Hardcover Leatherbound Book Made From Scratch.
by Nesmaniac in Craft > Books & Journals
2491 Views, 87 Favorites, 0 Comments
Hardcover Leatherbound Book Made From Scratch.
![DSC06558.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FXZ/XKR8/J58FSW1Y/FXZXKR8J58FSW1Y.jpg&filename=DSC06558.JPG)
![DSC06560.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F2G/5IIV/J58FSWCG/F2G5IIVJ58FSWCG.jpg&filename=DSC06560.JPG)
![DSC06563.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FUN/ZMII/J58FSWRD/FUNZMIIJ58FSWRD.jpg&filename=DSC06563.JPG)
![DSC06564.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F0B/I1UM/J58FSWWQ/F0BI1UMJ58FSWWQ.jpg&filename=DSC06564.JPG)
I wanted to make a book that would not only last but have an antique look and feel about it. It had to be hardcover, have marbled page edges, & have a strong binding with heavy pages that would be sure to not only last but not have any ink bleed thru whenever I begin writing inside it. Below is a list of materials I used to construct my book.
Elmer's glue all (dries clear)
Hot Glue
Acrylic paints (various colors)
Shaving cream
Gold gel pen
Genuine Leather (I used a leather skirt)
Thick paper (for signatures aka groups of pages)
Heavy cardstock (for marbled endpaper to cover)
Faux Cord (to bind the signatures with glue also binding)
Cardboard (for spine & front & rear covers)
Leather (Genuine from old skirt not too thick not too thin)
Making the Signatures & Drilling Holes for Faux Cord.
![DSC06472.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FI6/2V6X/J58FSNHO/FI62V6XJ58FSNHO.jpg&filename=DSC06472.JPG)
![DSC06473.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FSB/UCF0/J58FSNOF/FSBUCF0J58FSNOF.jpg&filename=DSC06473.JPG)
![DSC06474.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FWR/AYAV/J58FSNR4/FWRAYAVJ58FSNR4.jpg&filename=DSC06474.JPG)
![DSC06475.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FOB/BO7B/J58FSO2T/FOBBO7BJ58FSO2T.jpg&filename=DSC06475.JPG)
![DSC06476.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FRT/T1P7/J58FSO5Y/FRTT1P7J58FSO5Y.jpg&filename=DSC06476.JPG)
![DSC06477.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FHA/O1DM/J58FSOBH/FHAO1DMJ58FSOBH.jpg&filename=DSC06477.JPG)
![DSC06478.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FIA/W3ZA/J58FSOJ6/FIAW3ZAJ58FSOJ6.jpg&filename=DSC06478.JPG)
![DSC06479.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FE6/5VVP/J58FSOSD/FE65VVPJ58FSOSD.jpg&filename=DSC06479.JPG)
![DSC06480.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FTB/PH46/J58FSOZ1/FTBPH46J58FSOZ1.jpg&filename=DSC06480.JPG)
![DSC06481.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FB1/3BIM/J58FSP7U/FB13BIMJ58FSP7U.jpg&filename=DSC06481.JPG)
![DSC06482.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FJI/J0XM/J58FSPG5/FJIJ0XMJ58FSPG5.jpg&filename=DSC06482.JPG)
Since I used heavy paper my signatures consist of 2 pages folded in half for each one which totals 4 pages in the book. Trying to use anymore than that with thick paper would result in the foredge being too uneven (which I would later sand smooth) & I ended up using 16 signatures for a total of 64 pages. With thick paper this equates to a fairly thick book. Main goal here was durability so a similar book using printer paper would give you probably 4 times the pages in the same thickness. For this book 64 pages is going to be plenty enough for what I will be writing in the book.
After folding & putting my signatures together I used a couple of C-clamps & pieces of wood to clamp the signatures firmly together making sure they were nice and square. I then proceeded to drilling holes just large enough for my faux cord to travel through spacing them half and inch apart. I used a piece of craft wire to fasten to the end of the faux cord so I could easily start it through each of the holes I drilled. I tied a knot at the beginning & spiraled the cord through each hole tying at each which is hard to explain but should be visible in pictures. I tied the cord at the end just as I did with beginning.
Gluing the Signatures & Faux Cord & Sanding the Foredge Smooth.
![DSC06483.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FGG/LKDK/J58FSPS5/FGGLKDKJ58FSPS5.jpg&filename=DSC06483.JPG)
![DSC06484.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F56/0R46/J58FSPZ8/F560R46J58FSPZ8.jpg&filename=DSC06484.JPG)
![DSC06485.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F7J/OIB6/J58FSQ7Z/F7JOIB6J58FSQ7Z.jpg&filename=DSC06485.JPG)
![DSC06486.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F6Q/JIHJ/J58FSQG3/F6QJIHJJ58FSQG3.jpg&filename=DSC06486.JPG)
![DSC06487.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FTH/6FHO/J58FSQN0/FTH6FHOJ58FSQN0.jpg&filename=DSC06487.JPG)
With the faux cord tied securely, next I used elmer's glue and covered the edge of the signatures & faux cord with an ample amount. After it dried I painted it all with some acrylic paint. I let all that dry for a good 24 hours before removing my clamps & wood & moving it on the foredge being sure to make the wood close to flush with the end pages. I then used some P80 sandpaper to sand the foredge down nice and smooth. I did the same with the head and tail as well. The marbling would only look good with smooth flush pages so this was crucial.
