My Attempts At Making My Own Journals

[Noihvo]

[…]

 

The only problem was the way I cut the paper down to A5. The paper nanamipaper sells is novi-a4, which means that you can trim the edges. I thought I could do this with a steel ruler and xacto knife, but I was wrong. I don't know what equipment I would need to do this process properly. Any suggestions/thoughts?

 

[sodiumnitrate]

Notebook #8:

 

Another attempt at a B5-ish notebook with Rhodia paper. I bought staple-bound A4-sized Rhodia notebooks, removed the staples and used the paper therein. After stitching the signatures I cut it down to B5. I used a kiridashi knife, as per theLorekeeper's suggestion. Because one side of the edge is completely flat, it allowed for a better cut, but it's still not perfect.

 

 

I also used leather to do the cover. This was something I wanted to try for some time, but I was reluctant on spending the money. Unfortunately, Hollander's sent me a very thick leather by accident, so I had to figure some things out. I either would learn how to skive the leather and make it thin enough to cover a book board, or I would do a softcover notebook. Inspiration for the latter came from the gorgeous (but expensive) notebooks in pegandawlbuilt.com.

 

 

For the flyleaves I used some beautiful blue paper I bought from Hollander's again.

 

 

I kept the cover slightly wider than the notebook itself to be able to use headbands.

 

[PaganArcher]

Notebook #8:

 

Another attempt at a B5-ish notebook with Rhodia paper. I bought staple-bound A4-sized Rhodia notebooks, removed the staples and used the paper therein. After stitching the signatures I cut it down to B5. I used a kiridashi knife, as per theLorekeeper's suggestion. Because one side of the edge is completely flat, it allowed for a better cut, but it's still not perfect.

 

IMG_7150.JPG

 

I also used leather to do the cover. This was something I wanted to try for some time, but I was reluctant on spending the money. Unfortunately, Hollander's sent me a very thick leather by accident, so I had to figure some things out. I either would learn how to skive the leather and make it thin enough to cover a book board, or I would do a softcover notebook. Inspiration for the latter came from the gorgeous (but expensive) notebooks in pegandawlbuilt.com.

 

IMG_7151.JPG

 

For the flyleaves I used some beautiful blue paper I bought from Hollander's again.

 

IMG_7152.JPG

 

I kept the cover slightly wider than the notebook itself to be able to use headbands.

 

IMG_7153.JPG

It looks fantastic to my eye.

[sodiumnitrate]

It looks fantastic to my eye.

 

 

Thanks! The only problem is that I now ruined the blade completely. It won't even cut a few sheets without multiple passes. It was a $10 knife anyway...

[alanshutko]

 

 

Thanks! The only problem is that I now ruined the blade completely. It won't even cut a few sheets without multiple passes. It was a $10 knife anyway...

 

 

Congratulations, you now have a new hobby, knife sharpening!

[PaganArcher]

 

 

Thanks! The only problem is that I now ruined the blade completely. It won't even cut a few sheets without multiple passes. It was a $10 knife anyway...

 

I highly doubt that it is ruined. Just merely dull. Paper is highly abrasive against a knife edge, and most ink resistant papers are, as far as I'm aware, sized with some sort of clay based coating. Not exactly friendly to a thin edge.

 

If you would like, drop me a PM and I can offer insight on keeping the edge sharp and properly maintained. It's only a minor obsession of mine.

[TMLee]

Notebook #8:

 

Another attempt at a B5-ish notebook with Rhodia paper. I bought staple-bound A4-sized Rhodia notebooks, removed the staples and used the paper therein. After stitching the signatures I cut it down to B5. I used a kiridashi knife, as per theLorekeeper's suggestion. Because one side of the edge is completely flat, it allowed for a better cut, but it's still not perfect.

 

IMG_7150.JPG

 

I also used leather to do the cover. This was something I wanted to try for some time, but I was reluctant on spending the money. Unfortunately, Hollander's sent me a very thick leather by accident, so I had to figure some things out. I either would learn how to skive the leather and make it thin enough to cover a book board, or I would do a softcover notebook. Inspiration for the latter came from the gorgeous (but expensive) notebooks in pegandawlbuilt.com.

 

IMG_7151.JPG

 

For the flyleaves I used some beautiful blue paper I bought from Hollander's again.

 

IMG_7152.JPG

 

I kept the cover slightly wider than the notebook itself to be able to use headbands.

 

IMG_7153.JPG

 

 

 

congratulations on your latest effort

 

i like the look of the leather , it’s nice

the headbands too

 

your using the kiridashi knife ...

i am sure you have considered it , but is there a reason why you’re not using a box-cutter?

those with snap-off blades ...

they are very sharp and shld give you the results you want

 

keep at it, you are making good progress

Edited January 11, 2018 by TMLee

[sodiumnitrate]

 

 

Congratulations, you now have a new hobby, knife sharpening!

 

 

Hahaha, how did I get sucked into this black hole?

