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Message:: [QUOTE="Shangas, post: 9536195, member: 360"]I've seen horrible "restorations" of old writing boxes where people screw hinges into the writing leaves and then screw them into the box. No, no, no, no, no. The writing surface is meant to be ONE LONG SMOOTH CONTINUOUS SURFACE. You lay the leaves down on top of the open space. You put glue (usually wallpaper-glue or similar, was used) across the central section of the box (where it pivots open and shut) and then across the leaves. Then on top of that, you put a cotton backing, and on top of that, the leather skiver. Making sure, of course, to remove any wrinkles or bubbles - ANY imperfections will stick out like a sore-thumb. Once that's glued down and solid - it's done. The leather skiver and its reinforcement fabric are not just the nice smooth surface to write on - it's also the structural element that physically holds the writing-leaves onto the box. That, and nothing else, is providing the strength. Of course, there are other box-designs, where this is not the case, but that doesn't apply in this instance.[/QUOTE]