These are all custom made, inquire here for turn-around times.

A jig  guides a tool, whereas a fixture supports the workpiece – in this case is a bound book. Increasingly, much of a book conservator’s work involves working in-situ without disbinding a textblock. This fixture safely and securely supports the parts of the book not being worked on while treating pages. The idea for this fixture was originally developed by Raymond Jordan, Senior Book Conservator at Trinity College, Dublin.  It supports the text-block and board, so that the spine and sewing structure is not stressed while work is done on the pages; repairing tears, media consolidation, flattening dogeared corners, dry cleaning, etc…. . Perfect for books with fragile sewing, brittle pages, or any time gentle, secure support is needed when working on bound items. It simplifies and speeds up the treatment process when many pages of a text-block need attention. The bed size is 12 x 16 inches, a heavy anti-tipping 1.5” thick, and fits 5 inches of bookblock thickness. Fits octavo through folio books in height. Adjustable arm levers allow a full range of clamping angles with no additional tools necessary. The front page bar is hinged to allow quick page turns. The uprights hinge from 0 degrees (parallel to the bed) to 180 degrees. Constructed out of marine grade plywood with a 1.5” thick base to resist tipping, polypropylene and clear anodized 6105-T5 aluminum. Custom sizes available. Click here for more photos (of an earlier version) and information.