Well, after an inspirational journey through the many beautiful creations shown by TMLee, I decided to try my hand at making my own journal / notebook. I actually plan on using this one as a notebook at work.

First the basics . . . this is an 5.5" by 8.5" hardcover book. The paper is venerable HP 32# Premium Laser Jet, printed with a simple grid for notes (title block on top, 1/4" grid filling the rest of the page). The first page is pre-printed with my name and contact info, and the next front-facing page is a 15 month calendar going from 10/2007 through 12/2008. I made ten 8-page signatures (four folded sheets each) for a total of 80 pages.

The signatures were sown together using white minty dental floss. I used the Coptic stitching as shown on the "Moleskin Reloaded" webpage. This worked out very well, and only took me about an hour to stitch together. For added strength, I glued a strip of thin cloth down the back using a flexible paper glue I picked up at Michael's Craft Store. The bookblock also has heavier front- and back-leafs, sewn on. These are a nice dark plum color.

The cover is made from some stiff, dense, but not-too-thick paperboard from Micheal's. I covered this in two colors of paper from the scrapbooking section . . . a nice thin translucent red paper with kind of a fern pattern on it for the main part, and a black paper with horizontal 'wrinkles' in it about every 1 1/2" for the spine and corners. The whole thing is then coated with the flexible paper glue (as recommended by the associate at Michael's), which gives it a nice semi-gloss shine and should protect it.

I have not yet done the final assembly. The cover is clamped between two boards right now, so I don't have a picture. Here are a few quick snaps of the bookblock.









I actually had quite a bit of fun making this. It was much easier and came out better than I imagined for a first try, so I'll probably make a few more. The pages don't line up perfectly on the side (due to the thickness of the paper which causes each signature to be uneven), but aside from that it seems really nice. It's worth it for the HP 32# paper . . . in this book I know that I can write on both sides of each page.

Also, when I chose the colors for the cover and leafs for this, I just grabbed some 'acceptable' paper (all the sheets I picked were 4/$1). I look forward to checking around and buying something that I really like for the next one, which will probably be a personal journal.

I'll hopefully post some pics of the final journal tomorrow . . .

Alright, let me see what this thing cost me . . .

• HP 32# paper . . . about $0.035 per sheet x 40 sheets ---> $1.40
• Hard cover board . . . $5.75 for a board; I can make about 8 books from the board ---> $0.72
• Pretty cover and end leafs . . . normal price is $0.59 per, and I need four ---> $2.36
• Dental floss . . . $2 and I used about 1/4 the package ---> $0.50
• Ribbon bookmarker . . . $0.50, and I can probably get 20 from the spool ---> $0.03
• Glue . . . $6.50 and I used about 1/3 bottle ---> $2.17

Total cost of journal . . . $7.18
Total time . . . I had fun, so it doesn't matter

Compare this to $5.95 for a Black n' Red A5 Hardbound Notebook at Staples. I absolutely cannot write on both sides of a B n' R page, and I've already tested this paper and it works just fine with all pen and ink combos I own . . . so I actually get twice as many pages from a DIY journal. These are definitely cost effective!

Amazing that the most expensive parts are the pretty cover and endsheet material, and the glue! I can probably find cover material that's nice enough for cheaper by looking harder . . . actually this one was cheaper because I only paid $1 for the four sheets since they were on sale. I definitely overused the glue on this book . . . I made a few false starts that had to be thrown out, glued the spine which probably was not needed with the Coptic stitching, and realized after-the-fact that I should have diluted the glue with water before brushing it on the outside of the cover to give it the protective, glossy finish. Also, it's sold in a larger bottle that's only a bit more expensive, so that would help bring that cost down. Together those changes could probably bring the cost of one of these down to 1-to-1 competitive with a B n' R book!

Of course I also bought stuff like needles and a utility knife, and also over-bought the outside paper since I figured I would make mistakes. But I can chalk those up to learning expenses.

Plus, I just love making things . . . .

well done ...!

it shld look great - the final product ...

best of all - it takes ink ... ! yah ?

Rgds
TMLee

Thats really great. It's encouraging to me as I would like to start bookbinding in the near future. After I lift my moratorium on all expenditures maybe I will have something as nice as this to post as a first project.

Everyone who has posted these projects has done great work.

matthew

That looks great! I can't wait to see the finished book.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging replys.

Here are pics of the final product, with a B n' R A5 notebook for comparison. All-in-all, I think it turned out pretty well for a first try.

Some lessons I learned . . .

• I used expensive glue when I didn't need to. I saw other folks mention using PVA glue. I didn't know what it was, and when I asked at Michael's, they didn't know either. Turns out that plain old Elmer's White is PVA glue! So for much of the work I could have used something a lot cheaper than the $6.50 per 4 oz premium paper glue I used! This was really only needed as a coating/sealant/protectant, and probably to glue on the spine since it's flexible.
• I used a bit too much glue on the cover paper and didn't dry them clamped between boards, so there are ripples on one of the covers. Also, the covers curled just a little bit while drying. I think both of these would be fixed by using (less of) the PVA glue and clamping overnight to dry.
• The 'wrinkled' black paper I used on the spine and corners spread out when glued, which caused some 'jaggies' on the corner pieces. I'll have to either not use textured paper that can spread, or be more careful when gluing.
• The expensive glue I bought came in both Glossy and Matte . . . I didn't know, and happened to pick up glossy. So the book is very shiney, and I'd prefer it less so. I've now bought another bottle of the Matte, so I can do both or anything in between.
• I forgot to put on the ribbon while putting it together. I realized after I took these pics, and glued it in but that was harder than it should have been.
• I didn't need to add the glue and the fabric to the spine. In the end, this just stiffened the spine, and caused a bit of sticking between the last and first pages of two signatures. Without this it would be just as secure due to the nice coptic stitches, but would be easier to lay flat open.

