How to Bind a Homemade Book Using Nails
There are many ways to bind together homemade books by hand; the best of these use sturdy weaving techniques and attach the pages via a strong, sewn connection. The chief challenge in sewing together so many pages is creating holes through which to thread needle and cord. Incorporate carpentry tools, especially nails, into your bookbinding process in order to make this joint sturdy and attractive.
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Things You'll Need
- Unbound, folded book page sections
- Scrap wood
- 3d or 4d sized nails
- Hammer
- Tooling leather
- Needle
- Sinew or dental floss
- Bookbinding glue
Instructions
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1
Unfold each stack of pages and mark the inside of the crease on the top page with six dots in pencil. Space them evenly; place the first dot 1/2 inch in from the edge and place the next five dots an inch apart from one another.
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2
Place each unfolded stack on the scrap wood with the inside of the crease up. Drive a nail through the stack with a hammer at the points marked by the pencil dots, creating holes all the way through the paper stack.
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3
Sew each stack together with the sewing needle and sinew or dental floss. Using a running stitch, weave through the holes from the inside out, then back in. After sewing up through all the holes, sew back down the lengths of holes to create a second set of stitches on the opposite sides from the first set. Secure with knots on the outside of the fold.
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4
Cut a 20 inch by 11 inch piece of tooling leather using the craft knife and self-healing mat.
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5
Stack the sewn book pages on top of each other. Wrap the leather around the pages to form a cover.
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6
Place the covered book on a table or countertop and weigh it down with a stack of heavy books. Leave in place overnight; this will shape the leather around the pages.
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7
Apply a coat of bookbinding glue to the inside of the folded leather cover. Use enough to cover the entire surface of the leather, but not quite enough to drip if you hold it upright. Press the folded, sewn edges of the bound pages in place; this will glue the first and last pages of the book to the leather, as well as the folded spines. Weight with books again until the glue dries.
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