henrik Roerig (conservation) Guest teachers Ben had in Ascona: Hedi Kyle, Cor Aerssens American Academy of Bookbinding - https://www.bookbindingacademy.org/ Die Buchmanufaktur, at the time in Göttingen (Germany), now in Wädenswil (Switzerland) Shepherds Bookbinders in London, UK - http://www.bookbinding.co.uk/ Book Works in London, UK - https://www.bookworks.org.uk/studio/ Boekkunstbeurs - https://boekkunstbeurs.nl/opening-en/ Green Millboard by Conservation By Design: https://www.cxdinternational.com/boards/bookbinder-board/ https://www.talasonline.com/Conservation-by-Design-Millboard