Three Ring Notebook

[wadeh]

I have a new project that I have never tackled before. I have some leather experience with making leather sheaths for the knives I make. But the other day my wife came up with a new project for me. She is putting together our best recipes that we have made and some that her mother and my mother gave us years ago and she wants them put in one or two big notebooks. Well she got the idea that I could make a leather notebook to keep all the recipes in and one day hand them down to our Granddaughters that have really takened up cooking. Has anyone ever done anything like this. She wants something that would eventually become a keepsake. I will say that I kind of like the idea of making something like this to pass on, but just not to sure how to proceed. Any ideas and or advice on where to get the parts I need and how to do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[wildrose]

Tandy does sell a kit that is a 3 ring binder. I think they call it a memory kit or something like that. Another option would be to buy a binder and make a cover for it.

[azrider]

I have done a couple of these, just by drilling out the rivets on a binder from office depot, and covering the card board. I used 4-5oz leather on the outside, and 2-3 oz leather for the inside and pockets. I used Chicago screws to put the rings in the leather binder, because the leather is going to outlast just about any rings you can get. Make sure the inside of the binder is glued very well to the binder, otherwise you will get wrinkles. They are very stiff when finished, but will break in with use.

[wadeh]

Thanks for the replies.

I had not thought of covering a binder with leather, makes sense though. Any other hints or tricks to covering one?

Thanks again for the help.

[dawn]

I make photo books, and i have had a very hard time finding anyone (even online) to sell just the 3 ring binder. Tandy use to sell them but don't anymore, they just have the kit. So i just take a part a cheap binder from the store and use the binder from it. I reattach the binder to my book with chicago screws. I have never actually covered the folder itself. I just use a stiffener in between the leather. Since i am making them into photobooks i run into the folders not being long enough for the photo pages that i buy. So i have to come up with a different measurement. I've had my book for about 3 to 4 years and it is holding up perfectly. If anyone out there knows of any place that sells just the binder please let me know.

[azrider]

One thing I did on both of the ones above is to use cloth backed foam (used for automotive headliners) below the top piece of leather. It makes the binder seem more substantial, and gives a nice feel to the binder. I glue the fabric to the binder, and then glue the leather to the fabric, and the very edges of the binder. Use a good cement to glue it all. I used Weldwood from Home Depot on the first one I did, and it came out great. I tried to use a fabric glue, and had to redo it because it didn't hold well. The other thing I learned the hard way, resist the urge to fold the binder until ALL of the sewing is done.

[stelmackr]

...She is putting together our best recipes that we have made and some that her mother and my mother gave us years ago and she wants them put in one or two big notebooks. .... Any ideas and or advice on where to get the parts I need and how to do...

I have made several LARGE three ring binders to hold my entire collections of "The Leather Craftsman", "The Craftsman", "Make It With Leather", and "Leather Craftsman and Saddlers Journal". To hold the weight and make them rugged, I used 3-inch rings from old binders that had "pin and socket" meeting points vice those "zig zag cut" meeting points. Also, the spine is made from a section of ABS plastic gutter cut to size.

There are two articles that describe the details at:

http://pslac.org/member/NW_Indian_3-ring_binder.pdf

http://pslac.org/member/3-ring_binder.pdf

These two pictures should give you enough information to give it a try:

Hope this helps.

Bob Stelmack

[wadeh]

Thanks for the guidance Bob and I appreciate the post for the articles, but I can not access them. You have to be a member of the PSLAC to be able to see them. That is some awesome looking work you do.