How to Bind a Watchtower
The "Watchtower" is an illustrated magazine published by the Jehovah's Witnesses espousing their religious views and distributed in 194 languages worldwide. There are two versions of the Watchtower -- the public edition used in their door-to-door ministry -- and, the study edition -- used at congregation gatherings. Some Jehovah's Witnesses may want to preserve their collection of "Watchtower" magazines by binding them with a leather cover into a booklet or a full-sized book to preserve them for posterity.
Things You'll Need
- Leather hide for book binding
- Pencils and pens
- Ruler
- Utility knife
- PVA or white glue
- Bone folder or straightedge letter opener
- Bulldog clips
- Paintbrush
- Heavy weights
Instructions
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1
Make a pattern for your "Watchtower" collection. Lay the stack of magazines on a thick but flexible piece of leather hide, and fold the leather over to completely cover the closed magazine stack. The leather should be one solid piece, large enough to fully wrap around the magazines, include both front and back covers and the spine. Make sure the top and bottom edges protrude to four times the thickness of the book binding board you use for the spine.
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2
Mark the outline of your book-to-be, measuring the size of the magazines. Use a pen on the inside of the leather, and mark the dimensions of the front and back covers and the spine. Measure with a ruler, and allow excess leather along the edges, four times the thickness of the spine board on all sides.
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3
Cut out the shape of the cover from the leather with a utility knife.
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4
Cut the shape of the backbone for the book's spine out of bookbinding board. This piece will provide support for the spine of your finished book.
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Smooth the glue with a paintbrush onto one side of the backbone. Place the glued side against the inside of the leather at the center spine between where the front and back covers are marked. Cover the backbone with a sheet of paper, and press firmly into place with a bone folder or other straightedge, such as a letter opener. Allow the glue to set.
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Cut two pieces of bookbinding board the size of the front and back covers. Apply glue to one entire side of the board, and place each piece onto the front and back of the center of the leather allowing 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch clearance between the side edge and the spine on either side. Cover each side with a sheet of paper, and rub each side of the cover with the bone folder to work the glue into the leather.
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7
Stack the magazines, making sure to align their edges, and clamp with bulldog clips to keep them aligned.
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8
Lay the stack of magazines on the inside back cover with the spine to your left. Adjust the magazines in the cover to make sure they are centered and evenly aligned. Then, apply glue to the outside of the spines of the magazines and a thin layer of glue to the side of the backbone facing the magazines. Push the stack of magazines in toward the backbone so they fit snugly against it. Close the front cover over the magazines, and weight the entire book down with heavy weights, allowing it to sit overnight so the glue dries.
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Cut the protruding corners of the leather cover at 45-degree angles. Fold them over the book board around the book's edges to finish the front and back covers and glue them in place. Weight the book down a second time to allow the glue to set.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you glue the cover to the book binding board, fold it over the stack of magazines to ensure a proper fit and the correct placement of the boards.
Because it's easy to place your cover incorrectly on the magazine stack, double-check all your measurements as you work and before you apply glue.
References
- Photo Credit Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
