blocking
1. The process or technique of impressing a design
into the covering material of a book by means of a
stamp or BLOCK
having an engraved or etched surface. The term
applies to the impressing of type, blocks, etc.,
with foil, leaf, etc., or without (BLIND BLOCKING ).
Since the area that can be blocked by hand is
relatively small (about one square inch, or less),
large areas are blocked using a BLOCKING PRESS . The
permanency of the blocking, particularly when gold
leaf is used, depends largely on the pressure
applied by the craftsman, or the force of the
blocking press, which drives the raised surfaces
of the block or die into the covering material.
Hand blocking may be done on curved or flat
surfaces, while blocking by means of a press is
generally done on flat surfaces only. 2. The
surface tackiness that book cloths sometimes
develop as they age. 3. An undesirable condition
in which a dry adhesive film is reactivated by
heat, pressure, moisture, etc., and adheres to a
material in contact with it. (94 , 179 , 236 , 276 , 309 )
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