Knives

There have been some changes in the selection of knives we stock. Two of the knives that have been very popular for many years, have been discontinued due to the closure of the company that manufactured them. These are the two Clip-points; the first with the Damascus Steel Blade and Beech Handle and the second with Razor Steel Blade with the Red Wood handle.

Fortunately, we have found an alternative UK manufacturer who produces similar knives and we pleased to offer you these two new products:

Clip-point Knife with Carbon Steel Blade
and a Beech Handle @ £4.00 each

These new items may be ordered from our online shop by clicking here

(subject to shipping and handling charges and VAT where applicable)

Japanese Paper

Following many requests from our customers, we are pleased to bring you a range of Japanese papers and tissues to service your requirements for paper repair and conservation. There are six papers in the range:

Tonosawa - 27gsm - 430 x 520mm - Hand-Made, 100% Philippine Gampi neutral pH off-white, laid

Lens Tissue - 10gsm - 510 x 760mm - Machine-Made, 100% Manila Hemp pH 8 white, Long soft fibres

Maruishi - 9gsm - 610 x 910mm - Machine-Made, 100% Manila Hemp Absorbent, Neutral pH, smooth natural white, Long strong & soft fibres

Kozu Shi - 23gsm - 650 x 890mm - Hand-Made, part Kozu neutral pH off-white, Long fibres for

Tosa Washi - 28gsm - 630 x 940mm - Machine-Made Neutral pH, slightly one-sided Natural white, crisp, strong

Kawanaka Ivory - 29gsm - 600 x 910mm - Hand-Made, part Kozu Neutral pH Natural white, laid, Long soft & strong fibres

Pricing information and a place to order these new papers may now be found on our web site by clicking here.

Kraft Paper

We have just started selling a light weight Manila Kraft Paper for spine linings. Available in sheet sizes of 625 x 1000mm, long grain at 90gsm.

Prices:

• for 1-24 sheets - £0.42 each
• for 25-49 sheets - £0.24 each
• for 50-99 sheets - £0.21 each
• for 100-499 sheets - £0.19 each
• for 500+ sheets - £0.18 each

This new product may now be ordered from our online shop by clicking here

(subject to shipping and handling charges and VAT where applicable)

Topics in Conservation Science

The Library of Congress Preservation Directorate in partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library presented a "Topics in Conservation Science" workshop covering Adhesive and Leather from September 29th until October 1st, 2003.

The leather portion ran for 2 days and was taken by our very own Roger Barlee and Roy Thomson of the Leather Conservation Centre. The topics covered were as follows:

• A review of the history of leather.
• The science of skin structure and tanning.
• Deterioration and its causes (over the last 150 years).
• Recent work on Archival tannages, summary of CRAFT Leather Project and an update on current research.
• A lecture on the conservation of leather objects.
• A lecture and discussion on leather conservation techniques

Roger will also be giving a cut down version of these lectures for the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers at the Boston Athenaeum Club on Saturday 18th October.

Self-adhesive Felt

Our new adhesive backed felt is ideal for lining boxes and slipcases. As it is self-adhesive, its application to board and wood could not be easier. The felt is made from a mix of 70% viscose and 30% wool and is available in 6 attractive shades on roll widths of 900mm. The weight of the material is approximately 170gsm and it has a thickness of approximately 1.0mm. The adhesive is a high-tack modified acrylic transfer tape.

Beige	Black	Dark Grey
Green	Light Blue/Grey	Red

Prices:

0-29 metres - £6.04/metre
30+ metres - £4.59/metre

Please contact us for a sample swatch.
This new product may now be ordered from our online shop by clicking here

(subject to shipping and handling charges and VAT where applicable)

Bookbinders Starter Pack

Due to demand, we are delighted to bring you the 'Bookbinders Starter Pack'. It contains the basic tools and materials that you will require to get you started in the ancient craft of bookbinding. Each pack will contain:

• 4 x 0.5 metres Reliance Bookcloth - Red, Blue, Green, Black
• 1 x metre No 1 Mull
• 1 x 33 metre roll 10mm Cotton Sewing Tape
• 1 x 50g skein Linen Thread
• 1 x packet No 18 needles
• 1 x No.14 Wooden Glue Brush
• 1 x packet Cold Water Paste Powder
• 1 x 6" pointed Bone Folder
• 1 x Clip Point Knife, Damascus Steel
• 1 x pair 6" scissors
• 2 x half sheets Greyboard
• 2 x sheets assorted Kaskad Paper
• 2 x sheets assorted JHS Marble Paper

The items in this pack are valued at £44.73, but we are pleased to offer them for sale at £40.00.
The pack may be ordered from our online shop by clicking here

(subject to shipping and handling charges and VAT where applicable)

Bangladeshi Calfskin Necks

We are pleased to offer these economical pieces of leather that are suitable for small leather goods, leather craft work and modelling, such as dolls, miniature saddles and bridles. The misshapen off-cuts are available as follows:

Rough Tanned

Average Skin Size: 0.28m² (3ft²)
Colours available: Natural, Dyed Black, Dyed Dark Brown and Dyed Tan
Standard Substance: 1.0 - 1.1mm
Price for single skins:

• Natural - £2.50 per skin
• Dyed - £3.00 per skin

Fair

'Fair' skins are also available as above, but we re-tan the skins with Sumac or Tara. We then soften and shave to 0.8mm to produce a beautiful, silky soft leather.

