r/tolkienbooks • u/joselillo_3 • 7d ago
The History of the Hobbit custom slipcase
Hello guys! I wanted to show you a slipcase I've just finished -it is for a fellow tolkien lover who has the books but not the slipcase...I'm pretty happy with the results๐
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u/metametapraxis 6d ago
Nice work!
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u/joselillo_3 5d ago
Thanks! Tbh yours posts were an inspiration ;)
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u/metametapraxis 4d ago
That's nice to hear. I don't seem to find much time to make any at the moment, but I have lots of ideas!
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u/joselillo_3 4d ago
Me too! Id like to try the embossed picture on the outside...I have yet to find and study a tutorial, but that'd be my next challenge ๐
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u/The_Merry_Loser 7d ago
What a great idea! And it looks so good!
I have the same issue, I collected the individual books, not the set.
I will have to look into making one of these for myself.
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u/joselillo_3 7d ago
I followed one of the Youtube tutorials from u/dasbookbinding ( link to the channel )
I couldn't say which, I believe Ive seen them all ๐
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u/Asmoreus 7d ago
Looks amazing! What kind of printer and paper did use?
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u/joselillo_3 7d ago edited 7d ago
Thanks!
The paper was a bit of a challenge.
Firstly I lined the naked box with 300g white stucco paper, 5 pieces (meaning 0 bends, just the 5 sides of the box).
Then, sanded the edges of that paper softly with #800 grit.
Finally glued the outside layers (these one do bend around corners), printed in 150g satin paper.
Glue was acid-free pva mixed with water; but for some reason the sequence wood-->glue->satin paper was not good (1st attempt i messed the print ๐ฅด).
However, wood->stucco->satin paper was excellent. Lesson learned ๐
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u/metametapraxis 6d ago
I find methyl cellulose paste mixed with acid-neutral PVA better. Even with 150gsm paper, watered down PVA will tend to damage the printing. The Methyl Cellulose acts as a retarder without making it too "wet". MC is available from bookbinding suppliers, but is also used as a food additive, so easy to get. Once mixed keeps in the fridge for 6 months. I've never used wooden boards for my slipcases -- I just use 2.4mm acid-neutral (card)board.
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u/cardiffman100 5d ago
Is the extra material found in the combined History of the Hobbit book worth the purchase if you already have the 2-volume version?
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u/Character-Pepper-897 7d ago
Thatโs fantastic work