When sewing books or endbands, it is often helpful to have a pliers to grip the needle, position it, or pull it through. Precise needle control is also essential in book conservation, for in-situ resewing of loose signatures, endband reinforcement, and various types of board reattachment. If you have ever had to pierce a parchment spine lining, you will likely understand the purpose of these pliers immediately. Standard pliers do not grip a needle securely and the jaws are the wrong shape for these types of manipulations. So I've altered a pliers to specifically accomplish these tasks. The Bookbinder's Pliers.

Bookbinder's Pliers have a small groove cut near the tip, which securely grip needle sizes from 24 to 12 gauge. (.020" - .104") Note that 15 and 18 gauge needles are most common in bookbinding, though conservators often need smaller sizes for specialized tasks, such as endband reinforcement.

The jaws are ground to .375", which is wide enough to leverage and guide the needle through stubborn materials, but narrow enough to get close to the work. All edges of the pliers are rounded to prevent potential damage to the book and the binder.

Made of stainless steel, this precision tool fits comfortably in the hand. The pliers have a box joint to apply even pressure and a spring to keep the jaws open. About 4.5" long. You will wonder how you ever worked without these.