Noticed a huge difference in my endbands after switching to silk thread

I've been binding books for about 3 years now, mostly doing repairs and rebinds for local libraries around here. For the longest time I used cotton thread for my endbands because that's what I started with and it's cheap. About 6 months ago I picked up some silk thread on a whim from a shop in Portland and the difference was night and day. The silk lays flatter, the colors pop way more, and somehow my stitches look cleaner even though I'm doing the same pattern. I thought it was just placebo at first but after doing 15 books with it I'm convinced. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a similar jump in quality or am I just crazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix1471mo ago

Wait, are you saying it actually made that big of a difference? Because I've been on the fence about silk for like a year now but kept telling myself cotton is fine. For me the biggest thing was how much less bulk silk has. My endbands were always a little chunky with cotton and it made the spine look off. First time I did a silk endband it laid almost flat and my headcap actually sat right for once. Plus yeah the colors are way brighter, almost like the thread has its own light going on. I do a lot of repair work for historical society books and I was worried silk would be too fragile but it's held up just fine for me. The only catch is it's harder to get consistent tension if you're used to cotton's stretch. Took me maybe 4 or 5 books to figure out the right feel. So no you're not crazy at all. I think a lot of us just stick with cotton because it's what we learned on and switching feels like a hassle. But once you try it there's no going back.

kelly_nelson951mo ago

Cotton's fine if you know what you're doing, @felix147, silk is just for people who can't handle a little bulk.