I will definitely make more of these. This one is for work notes, and I've got some nicer, more interesting paper for covers on a few to use at home. I also plan on making a few specialty 'trays' to help while I'm working . . . namely, a V-shaped cradle to hold the signatures while I'm punching them (I used a Yellow Pages for this), and a framed tray to line up the paper edges while I'm folding them. I also may make a simple five-pointed punching die that will line up with my V cradle and let me punch five accurately and precisely placed holes quickly and easily, all at once.

I'm curious . . . does anyone think there would be a market here for journals like these, custom made to order and filled with nice HP 32# paper? I've been looking for a way to help self-fund my new hobby, and I think this may have a shot. When I make a few more (which I'm sure will turn out nicer now that I've had some experience and have learned some pitfalls to watch out for) I think I'm going to post pics of them in the Marketplace and see if anyone bites. Based on costs and time I'm thinking maybe in the $15 to $20 range, and I can probably bump the pages up from 80 to 96 or 100. Buyer can pick the colors and maybe textures of the cover paper (limited by what I can buy . . . I know some exclusive 'scrapbooking' stores that may have more papers, though I haven't visited one yet; I may try fabric, but right now don't know about doing leather) and front/back leafs, and can pick any kind of custom grid or other page design on the inner pages (as long as their printable on a laser printer). I could probably also do stuff like clasps or elastic bands a la Moleskine . . .

Thanks again everybody.

Well done Arpha...

I am sure your forthcoming endeavors will get better and better.

You might want to make wider your mull.

Once you get the glue right, things should improve.

rgds
TMLee

Here are a few pics of some more attempts . . .

This time the covers turned out better, probably helped by using thicker paper. I think I made the 'gutters' (the paper-only hinge type area between the cover and the spine) a bit too small on these, though.

Well, after making many, many journals for other folks, I finally got around to making another one for myself.

I took a lot of time to think through the design of it, and used all the experience I gained from making literally dozens and dozens for other folks. For my part, it turned out just as I wanted it. Unfortunately, on one of the last steps a 'subcontractor' kinda screwed it up. The one thing I can't do myself is trim the edges of the pages to get nice smooth, even edges . . . for this, I need to take them into a printing shop who cuts them with a huge electronic paper cutter. On this one, a 'new guy' did the job, and I trusted him. He put the book into the press on an angle, apparently, and cut the edges of the paper at a slant. This causes the edge of each page to be misaligned with the printed grid (very noticeable), and also causes the whole bookblock to be out of line with the edges of the covers (not as noticeable). Because of this, I've just been using this as a 'scrap' book, practicing my handwriting, trying out my inks, comparing my nibs, etc.

Like my other books, this one is made from HP 32lb Premium paper . . . 112 pages in this case. Each page is printed with a grid pattern.

Unlike the others, however, it has a few 'premium' features. First, the cover is coated with two layers of Mulberry tissue paper. Primarily, this deepens the color to a nice rich purple, and also adds a bit more texture. I imagine it also toughens it somewhat, due to the extra fiber and coating that is soaked into it. Also, it features a version of my Moon/Sun/Heart symbols on the cover. They're made from mulberry tissue in complementary colors . . . dark green with light green accents.

The book also features a rounded binding instead of straight. Before gluing, I basically offset the signatures to form a curved spine, then clamped and glued in place. I also rounded the spine on the cover before attaching. It's a subtle change, but looks quite nice I think.

Finally, the book uses real leather to bind the spine, and also leather corner protecters. This should help to make the book extra tough in the places where it gets the most wear. If you look closely you can see a bit of the acrylic glue I use to soak into and protect the covers on the leather spine. Since the book is not going to see much real use, I have not bothered to clean this off yet . . .

As I said, I'm very happy with the way this looks, but pretty bummed that the pages are screwed up. I'll probably make another one like it, though . . . and make sure I get it cut by the girl who normally trims my books.

I also plan on trying to make myself a journal with a full leather cover, with some texture added. I saw an example in Borders that had thick covers with rather large bevels and ridges formed into the covers, then covered tightly with leather. It looked very cool . . . perhaps I can copy the ideas.

I know the original post is several months old now, however, even though Elmer's is PVA glue it's adulterated. It's highly acidic and doesn't have a lot of the flexibility that's necessary for bookbinding which is why you should use a plain PVA glue that's pH neutral.

hollanders.com and talasonline.com have the right type of glue as well as other bookbinding materials.

That's a really nice looking book with the rounded spine?

Are you up to taking orders again? I have friends who have seen my journals and are now lusting after them.

Thanks again for kind comments.

Kakaze . . . yes, I realize that Elmers is not the glue to use, for the reasons you have stated. While I have not bought the PVA glue sold by Hollanders (which I am lucky enough to live within easy driving distance from), I have chosen another alternative from a local scrapbooking store that is both flexible and of the proper pH. I also use another 'safe' glue/coating to protect the outside of the covers.

Velma . . . thanks! While I have not reopened my website, I would certainly consider making more journals for existing customers. If you are really interested, drop me a PM and we can talk . . .

When I was a kid, I did a lot with paper and glue! I know a bit about glue today from woodworking. The Elmers' and wood glue always wrinkle he paper because they are water based. As I kid, I learned about rubber cement from a model-building book that explained how it does not mess up the paper.

IAC, your books are beautiful. This is the first thread I'm responding too after registering.

--John

Ar-Pharazôn,

As usual, great work!!

purpledog