[sodiumnitrate]

congratulations on your latest effort

 

i like the look of the leather , it’s nice

the headbands too

 

your using the kiridashi knife ...

i am sure you have considered it , but is there a reason why you’re not using a box-cutter?

those with snap-off blades ...

they are very sharp and shld give you the results you want

 

keep at it, you are making good progress

 

Thanks for the kind words! I figured it would be too thick with the book boards...

 

I was using box cutters, but because the blades are quite flexible, it didn't cut straight. I was getting uneven sided notebooks. Kiridashi knives have rigid blades, and one side is completely flat, so I can align the blade quite well. But maybe I didn't find a good box cutter yet

[TMLee]

 

Thanks for the kind words! I figured it would be too thick with the book boards...

 

I was using box cutters, but because the blades are quite flexible, it didn't cut straight. I was getting uneven sided notebooks. Kiridashi knives have rigid blades, and one side is completely flat, so I can align the blade quite well. But maybe I didn't find a good box cutter yet

 

 

 

So you are trimming the whole bookblock after stitching ?

If you are, its unwieldy and hard to achieve really straight neat cuts.

Best to achieve that with industrial (hydraulic) guillotine.

 

You may wish to cut each signature to size (before folding them into signatures)

A box-cutter is well suited to such tasks.

 

So , being hand-cut, some will be long and some short.

but

Its okay to have variance in Signature heights, given the kind of bookbinding we(you) do .

(from my experience, there will be variance of under +/- 0.5 millimitre.)

 

What is key, is aligning the head of the bookblock , leaving the tail jagged.

That's what I learnt from a bookbinding forum.

 

If you don't want any varied signature heights, then all paper sheets must be exact same size.

so use already (factory) cut to size paper to form your signatures.

 

You may wish to ask GatzBcn here , since her work is similar in kind.

 

Keep at it.

You're progressing fine.

Edited January 12, 2018 by TMLee

[sodiumnitrate]

 

 

 

So you are trimming the whole bookblock after stitching ?

If you are, its unwieldy and hard to achieve really straight neat cuts.

Best to achieve that with industrial (hydraulic) guillotine.

 

You may wish to cut each signature to size (before folding them into signatures)

A box-cutter is well suited to such tasks.

 

So , being hand-cut, some will be long and some short.

but

Its okay to have variance in Signature heights, given the kind of bookbinding we(you) do .

(from my experience, there will be variance of under +/- 0.5 millimitre.)

 

What is key, is aligning the head of the bookblock , leaving the tail jagged.

That's what I learnt from a bookbinding forum.

 

If you don't want any varied signature heights, then all paper sheets must be exact same size.

so use already (factory) cut to size paper to form your signatures.

 

You may wish to ask GatzBcn here , since her work is similar in kind.

 

Keep at it.

You're progressing fine.

 

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement again! I have access to a few of these: https://www.amazon.com/Swingline-Trimmer-Guillotine-Capacity-98150/dp/B00658PBIM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1515800413&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=guillotine&psc=1

 

But I suspect they won't cut a thick text block. Not to mention that the ones I have access to are overused and so their blades are probably blunt.

 

I guess I'll just cut the pages individually next time... The only reason I had to do this was that I wanted a B5-sized notebook, but was using paper from an A4-sized Rhodia notebook. I also have to do this with Tomoe River paper because the ream I bought from nanamipaper.com is the novi a4 size, 310x219 mm.

[TMLee]

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement again! I have access to a few of these: https://www.amazon.com/Swingline-Trimmer-Guillotine-Capacity-98150/dp/B00658PBIM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1515800413&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=guillotine&psc=1

 

But I suspect they won't cut a thick text block. Not to mention that the ones I have access to are overused and so their blades are probably blunt.

 

I guess I'll just cut the pages individually next time... The only reason I had to do this was that I wanted a B5-sized notebook, but was using paper from an A4-sized Rhodia notebook. I also have to do this with Tomoe River paper because the ream I bought from nanamipaper.com is the novi a4 size, 310x219 mm.

 

Oh, I am quite sure those tabletop guillotines are not designed for cutting your bookblock.

your bookblock is thick and definitely requires a hydraulic industrial type.

 

I am soon about to embark on crafting a B6 size journal for various reasons. (troublesome )

This size is a departure from the commonly available A4 paper sizes.

So this means I have a cutting problem at hand.

I need to cut my paper to size before folding them into Signatures.

A similar challenge you faced.

I've done before on simpler cuts (only along one edge)

 

This is what I do

 

I make a kind of a guide ...

using scrap pieces of bookboards

 

 

If you have something similar , just go ahead and try it out.

 

 

 

 

Its thickness is same as the thickness of the cutting mat so that the paper can lay flat without distortion.

here you see it abutting against the edge of the top cutting mat.

 

 

Then you place only one Signature into position for cutting.

These are A4 sheets for illustration

 

 

Then you use an actual cut size of paper that is needed. Preferable card thickness so it keeps its shape/size.

and use it as a guide to do all your cutting

For your case, you have 12 signatures?

so this has to be repeated 12 times (and also 12 times probability of things going wrong)

For illustration, I am using an advert card flyer to represent the size I want to get.

The rationale of using this method of employing a template, is to eliminate the inaccuracies arising from measuring/marking 12 times.

