Basic DIY Bookbinding Demonstration with Hot Glue Gun [VIDEO]
My first bookbinding video tutorial was successful beyond my wildest dreams (as I write this it has been viewed more than 784,000 time – that is crazy!) I decided it was time to revisit that tutorial, update it a little, and try using hot glue to bind everything together. This new video also features my simple home made binding jig made from scrap lumber. Full plans for the Bookbinding Jig (including a detailed parts list) are available on this site.
Tools Required:
– Bookbinding Jig
– Exacto Knife
– Bone Folder
– Heavy Duty Hot Glue Gun
– Straight Edge Metal Ruler
– Metal Wall Scraper or Putty Knife
– Pencil
– Card Stock for Cover
– Paper for Book Block
April 3, 2018 @ 6:14 pm
I would like to use this method to bind together a large amount of sympathy cards of varying sizes. Any tips or tricks you might suggest for a project like this?
Would you recommend hot glue or the pva glue?
Any tips you would share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance!
April 4, 2018 @ 1:23 pm
Aminah,
Since you will be working with cards, my guess is that you will have a variety of paper stocks in this one bound collection. Some will be glossy, others textured, etc. Using a simple glued binding, no matter which glue, will probably not hold up well to use. I would do 2 additional things before gluing the spine.
First, I would use a wood rasp or course sandpaper to roughen the paper on the spine and expose more fibers during the gluing process. This is a common technique in commercial glue binding and creates more surface area for the glue to adhere to.
Second, I sometimes enhance the strength and durability of a glued book spine by cutting a series of shallow grooves across the spine with a coping saw before gluing. This creates more surface area again for the glue to bond too. I usually place a piece of heavy cotton thread into the groove as well so each page is bonded to the threads as well as the adjoining pages.
If you are not in a hurry, I’d use PVA glue on this project. This will give you more working time – specially important if you place the thread into the grooves (you want a good bond between the paper and the thread.)
I hope that helps. Please send me a photo of the finished project. I’d love to see it!
~Andrew