Pro tip: I saw a bookbinder in Charleston use a 100-year-old cast iron nipping press and now I want one

Henry Flores · 2026-10-07T22:45:03.894572+00:00

Last month I stopped by a small bindery in Charleston while on vacation and the owner let me watch him work. He was using a cast iron nipping press that he said came from a shop in 1921, and the thing still clamped down perfectly flat. What got me was he didn't use any fancy quick-release lever, just a big iron wheel he spun by hand. He told me he tried a modern screw press once and went back to the old one because the threads cut smoother. I have been using a cheap wooden press I got 3 years ago and now I see why my spine boards never sit right. Anyone here use a hand wheel press, and do you think it is worth hunting one down over a lever style?

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Pro tip: I saw a bookbinder in Charleston use a 100-year-old cast iron nipping press and now I want one | Bookbinders - The Community Guide