Marbling the Foredge, Head, and Tail Using Acrylic Paints.
![DSC06488.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FWN/6XSD/J58FSQUU/FWN6XSDJ58FSQUU.jpg&filename=DSC06488.JPG)
![DSC06489.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FJO/8UWI/J58FSQZO/FJO8UWIJ58FSQZO.jpg&filename=DSC06489.JPG)
![DSC06490.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCF/2LAI/J58FSR7T/FCF2LAIJ58FSR7T.jpg&filename=DSC06490.JPG)
![DSC06491.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FJ1/U1I1/J58FSRKC/FJ1U1I1J58FSRKC.jpg&filename=DSC06491.JPG)
![DSC06492.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCB/TVEJ/J58FSS6N/FCBTVEJJ58FSS6N.jpg&filename=DSC06492.JPG)
![DSC06493.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FW7/UVAS/J58FSSJA/FW7UVASJ58FSSJA.jpg&filename=DSC06493.JPG)
![DSC06494.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F2U/6FSC/J58FSSO6/F2U6FSCJ58FSSO6.jpg&filename=DSC06494.JPG)
![DSC06495.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FS2/5M7G/J58FSXIP/FS25M7GJ58FSXIP.jpg&filename=DSC06495.JPG)
With the smooth edges now I was ready to begin the marbling process. After some research from mostly youtube video's (which proved quite helpful) I opted to use things I already had instead of taking a trip out. I gathered up the acrylic paint colors I wanted (I suggest no more than 3 - 5 colors) & used shaving cream to spread on a piece of cardboard. I then poured small amounts of each color on the shaving cream & used a toothpick to swirl into the colors. After achieving a pattern that I was happy with I pressed the foredge into the paint and shaving cream pausing a few seconds before removing it. I waited another minute or so making sure the paint had time to soak into the edge before using a straight edge piece of wood (large craft stick) to slide down it getting off the excess paint and cream. I then used a paper towel to carefully wipe off the rest. I proceeded to doing the same with the head and tail. I also dipped the inner spine (faux cord & all) into it as well. Now all my edges were marbled & I must say this method worked surprisingly well. It is a messy affair though but luckily acrylic paints wash off easy with soap and water. I suggest using latex gloves if you use anything other than acrylics for marbling. Don't clean up yet though if you plan on marbling the endpaper (shown in next step).
Marbling the Endpaper & Gluing It to Heavy Cardstock.
![DSC06544.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FG3/MMNN/J58FSVCX/FG3MMNNJ58FSVCX.jpg&filename=DSC06544.JPG)
![DSC06546.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FY4/OL67/J58FSVH5/FY4OL67J58FSVH5.jpg&filename=DSC06546.JPG)
![DSC06547.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FD7/1Z7B/J58FTANF/FD71Z7BJ58FTANF.jpg&filename=DSC06547.JPG)
I wanted my endpaper (inside front and rear hardcover) to be marbled to match the edge marbling. While I still had the marbling paint setup I went ahead and pressed some thick paper into the shaving cream and paint & used a straight edge (large craft stick in my case) to scrape off the excess. I then pressed it onto a paper towel getting off additional excess & allowed it to dry. Next I glued it onto heavy cardstock being sure to spread the elmers glue out smooth all over the cardstock before laying the marbled paper on & placing books on top to keep it held down to where it could dry flat. After drying I used more glue on the edge of the marbled paper to glue it down around the cardstocks back side cutting it to where it did not overlap. I then used clamps to secure the edges until dry.
Using Cardboard to Make the Hardcover.
![DSC06507.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FEB/11JV/J58FSXJE/FEB11JVJ58FSXJE.jpg&filename=DSC06507.JPG)
![DSC06508.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FXC/4YEF/J58FSTGH/FXC4YEFJ58FSTGH.jpg&filename=DSC06508.JPG)
![DSC06525.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FPL/DPIS/J58FSUNR/FPLDPISJ58FSUNR.jpg&filename=DSC06525.JPG)
![DSC06526.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F14/SYXX/J58FSURI/F14SYXXJ58FSURI.jpg&filename=DSC06526.JPG)
![DSC06524.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FMK/UY56/J58FSXJT/FMKUY56J58FSXJT.jpg&filename=DSC06524.JPG)
![DSC06527.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FR2/1KNK/J58FSUU2/FR21KNKJ58FSUU2.jpg&filename=DSC06527.JPG)
To make the hardcovers and spine I used 3 layers of corrugated cardboard gluing them so as the corrugation of the middle layer was running perpendicular to the outer pieces to provide strength. I used plenty of elmers glue being sure to spread it out evening with my fingers. I did the same for the spine. I used a smooth thin piece of cardboard to make a smooth outer layer that the leather would lay smooth against. I spaced the spine & front and rear covers about half an inch apart which for my book thickness & taking all else into account allowed it to open and close properly. The inner front and rear hardcover cardboard pieces I had to make a bit more narrow than the others to allow my faux cord covered inner spine room to fit to where the book would close straight. I let the hardcover outer layers for the front and rear cover overlap over the spine gluing them together giving the spine additional strength. I clamped it together and sit the book on the spine and allowed the glue plenty of time to dry.
