Bible rebinding extends the life of a cherished Bible with a NEW cover
Table of Contents:
- Materials
- Leather and goatskin samples compared
- Exotic and Faux skins
- Ribbons
- Options to Consider:
- Personalize Bible (foiling and debossing)
- Endsheets
- Page Repair
- Rule Lines and Spine Bands
- Our Bible rebind process
Rebinding Bibles in Cowhide
Cowhide looks elegant and has a lusciously soft feel. We recommend cowhide when our customers want to foil stamp their names on the cover of their new Bible rebinds. Cowhide is an excellent surface for hot foil stamping. Feels strong and highly recommended!
Rebinding Bibles in Goatskin
We source our goatskin is known for its durability. Our goatskin is one of the finest vegetable tanned goatskin in the world sourced directly from Nigeria. Highly recommended and makes a great hot foil stamping surface. You will love it!
Bonded Leather for Bible Rebinding
Our Bible rebinding service comes standard with a beautiful bonded leather selection.
Pros:
Our bonded leathers are a great choice for Bible rebinding because they look, feel, and smell like genuine leather at a lesser cost. Textures and colors are virtually unlimited. Our bonded leather is among the very best in the industry. Many of our clients rebind their Bibles with these products for their new cover material.
Cons:
Yet, for some Bible rebinding projects, we recommend upgrading to a top grain cowhide or goatskin for the outside cover. This is especially true for flexible study Bibles because these leathers are more durable and desirable when a Bible is traveling or is subjected to repeated use.
Please also note that bonded leather covers can be damaged if exposed to excessive direct sunlight and/or excessive heat.
Leather and goatskin samples compared
Both Cowhide and Goatskin are material upgrades that can be calculated using our Price Estimator.
Click on the "Selections" tabs below to view and compare the samples.
Select Materials (Click purple tab to expand selection)
Top Grain Cowhide Selections
Top Grain Metallic Cowhide
Goatskin Selections
Bonded Leather Selections
Rebind Bibles in Exotic and Faux Skins
We have worked with numerous exotic skins for Bible rebinding and other custom projects, including python, crocodile, specialty goatskin, alligator, deer, ostrich, lizard, stingray, and zebra. We can source them, or if you have an exotic skin that you want to use, please let us know!
We have other skins that are "faux skins" that look like snake, python, crocodile, lizard, zebra and more. Click to enlarge.
Satin Page Marker Ribbons
We include up to three (3) page marking ribbons at no additional charge. The first ribbon is located closest to the spine. Any subsequent ribbons are placed away from the spine.
The number of ribbons may be dependent on the thickness of the book block. Plenty of colors.
Click on the "Selections" tabs below to view and compare the two different samples. Click on the photos to enlarge.
Satin Marker Ribbons 1/4" Selections (Click purple tab to expand that selection)
Satin Marker Ribbons 5/16" and 5/8" Selections
Bible Rebinding Options
Engrave names and images with hot foil stamping
One of the best parts of getting your Bible repaired is having great options to personalize your Bible the way you want it.
Foil stamping is a great way to personalize your book or Bible. We love to engrave names on Bibles!
Names, text or images can be foil stamped or blind debossed on covers and spines.
We have a large selection of popular "in house" images (eg. "Holy Bible") that we can foil stamp to most covers and spines.
We can create virtually any custom dies for your Bible cover or spine. See our Bible personalization page for a detailed outline of foil stamping and embossing options for Bibles.
We also replicate old exterior covers using foil stamping and modern-day technology. So if you want a nearly identical look for your replacement cover,
Endsheets
Our Bible rebinding service offers several options to upgrade standard white, black, and ivory end sheets. We recommend that you consider upgrading to a bonded leather end sheet. They are more durable and look great!
If your Bible's end sheets have art images, many of these can be replicated. For more information about end sheets, visit our End Sheets page.
Repair damaged pages
Are there torn or damaged interior pages? Do the page edges have "dog ears" or do the pages need a "face trim"? For more information, see our Page Repair page.
Rule Lines and spine bands
Rule lines are horizontal hot foil lines on the spine. Raised spine bands on a new spine add character and dimension. More information is available on our Personalize Bible page.
