CARTONNAGE TIPS

For French Cartonnage design you don't need a special work space or expensive, professional tools. A table and the tools listed below are all you really need.

To protect your table from cuts, use a sheet of thick board or a cutting mat. For cutting, choose a knife with a blade at least 0.7" | 18,0 mm that can be adjusted in length. This knife comes with snap-off blades, which is made of segments; when the blade tip becomes dull or nicked, you can break it off to create a fresh sharp tip. Scissors are used for small finishing cuts. You can use a corner cutter for cutting corners quickly and savely. Use a greyboard spacer to have the same space between two boards of greyboard. For measuring and cutting, choose a metal ruler to prevent it being nicked by the blad of the knife. A small paint roller and flat brush work best for applying glue. Ready-to-use white glue (PVA) is use for attaching greyboards and lining greyboard with book cloth or paper. The glue can be diluted with water to the consistency of yoghurt. You can use masking tape to fixate the board after you've glued it together, and double-sided tape to stick a part firmerly to another part. For gently rubbing over book cloth just glued in place, you can use a clean cloth to make it adhere evenly and eleminate any air pockets. A teflon folder is a folding tool, that you can use to stick paper and bookcloth into spots that are hard for fingers to reach. Remember to keep yours clean at all times! For making glued greyboard edges smoother, use sanding paper. If you have to sand many items, go outside or ventilate. For covering and protecting work surfaces from glue, you can use old (news)papers. For holding glued items in place during drying, you can use books, doorstops, or other heavy items.