Each time you mark, there will be variances. Having a template minimizes this problem.

 

 

Then you execute the cut

lay your steel rule aligned with the edge of the template / card

(this is why you use a card for a template, a sheet of paper may distort when you lay the steel rule etc in preparation for the cut.)

and cut with a few passes, using a sharp (fresh blade) boxcutter.

 

You shld get acceptably accurately cut sizes.

Definitely no way as accurate as factory cut paper sizes.

But acceptable for a handcrafted project.

 

If you are lucky, your paper merchant may also offer a cutting service for a small charge.

But more often than not, we have to come up with workarounds ourselves.

 

As in all things handcrafted, paying attention to each stage and whatever constraint does pay off in the final end.

For example, you made a decision when the leather arrived was too thick, you mentioned.

So you took a decision that responded to that constraint.

Thinner covers, semi-soft covers

 

Hope this helps.

Edited January 13, 2018 by TMLee

[Noihvo]

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-quot-Heavy-Duty-Manual-Guillotine-Paper-Cutter-Trimmer-26396/311986979901?epid=1680969061&hash=item48a3df843d:g:HgQAAOSw3WxZ7rBX

[TMLee]

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-quot-Heavy-Duty-Manual-Guillotine-Paper-Cutter-Trimmer-26396/311986979901?epid=1680969061&hash=item48a3df843d:g:HgQAAOSw3WxZ7rBX

 

Ah , the heavy-duty one !

If it works , why not !

 

(your earlier link showed the low force light duty type )

[sodiumnitrate]

This time I decided to completely skip the cutting part. I'm using the novi A4-sized TR paper and not bothering to cut it down to A4. The result is my best notebook yet -- a 600 page TR journal covered with leather. Now I gotta find some more cheap leather. Should I just go and ask my local upholsterer for scrap leather, like they do at pegandawl.com?

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know how, but I have two signatures that are shifted by over a 1mm. The stitching part was okay otherwise. I'm getting used to handling TR paper.

 

[sodiumnitrate]

 

Oh, I am quite sure those tabletop guillotines are not designed for cutting your bookblock.

your bookblock is thick and definitely requires a hydraulic industrial type.

 

I am soon about to embark on crafting a B6 size journal for various reasons. (troublesome )

This size is a departure from the commonly available A4 paper sizes.

So this means I have a cutting problem at hand.

I need to cut my paper to size before folding them into Signatures.

A similar challenge you faced.

I've done before on simpler cuts (only along one edge)

 

This is what I do

 

I make a kind of a guide ...

using scrap pieces of bookboards

 

 

If you have something similar , just go ahead and try it out.

 

 

 

 

Its thickness is same as the thickness of the cutting mat so that the paper can lay flat without distortion.

here you see it abutting against the edge of the top cutting mat.

 

 

Then you place only one Signature into position for cutting.

These are A4 sheets for illustration

 

 

Then you use an actual cut size of paper that is needed. Preferable card thickness so it keeps its shape/size.

and use it as a guide to do all your cutting

For your case, you have 12 signatures?

so this has to be repeated 12 times (and also 12 times probability of things going wrong)

For illustration, I am using an advert card flyer to represent the size I want to get.

The rationale of using this method of employing a template, is to eliminate the inaccuracies arising from measuring/marking 12 times.

Each time you mark, there will be variances. Having a template minimizes this problem.

 

 

Then you execute the cut

lay your steel rule aligned with the edge of the template / card

(this is why you use a card for a template, a sheet of paper may distort when you lay the steel rule etc in preparation for the cut.)

and cut with a few passes, using a sharp (fresh blade) boxcutter.

 

You shld get acceptably accurately cut sizes.

Definitely no way as accurate as factory cut paper sizes.

But acceptable for a handcrafted project.

 

If you are lucky, your paper merchant may also offer a cutting service for a small charge.

But more often than not, we have to come up with workarounds ourselves.

 

As in all things handcrafted, paying attention to each stage and whatever constraint does pay off in the final end.

For example, you made a decision when the leather arrived was too thick, you mentioned.

So you took a decision that responded to that constraint.

Thinner covers, semi-soft covers

 

Hope this helps.

 

As usual, a simple yet clever setup This time I decided not to cut anything, as I didn't dare ruin 150 sheets of TR paper. Thanks for all the advice!

[TMLee]

This time I decided to completely skip the cutting part. I'm using the novi A4-sized TR paper and not bothering to cut it down to A4. The result is my best notebook yet -- a 600 page TR journal covered with leather. Now I gotta find some more cheap leather. Should I just go and ask my local upholsterer for scrap leather, like they do at pegandawl.com?

 

IMG_7235.JPG

 

IMG_7236.JPG

 

IMG_7237.JPG

 

 

I don't know how, but I have two signatures that are shifted by over a 1mm. The stitching part was okay otherwise. I'm getting used to handling TR paper.

 

IMG_7238.JPG

 

 

Looks good.

 

Yes, unless really required, not cutting paper is the best option actually.

 

The shifting of Signatures - I am guessing ...

maybe the signatures were flipped?

(face-up to face-down or vice versa causing the pierced stations to not line up)