I am Macrina Walker, a South African bookbinder who has been binding books since 2002. I am currently focused on producing handbound editions of early Christian texts. On this RU-vid channel I seek to provide basic bookbinding instruction that is particularly geared to those with limited equipment.
Hi! I have a few questions for you about this method. Did you find that the sharp pointed blade or the rounded blade worked better? How often do you need to sharpen the blade? Is it best to start off with a little sharpening at the beginning of each book, or did you feel the need to do it throughout this book? I love the technique and idea. I love your channel and your ideas are so ingenuitive. Thank you so much for posting your videos. You have such a calm and beautiful aesthetic to your videos that make learning this craft approachable for beginners like me.
Thanks very much for your kind words. I wasn't sure initially, but I think that the round blade probably works better. I'm no expert on sharpening, but I tend to sharpen at the beginning and that is usually enough, although generally strop it on the leather a couple of times in between.
My IPad is full and I mean FULL of copied pictures and notes from tutorials. It takes me so long to find articles I need, but now I can print them all out and bind and name and file them.. Thank you for saving my sanity….Lynne.
Hello, I am Sharif from Egypt. I have been trying to learn bookbinding for a while, and due to the difficulty of having good tools, I wasn't able to experiment on my own, until I found your videos, and I learned that there are easy alternatives. Thank you for sharing your experience, God bless you.
If you use T shirt transfer paper, the trick is to remove the paper leaving the image behind. without leaving torn paper. The way is to gradually remove the paper whilst applying it with the hot roller, so roll the paper back whilst still hot, If some of the image comes off with the paper, then put it back again and re-apply the heat and continue to do so, until you have a complete image. On some papers, you may need to apply a thin layer of shellac before applying it. Or alternatively, a ver. weak PVA wash. The way to break up the solid image is to hit the edge of the book on the edge of the bench until all the pages are separated
Fantastic video, I haven't seen anything like it before and I've been meaning to get into edge decoration! Glad to see you're back to uploading videos!
Im looking for an inexpensive PVA glue, and the internet says PVA glue is basically Elmer's School glue or wood glue. And they also seem to suggest that mod podge is also PVA glue. Should I buy a specific kind of PVA glue meant for book binding? Or would this project work with mod podge or school glue?
Impressive! Thank you for this very instructive video. Attractive result too. I look forward to making my own mini book of St John's Gospel from your package 'kit'.
Hey there I'm a leathercrafter. If you get the blade of a japanese skiving knife, you can affix to your jig and it should be sharp enough to cut through the bulk of that paper. Just found your channel and it's a great idea to have that I might implement in my own workflow.
Thank you! I had originally thought of getting a paring knife just for trimming but hadn't thought of attaching it, which would probably give the best of both worlds.
this is exactly what I needed! I have an opera score that is currently living in a binder, which is clunky and difficult to maneuver in rehearsal, and the first loose page binding tutorial I tried was effective, but a bit more time consuming, not as polished as I'd like it to be, and more difficult than this method seems. I will be giving this a go tonight!
Thanks so much for this. I have a question, perhaps odd, perhaps not. If I wanted to bind a book of original artwork that I made over time, on the same sized paper,, as a special gift, say 40-50 pages, would you advise using this method, or have you posted a different method that I missed? I've looked at several videos on RU-vid, and so far this seems the closest to what I imagine I would need to do. Thanks in advance! I really enjoyed watching this process!
Since discovering your channel just a few days ago I have watched every one of your videos. I love your matter-of-fact presentation and am learning so many practical things I can actually use. I’m looking forward to future videos. I’m keen to learn a good method for restoring/repairing dust jackets and ultimately want to know all about leather bindings. Thank you for your patient approach to this work; you’re really inspiring!
So happy to happen on this helpful how-to. I have several paperbacks worth preserving in this way. Your choice of book, one of fifteen million copies sold, is laudable; you do Alan Paton a great honour.
