Bookbinding at Home: Covering a Journal with Leather | Tutorial by Peg and Awl 

Thank you for this feedback! We wanted to encourage creativity in process and exploring your own style.

😂lol, been there😂

Haha

Leather should be everywhere. It's the Peta that should disappear.

Aha, I hope more old leather finds its way to you soon! Thank you for following along!

Thank you, James! I really appreciate your feedback, and I hope you enjoy your journal.

I'm so glad you liked them! It's a fun start. Thanks for watching :)

Thank you, Lora! This is very exciting - I hope you enjoy your new bookbinding adventures :)

Thank you for following along!

Thank you! We are working on more!

Thank you, Susan! :)

Love to read that - thank you!

Jennilyn Nevins my pleasure!

Haha - I'm so happy you found what you need! Thank you too :)

christinasbeautymark thank you! Enjoy your journals and thanks for following along!

Thank you! :)

Thank you!

Thank you Margo!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Muslin works well. I would also try any cotton. Cheese cloth would probably work as well. Best of luck!

Yeah - they have to be sharp. These are vintage metal scissors I found unused in the trash years ago and they consistently work! Sharp is the key - I am sorry I don't have a recommendation.

So much is just what I've tried. Is contact cement the same as rubber cement? If so, that gives me headaches. But once the odorless flexible glue dries, it hardens and I've found it to be incredibly durable. But I am a trial and error human - so try what you have around and see what happens!

Hi Angela! My book presses, and the ones we use in our shop, are vintage finds from various flea markets. As such, I can't point you towards one as a recommendation. However, you can probably find a good one on Etsy or Ebay - all you need is something that will provide even and consistent pressure.

Hello! I use bookbinding glue - Neutral pH Adhesive from Lineco, but Elmer's glue works as well. You just want a flexible adhesive.

@@PegandAwlBuilt thanks!

Haha, no thank you! We have had brushes, but I've always preferred to use my finger.

Rachel Kohler did you use a flexible glue!? That is the key!

@@margauxkent4038 I used tacky glue from Walmart 😂 did you use Elmer's in your tutorial?

@@gypsyoftheworld1 I didn't - but elmers works for sure! I use glue from Lineco

If you got too much glue on the back or it was applied weeks ago, you can soften it with a little hot air from a heat gun, hair dryer, or even a warm griddle. But be careful or you'll have a hot mess on your hands. Also, you can get a uniformly even glue-up if you clamp or weight the block and work the glue in with a brush. Fingers are still good for smoothing and removing excess. If the back was too compressed during glue-up, the spine will have less swelling and the book will be harder to round. Even the table or counter you're working on can inhibit rounding if it's too springy! Finally, the hand positioning the book should almost be lifting the spine off the table with a rolling influence from the fingers firmly on the side and the thumb on the face of the book -- really lean into it and aim the hammer well, of course! Some people faint if they see a knife or scissors applied to a book . . . don't show them what you did with a hammer!

The problem can be averted by NOT gluing over the support tapes and stitching before rounding. Keeping glue off the tapes allows some flexibility between the sections when hammered. Always glue only BETWEEN the tapes first and THEN round the back. Once rounded you can glue over the tapes to secure the stitching and perhaps add a full length of light weight lining paper to the spine if more support is needed.

Haha! To each their own.