• £8.00 per skin

These new items may be ordered from our online shop by clicking here

Quantity discounts are available.

(subject to shipping and handling charges and VAT where applicable)

Paring Machines

We regrettably advise, that the Brockman Paring Machine has been discontinued by the manufacturer. A newly designed version is currently under development and we hope to be able to bring you news about this new model by July/August 2003. Spare blades for the Brockman Paring Machine are still available.

Thank You

Our warm thanks to all our customers and friends who contacted us with good wishes regarding our relocation to Edinburgh. Your kind thoughts were truly appreciated. There were a few 'hiccups' and minor delays in shipping orders during the two weeks of upheaval, but we are pleased to advise that now the move has been completed, our order handling and shipping functions are back to normal.

Thank you for your patience.

Finishing Foils

We are please to announce that since sourcing a new supplier of metallic and pigmented foils, we have been able to reduce the selling price of our foils by 50%. The new pricing details may be found by clicking here

Going Home

With effect from 1st April, 2003, all of our production, warehousing and despatch functions will be consolidated within one location - our factory and head-office premises in Edinburgh.

It is with some not inconsiderable regret that we are announcing the closure of our London warehouse having had a presence in the area for over 50 years. In recent times, we have seen a significant increase in the proportion of customers opting to have their orders delivered as opposed to those choosing to call into our London office to collect goods personally. We feel that there are several reasons for this, including:

• Advances in communications technologies, which have made ordering online, and by e-mail, simple and convenient.
• Strong competition in the world of freight handling resulting in a good choice of methods for the economical shipping of products, both domestically and Internationally.

The steady decline in "over-the-counter" sales has reached a point where we can no longer justify the overhead costs of running two separate premises. We believe that by moving our London operation to Edinburgh and amalgamating the two roles, we will be best placed to continue offering the highest level of service, commitment and customer support.

The major part of the move will take place during the last week of March. However, some of the stocked products normally associated with London, will be transferred to Edinburgh as early as the beginning of March. We will be closing our doors in London on Wednesday 26th March. From Thursday 27th March, all telephone and fax calls and mail will be diverted to Edinburgh. During this period we intend to remain open for 'business as usual', and expect to be fully operational in Edinburgh by the 1st April. We were pleased to be able to offer all of our London Staff relocation to Edinburgh and are happy to announce that:

• Marius (Mo) Slaber will be moving to Edinburgh and will remain as Warehouse Manager for the non-leather items we sell. He will be working closely with John (Klem) Klemetsen, the Leather Warehouse Manager.
• John Pursey who represents the company in large parts of the South, South West, The Midlands, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Wales, will carry on working from his home in Bristol. He will continue to maintain a modest stock of products for distribution to those of you whom he looks after.
• David Lanning will be working from an office near his home in High Wycombe and is intending to concentrate his time on seeing more of you in London and the South East. He will also be able to allocate more time to visiting our friends and customers overseas.

After 12 years of loyal service with Hewits, Vivian has decided to take early retirement. During her time she has made sure that the 'boys' in London behave and we will miss her joyful smile and good humour. Bill (the Wise One) has been with us for a little over 4 years. Being just over a year away from retirement, he has also decided not to relocate to Edinburgh. Wilson the newest and youngest member of our London staff will be leaving to pursue his studies in accountancy. To them we say good-bye with our fondest wishes.

So with all this happening in the very near future, you may ask how will this affect you. For the vast majority of our friends and customers who order from us by phone, letter, fax, web site or e-mail, we hope that you will find an improvement in our service with all of our products being held under one roof. Regular visitors to our London Warehouse should contact us to discuss any specific concerns regarding the handling of future orders.

We would like to take this opportunity of assuring you that our aim is to continue to provide you with high quality bookbinding leathers, materials, tools and equipment in the same efficient manner to which you have become accustomed.

For further information please contact Roger Barlee, David Lanning or William Mclean on sales@hewit.com

Society of Bookbinders Journal 2002 - Volume 16

Only £18.00 + shipping

This new journal may be ordered Online - Click Here