Fitting and Gluing the Leather Over the Cardboard Hardcover.
![DSC06510.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FUH/7WI8/J58FSTLX/FUH7WI8J58FSTLX.jpg&filename=DSC06510.JPG)
![DSC06537.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FH9/HVOV/J58FSUW5/FH9HVOVJ58FSUW5.jpg&filename=DSC06537.JPG)
![DSC06538.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCU/5RWG/J58FSUY1/FCU5RWGJ58FSUY1.jpg&filename=DSC06538.JPG)
![DSC06539.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FL7/YCWZ/J58FSUZ6/FL7YCWZJ58FSUZ6.jpg&filename=DSC06539.JPG)
![DSC06540.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F0W/FQ8U/J58FSV18/F0WFQ8UJ58FSV18.jpg&filename=DSC06540.JPG)
![DSC06541.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FXB/3W4S/J58FSV3C/FXB3W4SJ58FSV3C.jpg&filename=DSC06541.JPG)
![DSC06542.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F4N/BZMV/J58FSV77/F4NBZMVJ58FSV77.jpg&filename=DSC06542.JPG)
I wanted genuine leather for durability & luckily found a leather skirt at a vendors mall which was exactly what I needed. I cut a piece out leaving about an inch overlap on all sides. I spread elmers glue out smooth over the outer hardcover and spine with my fingers. I centered it up over the leather & placed it down giving all sides of the leather a few firm tugs being sure to get out any wrinkles before adding plenty of weight so as it would dry smooth. I allowed it 24 hours dry time.
Gluing the Leather Overlap Inside As Well As the Endpaper & Finally the Hardcover to the Book.
![DSC06543.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCV/ZSUG/J58FSV8J/FCVZSUGJ58FSV8J.jpg&filename=DSC06543.JPG)
![DSC06545.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FDT/GSIM/J58FSVG2/FDTGSIMJ58FSVG2.jpg&filename=DSC06545.JPG)
![DSC06548.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FF2/H7TE/J58FSVM8/FF2H7TEJ58FSVM8.jpg&filename=DSC06548.JPG)
![DSC06549.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F75/OUQZ/J58FSVMJ/F75OUQZJ58FSVMJ.jpg&filename=DSC06549.JPG)
![DSC06550.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FXO/WYJ1/J58FSVNP/FXOWYJ1J58FSVNP.jpg&filename=DSC06550.JPG)
![DSC06551.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F76/NAEG/J58FSVO8/F76NAEGJ58FSVO8.jpg&filename=DSC06551.JPG)
![DSC06552.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FDW/7Y48/J58FSVOI/FDW7Y48J58FSVOI.jpg&filename=DSC06552.JPG)
![DSC06553.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FRE/I81W/J58FSVPB/FREI81WJ58FSVPB.jpg&filename=DSC06553.JPG)
![DSC06554.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F8H/V8YC/J58FSVPN/F8HV8YCJ58FSVPN.jpg&filename=DSC06554.JPG)
![DSC06555.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FPZ/BZUA/J58FSVQ7/FPZBZUAJ58FSVQ7.jpg&filename=DSC06555.JPG)
![DSC06556.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/F47/VUZ2/J58FSVXE/F47VUZ2J58FSVXE.jpg&filename=DSC06556.JPG)
Now it was time to glue down the leather overlap & tidy up the edges & corners. I used elmers glue & clamps to secure it all down tight & let it dry for 24 hours. Before adding the marbled endpaper covered heavy cardstock I wrote a few things on the inner cardboard hardcover just for fun. Only way it will ever be seen is if the endpaper manages to come lose one day. Next I went around the edge of the marbled endpaper covered cardstock with a bead of elmers glue and placed books on top so it would dry smooth. I gave it 24 hours to dry as well before removing the weight.
Finishing Up With Button Strap & Gold Gel Pen Cover Designs.
![DSC06562.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FPJ/SI0S/J58FSWKM/FPJSI0SJ58FSWKM.jpg&filename=DSC06562.JPG)
![DSC06559.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FYY/16AZ/J58FSW8F/FYY16AZJ58FSW8F.jpg&filename=DSC06559.JPG)
![DSC06561.JPG](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FCR/6AQV/J58FSWH7/FCR6AQVJ58FSWH7.jpg&filename=DSC06561.JPG)
Since I used such heavy paper for my book in order to keep it closed tight I used the leather waist from the skirt with button to go around the middle of the book. I glued it in place & it gives the book a nice unique look imo. I used a gold gel pen to draw designs on the leather hardcover and now the construction of the book is complete. Now I only have to fill it with various facts and knowledge in the world of science, technology, & astronomy.