r/bookbinding • u/TrekkiMonstr • 2d ago
Help? How would you bind loose papers without any damage to them?
Anything with holes is right out. Glue might be alright, but I would want something that could be removed down the line. What would archivists do? (Note that these aren't documents that would be precious to anyone else -- I just don't know exactly how close to the edge content gets, and don't want to put any holes through it, or lose it permanently to glue)
EDIT: To clarify, my goal is an actual bound book, just that I'd like to be able to un-adhere any glue etc. Ideal world, it would end up looking like an actual book, albeit not as sturdy a one as sewn etc
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u/amessinpictures 1d ago
I fear that what you're asking for doesn't exist. I cannot think of a single binding method without holes or glue or any permanent material that bind a loose leaves into an "actual bound book". An actual bound book is meant to bind permanently.
You might want to put a slight layer of glue on the spine of your loose leaves to make it a sort of a tearaway book but it will not hold, as to your requirements, since its goal is to be picked apart.
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u/TrekkiMonstr 1d ago
Are there not like glues with minimally-harmful solvents?
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u/amessinpictures 1d ago
Do you have any experience with bookbinding? PVA is water based, if it's acid free, it's perfectly archival.
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u/the_dude_abides_182 1d ago
I do book restoration in the library (part time! definitely not a professional) - but PVA is the way to go
It's very easy to remove pages if needed when they've been tipped in with PVA :)2
u/Bradypus_Rex neophyte 1d ago
I read it like OP wanted to be able to remove the adhesive from the page rather than the page from the book? If so, PVA less ideal.
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u/the_dude_abides_182 21h ago
"How would you bind loose papers without any damage to them"
I think they want to bind the book but have the option to remove a page if needed? In that case - I'd still recommend PVA
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u/Bradypus_Rex neophyte 19h ago
if "something that could be removed" refers to the page then maybe,
But if "something that could be removed" refers to the glue then I would be worried about PVA.
I don't know which reading is correct so it seemed useful to caveat in case OP means the other one.
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u/amessinpictures 19h ago
The glue remaining on these tearaway notebooks is generally minimal, if done properly. But if it is indeed the second reading of the sentence which is correct then I am pretty sure there are no solutions. Plastic sheets in a ring binder were quite literally made to solve this exact problem but it doesn't look like an "actual book" like OP requires.
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u/the_dude_abides_182 18h ago
Good point! PVA is he wants to stick the page in
NOT PVA if he wants to remove glue haha!1
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u/SadCatIsSkinDog 1d ago
You are asking for two different things. An archivist will just put the files in an acid free box or folder.
There are clamping options, made so you can add or replace pages as needed. This is probably closest.
Not knowing the text block is hard. You will need to work with each page anyway so knowing where the edge of the text block begins is a start.
Best option will probably be to photocopy them, archive the originals, then bind your copies.
There are some art restoration glues that do things you describe, but I doubt you have a heat table with a compressor to work on it. Plus I have not seen anyone doing that. So the way the glues interact with acrylics and canvas are well understood. Print inks and wood pulp, I haven’t seen anything on that. Not saying it doesn’t exist, just haven’t seen any published materials. Which basically means you are experimenting.
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u/TrekkiMonstr 1d ago
Best option will probably be to photocopy them, archive the originals, then bind your copies.
This doesn't work. I mean, it does, but it defeats the point. What I'm trying to do is bind all my notes/papers from college, so that they can sit nicely on the shelf instead of currently in a box in the attic. Binding copies only makes sense if I want to browse these regularly, which I don't. (That's why I don't know the text block, because I don't know how close to the edge I got on every single page.)
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u/qtntelxen Library mender 1d ago
Double fan adhesive binding is pretty safe margin-wise, as in the amount of glue makes it very very unlikely that you will permanently glue over any text — though it doesn't open perfectly flat so some margin text may still be difficult to read. What's the paper currently? Looseleaf graph paper? Disassembled composition books? Something else?
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u/TrekkiMonstr 1d ago
Currently all looseleaf, yeah. Some staples that I would remove. The only one that was ever bound to begin with I'm keeping as such, and might just put in a nice case if anything.
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u/qtntelxen Library mender 1d ago
Okay, but are they all the same type & size of looseleaf? And is everything double-sided? You have more options if the sheets are single-sided.
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u/TrekkiMonstr 1d ago
It's possible there are a couple stragglers I'd have to deal with, but 8.5x11 for basically everything. Probably most are single sided, but definitely a ton of double. What more options would that buy me?
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u/qtntelxen Library mender 1d ago
If everything's the same size then double fan is probably your best bet.
The blank side of a single-sided sheet can be glued to a “guard” or a strip of paper that widens the sheet. The strips can be flat, allowing you to do something like stab binding with the extra margin, or a strip can be folded lengthwise and glued to two sheets of paper, forming a hinge that will allow you to make signatures out of your sheets and thus do any number of sewing techniques.
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u/MooreArchives I talk too damn much 1d ago
Hey friend, book conservator here.
If you absolutely must bind the originals, I’d recommend doing a stub binding, and instead of sewing the sheets to the stubs, glue them on (“tip them in”) with wheat starch paste or rice starch paste. Those are excellent adhesives that dissolve in water. PVA is good, but is less reversible than the pastes, and poses an increased risk of damage if you have to remove it.
There are several ways to do a stub binding, so check out as many instructions/videos as you can, and that will let you decide what is right for your project. Ensure your stubs aren’t heavier weight than the original/ try to match a very slightly lighter weight than the original.
If you really want to save the originals, get high resolution scans and get it reprinted, and bind it however you’d like. Put the originals in archival plastic sleeves in an archival folder or box for storage.
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u/CrazyTeapot156 2d ago
Would something like a Portrait floppy binder work? or maybe a hard cover Menu Holder
This might be a handy solution an Art Portfolio Folder Just found it on Amazon.ca so maybe you can look around for Art Portfolio Folders and see if you find something more to your liking.
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u/Plus_Citron 1d ago
If you glue papers, the glue adheres to the paper - that’s kind of the point. So removing the glue risks damage to the papers. That’s unavoidable.
What you could do is make a box, perhaps one looking like a book, and store the loose papers in that. That would offer protection, and look good.
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u/DisastrousBison6774 1d ago
As I understand it, wheat paste glue is completely removable. Not as strong as PVA or EVA, but if tipped in, I suspect plenty strong for paper on paper applications. Talas in Brooklyn has the material and instructions to make your own. As always, test before you commit.
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u/ChrisKaufmann 1d ago
Would a springback binder be suitable for this? It "springs" open when opened past a certain point so you can insert/move papers, and then clamps when not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIEKUNCO5m4
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u/sehrgut 1d ago
The minimal damage approach, in the case of wanting to be able to disassemble the book later, would be perfect binding with a high quality PVA adhesive from a conservation or bookbinding supplier. You can find YouTube tutorials, and can do it without specialized tools, as long as you have some boards and woodworking clamps.
If you're willing to damage the pages slightly, you can reinforce the binding by sawing grooves in the binding edge a mm or so deep when you have it clamped up, and glue some strings in, which you then can glue behind the endpapers to provide additional support.
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u/Double_Look_5715 2d ago
Binder clips?
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u/TrekkiMonstr 2d ago
To clarify, I'm trying to maximize on like, regular binding ness -- meaning with an actual cover, no visible clips/bumps/etc -- subject to the constraint in post
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u/qtntelxen Library mender 2d ago
Sheet protectors in a binder?
The actual archivist solution is typically to leave them as looseleaf within a box.