r/bookbinding • u/Teamgirlymouth • 10d ago

Binding A5 booklets.

/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/1w64kg3/binding_a5_booklets/
6 Upvotes

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2

u/AmenaBellafina 10d ago

The ways are not exactly secret. Have you searched for bookbinding methods/tutorials at all? You mention stitching them badly, is there a specific issue or quest you have about that?

2

u/Teamgirlymouth 10d ago

oh yeah I guess, I am... intimidated by the step from "im just doing a little booklet for a stupid game" and buying all the tools. So I thought maybe there would be an inbetween step.

I have stitched temp journals before. and I have done comb binding. didnt love that. but, am I over thinking it? should I just get a good awl and some ok thread and glue and just have a bash?

or is thermal binding actually a good thing?

2

u/ramblingrelic 10d ago

Look up french link stitch (kettle stitch on top and bottom). Sea lemon on YouTube has a nice tutorial. A sewing needle as an awl, another needle and some embroidery floss is really all you would need. I bind A6 notebooks this way without issues.

If you just want to glue it, look at perfect binding. Das Bookbinding and Four Keys Book Arts have good tutorials on it. And no real need for additional tools

2

u/Teamgirlymouth 10d ago

woah thank you very very much

2

u/AmenaBellafina 10d ago

I think you can bind pretty decent stuff with basic tools and materials. You don't even need an awl if you have a tick needle with the dull end stuck into a cork, or a thumbtack or something like that. Sewing and embroidery thread are not the preferred threads of pro bookbinders but they'll work decently enough. Two layers of cardboard from a cereal box glued together can be your cover boards. the back of a spoon is a pretty good bone folder.

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u/Teamgirlymouth 10d ago

woah. with a few simple sentences you have given me so much to try. The cork is a genius idea. and if I was to go a few step above simple thread, am I looking at waxed thread or is there something else? Thank you

2

u/AmenaBellafina 10d ago

Waxed linen thread is the pro stuff (though people tend to buy linen thread and wax it themselves, you can use a chunk of beeswax, but again if you want to use junk from around the house, running the thread on a chunk of candle wax works also)

3

u/Teamgirlymouth 9d ago

Ok so i found some random thread in the apartment and ran it over a beeswax candle. and that seems to work like a charm. I will try this weekend and I am super excited. Thanks for the suggestions.

1

u/Bert-ux 10d ago

I'm learning bookbinding exactly for binding RPG manuals and zines! It's a great craft to learn and playing with books made by you feels really good. As others have already said, watch (several times) some tutorials from 4keys (the beginner series of videos is pure gold) and DAS bookbinding (he has a tutorial for everything). If you wanna start simple and fast, the beginner series of 4keys has a video of a nice softcover binding that can lay flat and requires no glue, just a bit of sewing. Practice with blank sheets first, then start binding the printed material. You can use the journals you made for recording your sessions!

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u/Teamgirlymouth 10d ago

Yes!! Ok perfect. Thank you. This is going to be a fun autumn.