Raised bands on a new spine add character and dimension. Please know that the cover material selection can affect the look of the spine bands because of the thickness of the materials.
Cowhide plonge and goatskin are thicker materials than bonded leather. Accordingly, spine bands in natural grains have a different look and feel than the spine bands in bonded leather.
A beautiful combination is to combine a natural leather or goatskin and either foil stamp or deboss ruled line(s) above and/or below the spine band so the spine band "pops".
Our Bible Rebind Process
Our bookbinders will typically perform the following tasks and steps for Bible rebinding to restore Bible functionality with a new cover:
- Carefully removes the old cover from the book block.
- Meticulously cleans the binding edge of the block, and removes the old glue
- Repairs pages (if the customer has elected these services)
- Inserts any repaired or new pages into the book block.
- Hand sews and/or reinforces the block
- Attaches end sheets
- Trims pages (in the discretion of bookbinder or if requested)
- Sets block in job backer machine and ply edge by hand
- Installs ribbon bookmarkers (if requested)
- Attaches new headbands and applies "super" (a linen type of gauze material) to the binding edge.
- Builds by hand a new cover based on the dimensions of the block.
- "Cases in" the book block into cover.
- Positions the newly covered Bible into one or more book presses for pressing
Bible Rebind with love and a new cover: A Photo Gallery
ASK the Bookbinder:
What are the most common additions to consider when rebinding Bibles?
The answer to the question really depends on your usage and budget. However, if you are looking for a recommendation for a Bible rebind, we suggest:
- Upgrade to a Cowhide or Goatskin exterior cover: Nothing beats the feel and texture.
- Get an upgraded bonded leather or custom end sheet upgrade: Its a reasonably priced upgrade that we believe has better durability than the standard cover stock paper.
Testimonials
Bible
"I couldn't wait to show my Bible to my family today. It is so beautiful since you remade it. I cried when I got in the car and looked through it. It is exactly what I wanted. Thank you so much"
Diane
Amazing
"I only echo the other testimonials that I see here. My mother's Dickson Bible (her old one) was in my sister's garage after Mother passed away, and I asked her what she was going to do with it (it was in terrible condition...don't know how long it had been in the garage, moved around several times with my sister's family, and generally, neglected, and abused.)
I had heard of Bella Becho through a friend and I called and set up an appointment to send my mother's Bible to them to see if it could be restored (made into a useable condition.) I sent it in, and though, it wasn't cheap, I wanted it done. When I received it back, I as amazed at the transformation! I am using it now in my studies and reading.
Thank you Bella Becho for your outstanding work!!!"
Gary Ford
NOT just another Bible to the folks at Bella Becho
"Nicely done. My wife's father's Bible had seen a lot of miles but the fine folks at B-B were able to restore it to like new condition on the outside, while maintaining his comments and notes on the well-worn pages of the inside. Thanks to Debra, Gina, and everyone else for being such artisans."
Steve Keyes
Beautiful Work!
"My well worn Bible was completely falling apart when I sent it in. Anything they would have done would have been an improvement. I received my Bible back last week and I can't express to you how it looks....absolutely beautiful! The restoration work is amazing. Please don't hesitate to send this company anything you might need restored...you will be glad you did!"
Glenna Herring, Lawton, Oklahoma
Craftsmanship
"Could not be happier with the craftsmanship in the restoration of my well worn Bible. Thanks for such beautiful work!!"
Michael Meagher
Catholic Missal Bible
"This place is amazing!!! I had my aunt give me a Catholic Missal that my great-grandmother owned that was half in Latin and half in English. I'm the only person in my family that is Catholic. It was in very rough shape.
The lady who must own the company was so sweet and nice to me. She appreciated the history behind the book. They grafted my old cover on top of a new cover and integrated everything. It is amazing and I am so appreciate of everything they did and how helpful and how knowledgeable they are...They're an amazing story with amazing people who work for them. Thank you Bella Becho for saving my Catholic Missal from 1950!"
Tommy Huebner
Personalize your Bible
Hot foil stamp names, text or images. We have "in-house" images or create your own custom die stamps.
Our Bible Restoration service can save exterior covers and spines, even those with significant damage