So, wallpaper is impossible to find, and since that was going to be my cover material, I had to make alternate plans. I have used scrap booking paper, which is fine, I am already familiar with this material. It just won't be as sturdy as I had originally planned. Anyways : here's a material list: 2 12X12 scrap booking pages 2 9X9 pieces of cardboard 9X9 pieces of filler paper 2 8 1/2X8 1/2 pieces of colored paper paint brush wood glue ruler X-acto knife drill pencil scissors 13 gauge needle thread binder clips paper towels As with the other books, the longest process was the cutting of the paper and other materials. If I am going to continue doing this I am going to need to invest in a paper cutting board to help save time. Creating the covers Step 1: Using the X-acto knife, cut 2 centimeters off of the cardboard, this will be used for the hinge. A hinge with the hardcover book is highly important, it is what allows you to actually be able to open the book. (pro tip: use the edge of the metal ruler to help you cut a straight line) See image right above. Step 2: Using the wood glue and the paintbrush, glue the 2 centimeter piece and the remaining part of the cardboard to middle of the 12X12 piece of scrap booking paper. There should be a 1/4 of an inch gap between the two piece. This is the hinge and will be the space where the holes for the binding will go. See images below. Step 3: Cut off the corners of the scrap booking paper, so that you can fold the extra paper over while making neat corners (pro tip: don't cut right next to the cardboard leave about 1/8 inch of the scrap booking paper. This will help you create neater corners) and pre-fold the paper to create a crease, so that you know where to put the glue. See image left below. Step 4: Take one of the 8 1/2X8 1/2 pieces of colored paper and, using the wood glue and paintbrush, paste it to the inside of the cover, so that it is covering up the blank space in the middle. See image right below Step 5: repeat the process of the other cover Step 6: Set these covers aside to dry. I let mine rest for 24 hours, but I'm sure 3-4 hours will be fine. After the covers have dried, you can begin measuring, drilling, and binding the book in method of your choosing. For this book I decided to use the box stitch again, instead of the Hempleaf stitch. It looked neater, and was easier to keep the material tight so that the binding correct instead of loose. There was one issue that I had, wrinkling. It wasn't a problem that I was expecting to come across, but once I started opening the book there was a major wrinkle near the hinge. I'm not sure how to remedy this for future use, if it is a matter of material used (scrap booking paper instead of something sturdier, like wallpaper) or if it is a matter of not enough drying time However, I like the look of this book over all, and I think it might be a tradition I continue with for my classes.
The Things I have Learned: 1. How expensive is this? - This cost about 20.00 because of the need for the cardboard, scrap booking paper, and gas needed to drive around town to figure out that nowhere sells wallpaper. 2. Are there enough online blogs and tutorials to cover my lack of knowledge? - The tutorial I used this week was called Coloresque by Caroline. 3. Are there different kinds/styles of book binding?- Yes, yes there is. Read Blog #1 to learn about some, go to my Pinterest board to learn more. Blog #2 I use the Box Stitch, Blog #3 I use the Hempleaf stitch. And, this week I went back to using the box stitch. 4. Is there a potential to hurt myself? - Yes, there was an X-ator knife (which again my husband did not let me use), a drill (which I did get to use), and the sewing needle (I only stabbed myself once) Blog #2 I burned my hand with the ribbon and Blog #3 I poked my hand about three times with the needle. 5. How quickly does book binding happen? - Blog #2 (the Box stitch and first attempt) took me about and two and half hours to make. Blog #3 took me about one and a half hours, because measuring and cutting paper takes time. This week took me about an hour. 6. Is there a "master" local book binder I can learn from? - I think I am going to stick with my online masters. If I happen to come across someone who knows more about book binding and can talk to me about I will defiantly have a LONG conversation with them, but I'm not going to go seek anyone out. 7. What am I going to create, a journal, a binding of my students work, a collection of poems that inspire me? - I am defiantly creating journals, and the first two are going to be Thank you gifts for my TA's and the last one will be a collection of poems from my students (who do inspire me). 8. Is this more difficult the bigger the book gets? - The actual stitching does not get more difficult, but it does take more material. One thing I am noticing that becomes more difficult is keeping the stitching tight. HOWEVER, with the hardcover, the larger book was easier to manipulate and it was easier to pull the thread tighter than in the paperback books when there was a fear of tearing the material. 9. How can I make larger holes, can I continue to use the binding awl, or will I need to use another tool? I needed to use the power drill to make the holes for this book, I am sure I will need it to make hole for my last book. I did need it, I probably wont go back to using an awl, I'll use the power drill. 10. How will I get a hole through a hard cover? - I'm not doing the hard cover until Blog #5, and I am 99% sure I will be using the drill. I did. I was useful. 11. Can I, should I, use a smaller gauge needle? - I did not need to change the gauge of my needle because I made larger holes and used smaller treading material. 12. How do I make a fold seam on a hard cover book? I have began researching this, and it is going to take some math :( The math wasn't so bad. It actually made sense to me, which is a great thing. 13. What is the best material to use when making my own paper? Anything really, from recycled paper, to dryer lint, to feathers. The best item that was mentioned was the produce flats that go in between the layers of fruit shipped to a grocery story. I couldn't get a hold of these in time, so I used my nephews old drawings. Answers to New Questions: 14. Where can I find wallpaper? Seriously, I have looked everywhere, where is the world hiding it? NOWHERE!!! It doesn't exist anymore. Ok, that's not entirely true. You can order it online, but it would have taken too long to get here for the purposes of this blog. 15. Next week I use an X-acto knife, any safety tips? Just hand that job over to the husband who has years of practice welding this apparently dangerous tool. Welp, that's it folks. I will do one more blog to wrap up my entire learning, but as for right now I wont be making another book... my students will be doing this though, and will I share a blog about that whole process. So, two more blogs I guess So, this week was the week I was suppose to make my own paper, and in my defense, I tired, I really did. But, despite my numerous tutorial videos and blogs, I was unable to get the slurry to hold shape long enough to move it to a drying mat. Regardless of my failed attempt I will post about what I attempted and succeeded doing. The materials that you need for this project are extensive, so I will break it down into steps. Step 1 - make a Mould and Deckle This is the frame that you will use to help give your paper the rectangular shape. You will need:
