3 ring binder

[rickybobby]

Josh,

I restored a binder for a customer that was made by someone else. It was run over by a car and someone else tried to put a zipper in and did not do it right. The 3 ring part was bent (was not a good one).

I replaced the gussett and zipper, the zipper is a nylon #10 double pull.

I replaced the stiffener with plexiglass from Home Depot

Restored the finish by cleaning, conditioning, antiqueing and sealed

The insides are a great design,(2or 2 1/2 oz) I will do something like them when I make one. The outside is 10 / 12 oz tooling leather.

Here are some pictures to give some ideas hope they help.

I also bought a couple different binders (there is a difference) the "heavy duty" ones are the best. I bought mine at Office Depot.

I used a carbide cutter to remove the back of the rivet on the 3 ring so it would not scratch the piece I needed .

Edited March 15, 2009 by rickybobby

[Russ]

Bob;

Do you put stiffeners in your binders, or is the combination 9 - 11 oz leather enough for the binder to hold its shape?

Thanks,

Russ

Josh,

Here's how I make a notebook or binder. It's made out of three pieces. The front cover, the back cover and the binder. This is constructed completely of new leather. The front and back are 7/8 oz and the binder is 4/5 oz tooling leather. The lining is 2/3 oz. I have not seen a binder which was purchased and then covered with leather. I think that would be an impractical approach (if I interpreted your question correctly). Tool the front, back and binder, sew them together, line them and then install the three ring binder with chicago screws and/or conchos. Obviously, any combination of pockets, etc., can be added to the interior. Hope this answers your question.

Bob

[hidepounder]

Bob;

Do you put stiffeners in your binders, or is the combination 9 - 11 oz leather enough for the binder to hold its shape?

Thanks,

Russ

Russ, I do but stiffeners in both leaves and in the binder as well. I have been buying sheets of white plastic...I think it's polyethyline (sp). It come in different mil thicknesses...I buy 4 mil and 6 mil in 4'x8' sheets. I use this material for stiffeners and for patterns. I think I get a better project by using a little lighter leather, a stiffener and a liner. I cut the stiffeners undersize so that they don't show along the finished edge. I would rather not have a really heavy leaf...it just seems clunky to me. In addition, my tooling patterns keep getting smaller and smaller which dictates using lighter leather. On the binding, I usually add a piece of the 6 mil poly and then glue a piece of 7/8 oz or 9/10 oz over it before I put the lining in. I like the feel of the binding being really stiff. Additionally, a stiff binding helps keep the leaves square when closed. I can't stand when you close a custom organizer or photo album and the leaves flop together uneven. After I glue the 7/8 oz over the stiffener, I take a French edger and skive the edges at approx 45 degress to soften the edge as the lining goes in. I also skive the leaves where they are overlapped by the binding...again to soften the edge for when the lining goes in. I glue everything in with Barge or Masters...the stiffeners, the lining, everything! It won't come apart!

Hope this helps,

Bob

[jbird]

Wow I must have missed this stuff I thought this post had died thanks a lot.

Josh

Josh,

I restored a binder for a customer that was made by someone else. It was run over by a car and someone else tried to put a zipper in and did not do it right. The 3 ring part was bent (was not a good one).

I replaced the gussett and zipper, the zipper is a nylon #10 double pull.

I replaced the stiffener with plexiglass from Home Depot

Restored the finish by cleaning, conditioning, antiqueing and sealed

The insides are a great design,(2or 2 1/2 oz) I will do something like them when I make one. The outside is 10 / 12 oz tooling leather.

Here are some pictures to give some ideas hope they help.

I also bought a couple different binders (there is a difference) the "heavy duty" ones are the best. I bought mine at Office Depot.

I used a carbide cutter to remove the back of the rivet on the 3 ring so it would not scratch the piece I needed .

[Russ]

Bob;

THANKS for the info.

So, if I've got it right on the binding, you use 4/5oz for the outside (tooled), then glue a 6 mil stiffener in, then a 7/8oz over it, then line it with 2/3oz, and then install the hardware? Where do you get the poly, hardware store?

I really appreciate all the hints.

Russ

Russ, I do but stiffeners in both leaves and in the binder as well. I have been buying sheets of white plastic...I think it's polyethyline (sp). It come in different mil thicknesses...I buy 4 mil and 6 mil in 4'x8' sheets. I use this material for stiffeners and for patterns. I think I get a better project by using a little lighter leather, a stiffener and a liner. I cut the stiffeners undersize so that they don't show along the finished edge. I would rather not have a really heavy leaf...it just seems clunky to me. In addition, my tooling patterns keep getting smaller and smaller which dictates using lighter leather. On the binding, I usually add a piece of the 6 mil poly and then glue a piece of 7/8 oz or 9/10 oz over it before I put the lining in. I like the feel of the binding being really stiff. Additionally, a stiff binding helps keep the leaves square when closed. I can't stand when you close a custom organizer or photo album and the leaves flop together uneven. After I glue the 7/8 oz over the stiffener, I take a French edger and skive the edges at approx 45 degress to soften the edge as the lining goes in. I also skive the leaves where they are overlapped by the binding...again to soften the edge for when the lining goes in. I glue everything in with Barge or Masters...the stiffeners, the lining, everything! It won't come apart!

Hope this helps,

Bob

[hidepounder]

Bob;

THANKS for the info.

So, if I've got it right on the binding, you use 4/5oz for the outside (tooled), then glue a 6 mil stiffener in, then a 7/8oz over it, then line it with 2/3oz, and then install the hardware? Where do you get the poly, hardware store?

I really appreciate all the hints.

Russ

Russ...yes, that's how I do it. I often use 6/7 oz for the leaves also. Anyway, those weights aren't rules, use whatever makes sense to you to accomplish what you want. The process is probably more important than the materials, if you know what I mean. I think it's easier to use a piece of 4/5 oz for the binding, than to take a piece of 7/8 oz and do all the skiving and grooving to achieve the same thing...but that's certainly an acceptable alternative. I had to go look up exactly what that plastic is called. It's "High Impact Styrene" and you will have to go to a Plastics Supplier to find it. I think I paid a little over $20 for a sheet of 4'x8', 4 mil.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[Russ]

Thanks for everything, Bob.

Russ...yes, that's how I do it. I often use 6/7 oz for the leaves also. Anyway, those weights aren't rules, use whatever makes sense to you to accomplish what you want. The process is probably more important than the materials, if you know what I mean. I think it's easier to use a piece of 4/5 oz for the binding, than to take a piece of 7/8 oz and do all the skiving and grooving to achieve the same thing...but that's certainly an acceptable alternative. I had to go look up exactly what that plastic is called. It's "High Impact Styrene" and you will have to go to a Plastics Supplier to find it. I think I paid a little over $20 for a sheet of 4'x8', 4 mil.

Hope this helps,

Bob

[funnygirl62221]

Hi all,

I am still a bit confused about the pieces of the album. It looks like on the outside of it there are 3 separate pieces? A front, back and a piece along the spine? And they are sewn together. Then the stiffiner is glued to the other side and lining is put on top of that. Is the lining all in one piece? I am more of a visual learner so I'm having a bit of trouble wading through all the descriptions.

Thanks for all the info. though it is a huge help

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Buy a binder? Just look around, as they are being thrown away all the time.

I have picked them up from 1"-3" thick, and a lot of the time they are new ones. Look for businesses that hand them out for their product literature. I have some big ones that came from a beauty supply company. Look for businesses that are closing up, as most of the time the binders that they used are tossed in the dumpster. You don't care what the outside looks like, just the binder clamp.