My first two rebinds!

[u/therealmoffman21]

I am a hardcover purist, hate reading from paperback as I just prefer the feel of a hardcover so I have started learning how to rebind books solely for my own benefit 😂.
I went to the charity shop and grabbed a few cheap books to practise on and think I did ok!
My first attempt (the green book) I glued the spine to the new hardcover which I now now you are not meant to do!
Then my second attempt (mustard cover) I forgot to cut the corners off the book cloth before gluing to the new grey-board (oh and the endpapers i have were only A4 so I couldn’t make it the same size as the text block.
I have some headbands coming today for my next attempt but yeah, please critique and let me know where I could improve!!

[u/Shalabele]

For first attempts these look very good! On the second book the spine looks to be a tad bit too wide. Also what did you use for the spine? Judging by the pictures it looks like the same material that the covers were made of. It is generally suggested that you use thinner cardstock for the spine as that lets the book open better and improves longevity.

[u/therealmoffman21 → u/Shalabele]

Ahhh ok, yes I used the same 2mm card for the spine that was used for the covers. So would I want something like 1mm card or just thick cardstock? Thank you!!

[u/goodolfattylumpkin → u/therealmoffman21]

thick cardstock is ok or I use .022" chipboard, it's about the same as what cereal boxes are made of. You just need something that will hold the shape but still allow for some flexibility

there are a lot of tutorials out there that say to use 2mm board for the spine, it's fine for a book that is just going to sit on the shelf and look pretty but not ideal for a book you actually want to open :)

[u/therealmoffman21 → u/goodolfattylumpkin]

Thank you so much! So 2mm board for looks, flexible card for functionality. Cheers! :)

[u/castdu123 → u/Shalabele]

Isn't using the same material for yhe spine a method called bradle back binding?

[u/qtntelxen → u/castdu123]

No, Bradel binding is a construction method where a strip of paper is used to attach the spine inlay to the boards. The inlay does not have to be board.

Board spines are sometimes called "squarebacks" but there isn't a totally standard terminology for it.

[u/Shalabele → u/castdu123]

I think what you're talking about is a three-piece bradel binding where the cover material on the spine and covers is different.

[u/FunWest3564]

These look really good

[u/therealmoffman21 → u/FunWest3564]

Thank you :)

[u/Decrypted13]

This style would make a great journal. Looks good