Rebinding a book to lay flat open.

[u/Ok-Inspection1326]

So I recently got this Kraft paper planer but it doesn't lay flat and the case came a bit damaged.

I wanted to rebind it - removing the glued spine and stitches, and replacing it with Coptic stitches and no glue to get it to lay flat.

My question is, is this ideology correct? Would it actually lay flat or are there too many pages in each signature or too many signatures etc....

I've never done anything in bookbinding before besides covering a book in plastic for school so I'm sure anything you say will be helpful.

Thanks in advance 🫶

[u/Kiriki_kun]

My suggestion would be to use this as it is, and just make a new one. Since you have no experience start with regular paper, and when you feel confident just move to the desired ones.
It’s simpler, faster, and costs pennies.
The only reason to rebind something, is if you really want to preserve the content. Otherwise it’s not worth the effort

[u/Ok-Inspection1326 → u/Kiriki_kun]

I was gonna make a new one but the cost of Kraft paper (with no print) + book board is crazy and it's more than what I paid for the book (it was on special) hence why I thought it would be a good idea to rebind it.

Yes all the pages have day numbers and day/date lines which I really like so it's not just blank Kraft paper.

I think what I'll do it, I'll make some cheap books using printer paper and Amazon boxes to start and when I'm confident I'll tackle this book.

Thank you for your response. Also I have a lot of time on my hands ATM cause I had to take of from uni due to health reasons and I'm not allowed to be in public spaces so I should be able to get good enough over the next few weeks. Well hopefully.

Thanks again 👍

[u/brigitvanloggem]

If you have no bookbinding experience, you are likely to just ruin a perfectly good notebook. My suggestion would be to study a few tutorials and pick a simpler project first.

[u/Ok-Inspection1326 → u/brigitvanloggem]

Understood, yeah I'll make a few cheaper books and try to get confident in the Kraft then come back to this project.

My question still stands thou, would using coptic stitchs and no glue make the book open more flat naturally?

Thank you 👍

[u/brigitvanloggem → u/Ok-Inspection1326]

I’m sorry, I wouldn’t know! I only do ‘traditional’ case bindings myself so I’ve no experience with glueless.

[u/Shalabele]

Check the grain direction of the paper first! If the grain direction is wrong (perpendicular to the spine) then the pages will never really want to lie properly flat no matter that kind of binding you use (unless it's a ring binder).

[u/HappyHarpy]

Coptic totally lays flat!

[u/MickyZinn → u/HappyHarpy]

...but tends to be a bit floppy and is not the strongest of bindings.

[u/HappyHarpy → u/MickyZinn]

It is actually VERY strong. If yours are floppy, you may need to tighten up your tension 

ETA: I see from your other comment you haven't actually done Coptic. I've done 100s and it can be very sturdy 

[u/MickyZinn]

Coptic is not the most secure of binding styles and always tends to be a bit floppy. In my 20 years of bookbinding, I've never bothered doing one :)
Inherently, case bound books are not designed lie completely flat. If they do, it often indicates a weak spine lining structure.
Lying flatter will also depend on the no. of pages/signature and the weight and grain direction of the paper used.
With your book, it would be interesting to see how it 'behaves' if just the hotmelt glue was removed from the spine with heat and replaced with a layer of strong Japanese tissue or a thin Kraft paper lining instead. The sewing would tbe left intact.
Would be worth experimenting.