I think this turned out pretty well, though there were a few times that I injured myself because I was working with metal wires and tools. Nothing worse than a papercut, but I would suggest using the gloves and covering all the edges with duct tape. Step 2: Make a slurry This is the water and paper mixture that helps break down the material so that you can remold your own paper. You will need:
Step 3: Dipping paper (Also called couching) That's pronounced coo-ching. Then transfer the slurry to a vat (tub) that is bigger than your mould and deckle, so that dipping and drying is an easier process. You will need:
Begin by dipping the mould and deckle in the slurry. Pull it out of the mixture and shake it so that it shifts to fill the mould. Let this drip dry. Remove the deckle. Get the sponge and absorb some of the water, and carefully transfer the paper to a wool felt piece. Think of this as a door motion, rest the edge of the mould on the felt and tip it down onto the felt, then carefully lift one of the edges, leaving the paper behind on the felt. This was the part that I could not get right. I tried for about an hour, and every time the paper would fall apart. After the paper is on the felt, use the sponges and rolling pin to push out more water. Place another piece of wool felt over the paper, and repeat the process until you have a small stack. Place a board over the stack and stand on the paper to drain out even more water. Transfer the from the wool felt to a flat clean surface to dry. Depending on the humidity and exposure to the elements, this can take anywhere from 2 to 3 days to dry. The paper, from what I hear, will be wavy and wild giving it a very "homemade" look. You can make this paper from scraps of paper (I used my nephews old drawings), lint from the dryer, feathers, and even leaves and other organic material. If you are going to use leaves, you will need to make sure to starch the material so that it breaks down fast enough. I used tutorials from paperslurry.com and pioneerthinking.com. After having attempted to do this myself, I have to admit that these people are champions. The image below is of the final product in the paperslurry.com tutorial. I am not giving up here with the paper, I will try again. But for the sake of this blog I need to move on. When I attempt this again, I will write an update blog.
The Things I have Learned: 1. How expensive is this? - This cost about 50.00 because of the need for the hardware cloth, screening material, weatherstrip tape, frames, and wool. 2. Are there enough online blogs and tutorials to cover my lack of knowledge? - There were two, and they were helpful, however there was some major user error going on this week. 3. Are there different kinds/styles of book binding?- Yes, yes there is. Read Blog #1 to learn about some, go to my Pinterest board to learn more. Blog #2 I use the Box Stitch, Blog #3 I use the Hempleaf stitch. But, this week was about creating paper, not doing a book binding. 4. Is there a potential to hurt myself? - Yes, This time around were countless pokes from the hardware cloth, and that was just from putting duct tape on it. This is how accident prone I am, when my husband found out I was using wire cutters and hardware cloth he said he would be doing that part. We compromised, and I got to use the staple gun. Blog #2 I burned my hand with the ribbon and Blog #3 I poked my hand about three times with the needle. 5. How quickly does book binding happen? - Blog #2 (the Box stitch and first attempt) took me about and two and half hours to make. Blog #3 took me about one and a half hours, because measuring and cutting paper takes time. This week took me about 8 hours, until I surrender. 6. Is there a "master" local book binder I can learn from? - I think I am going to stick with my online masters. If I happen to come across someone who knows more about book binding and can talk to me about I will defiantly have a LONG conversation with them, but I'm not going to go seek anyone out. 7. What am I going to create, a journal, a binding of my students work, a collection of poems that inspire me? - I am defiantly creating journals, and the first two are going to be Thank you gifts for my TA's and the last one will be a collection of poems from my students (who do inspire me). 8. Is this more difficult the bigger the book gets? - The actual stitching does not get more difficult, but it does take more material. One thing I am noticing that becomes more difficult is keeping the stitching tight. 9. How can I make larger holes, can I continue to use the binding awl, or will I need to use another tool? I needed to use the power drill to make the holes for this book, I am sure I will need it to make hole for my last book. 10. How will I get a hole through a hard cover? - I'm not doing the hard cover until Blog #5, and I am 99% sure I will be using the drill. 11. Can I, should I, use a smaller gauge needle? - I did not need to change the gauge of my needle because I made larger holes and used smaller treading material. Answers to New Questions: 12. How do I make a fold seam on a hard cover book? I have began researching this, and it is going to take some math :( 13. What is the best material to use when making my own paper? Anything really, from recycled paper, to dryer lint, to feathers. The best item that was mentioned was the produce flats that go in between the layers of fruit shipped to a grocery story. I couldn't get a hold of these in time, so I used my nephews old drawings. New Questions: 14. Where can I find wallpaper? Seriously, I have looked everywhere, where is the world hiding it? 15. Next week I use an exacto knife, any safety tips? |
About this blogThis is a 20% blog. This is when I spend 20% of my work time in the pursuit of learning. The original idea came from the Google corporation, but Kevin Brookhouser changed it for the classroom. He wrote a book, 20time, that inspired me to try this idea out. Archives
May 2016
My research - Pinterest
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