how to make a secret hollow book
the first step into making the hollow book is to select a
book. make sure this is a book your own, and not one
belonging to the library, or your family. psuggest
rummaging through books artard/ garage sales.
metall these
things.
make sure it is a hardback, otherwise you
will cut all the way through the other side
when you are cutting out the insides.
you' ll also need:
1. elmer' s white glue
2. a container to hold glue solution (I'
chosen a film canister)
3. maito knife, and/ or box cutter. Both if
you have them
4. brush to apply glue solution
5. pencil/ pen
6. ruler, or other rigid straight edge
Selena page thatyou wanna be the first one cutout, and save wattage to be end.
I' ll explain later) even ifyou don' t want to save any pages at the beginning of the book, you must
set one aside for a later step.
mixa solution oowhite glue anteater.] ust enough for the glue to be runny, and absorbed by the
edge ofthe book' s pages. 50% to 70% glue (30% to 50% water) worked well for men halfa film
canister full was enough for this book.
holding the remaining pages together, brush the edges with the glue solution - enough to soak in
pretty well, but not too Chippy.
allow this to dry, but use a spacer so the first couple
pages, and the front cover don' t get stuck. i spaced
mine with pond: notes, and used some old hard disk
platters to apply pressure. it dries quickly- about 15 to
30 min
when it' s dry, open the book to the first glued page.
draw out a halflings border around the edge on all
four sides. (don' t forget along the spine too)
we Editor:
using a straightedge and knife, the
inside of the line. try to make the cut as vertical as
possible, or else try to tilt so the hole will narrow as
you go down.
continue cutting down through the layers. I found that a box cutter
was easier to keep straight. this part takes a long time. i recommend
listening to music while you work. watching TV though could be
distracting, and you could also cut a page out ofyour finger. (no,
the longer you spend on it, the
smoother and straighter the inside
edges ofyour book will be. my first
attempts at this yielded rough edges,
but the fuzz flattens down a little
when glued (later).
after a whice, you can store some
ofyour tools in mawhile you take
when you get to the back ofthe book, and through the last page,
stop. dump out all the little paper fuzz that inevitably comes from the
cutting.
next, brush the glue solution on the inside edges ofthe pages. give it
a bit to soak in. a little bit of trippiness is okay, as the glue dries clear.
this is also a good time to apply a second coat to the outside of the
pages with the excess glue.
brush the rim of the book with a
this will affix it
to thatone page's saved
earlier (indwell runthrough
later)
close the book again, this time
without any spacers. give it another
minutes to dry. clean up any
glue that drips on your desk, like it
did mine.
remember that first page we saved? its now glued to the
rest of the book. let' s all turn there now.
cut through this first page with your knife to open it. the
insides of the book may still be a little gooey since there
was no air inside to let it dry. so let it dry now.
when its dry, you' re done!
fill it with whatever treasured items (or
contraband) you choose. T l
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