OT - Slip case making: If I can do it ...

I finally have a little time to post on my first slip case creation, for Looking Backward from 1941. For those who don't know, this was a controversial production in that it came in a clear plastic wrap and without the usual slip case. So it was a natural choice for my first craft project.

I won't go into details here; in case there is a resounding lack of interest in my project, I don't want to waste anyone's time (mine included) with a long-winded post. However, if there is interest I'd be happy to provide more details on my process, materials used, etc., and I also would be happy to see this thread be used by others to share their projects and helpful tips.

I will say 2 things now. First, I truly believe anyone can do this. If you can develop skills like riding a bike or driving a car, you can certainly develop enough skill to create at least a decent slip case, and in time probably get quite good at it. I had never done a craft since childhood, and I think my case turned out pretty well. Second, on a more personal note, it really is satisfying to contribute something to these wonderful books. The authors obviously did their part, and then the book crafters exhibited great skill and creativity in making these books that we cherish. And I like knowing that I've added my own small link to the chain. It helps form a bond with the book that I might never have had otherwise. I doubt Looking Backward ever would have meant a great deal to me. But now, just looking at it in its new case on my shelf, it feels special, and I'm sure that feeling will last a long time.

On to the pics. I can post more if you're interested.


Naked and afraid


Comfortably ensconced in its new home


I wouldn't normally go with that type but I wanted something similar to the book cover. Overall I think it turned out nicely.

I learned a lot from making this first case and soon will start on my next, for The Tales of Hoffmann. There are a couple of things I will do differently that I think will result in an even better product. Hopefully I will have something to share before long!

I would love some more detail. I have a copy of the LEC edition of The Betrothed whose slipcase is falling apart and I'd love to make a new one for it.

>1 johnbean9: Please do post more!
How long did it take you?

>1 johnbean9: I have several LEC and HP books that I would like to make slipcases for and have added items to my cart at the Talas site. I haven’t progressed to checkout yet. I guess I still need more information to overcome my reluctance to pull the trigger. I would gladly accept any helpful information you can offer.
Your pictured slipcase looks perfect.

>1 johnbean9:

First-rate! This could turn out to be a 2nd career for you!

Thank you for the kind words, everyone. It's very encouraging :) To answer the question on how long it took, that's a bit hard to say since I took my sweet time. I reckon most of my slip case making will be like that. I think I worked on this over four days, but in terms of actual time spent I would guess around 3 hours. Wanting to give the glue ample time to dry accounts for a major part of that longer time span. Now that I have a better handle on this, I think I could complete a case over two days and roughly 2 hours of labor time.

I did not take any photos of my construction activities, but I will when I make my Hoffmann box in the coming days. I will share now my equipment and materials. I too was unsure of what supplies to get - not being a crafty person, I had no basis to work off of. But I did my research and took some inexpensive chances and it worked out well. These materials were all bought on a certain online mega-retailer. I did consider TALAS and have no doubt their supplies are outstanding. I ultimately felt that TALAS might be better for when I'm ready to advance my craft to a higher level. As a beginner, I wanted to stick with more basic supplies.


My key piece of equipment is the bypass trimmer (aka guillotine). It is super useful not just for its trimming ability but for the scale and grid printed on the surface. It's very easy to measure precisely down to 1/16 of an inch and then immediately slice. And it's only about $30. You also see the adhesive I use - it's acid-free and considered ideal for book making and paper projects. I was pleased with how it dried quickly but not too quickly, and it adheres very well. I use it to both glue the case pieces together and to affix the paper to the boards. It was about $8 for an 8 oz bottle. Not shown is a rubber glue roller that I used when papering the larger pieces. It's helpful but probably not necessary. If you have a small brush lying around you could probably use that.


Here are the paper materials. I used chipboard to fashion the pieces of the case. I got a 50-point heavyweight board, and put a pencil next to a piece to give you an idea of the thickness. It's not terribly thick - not thick enough to make a decent case with just one piece. But I thought if I glued two pieces together then I would have the right thickness, and I think I was proven right. It's extra work, cutting duplicate pieces and then gluing them together. But I was wary of getting a thicker board from TALAS and then having trouble working with it. I felt this chipboard could be sliced easily with my guillotine (it can) and the glued-together "sandwich" would work well (it did). And it was only $35 for 50 11x17 sheets. I used two sheets on this case, so I guess I could make 25 cases with this pack. There are smaller, less expensive packs available. Also shown is the colored cardstock collection I got. I admit, I was mainly motivated by the low price ($7 for 72 sheets) and the color assortment, since I knew I would be making a variety of cases. I can see myself advancing to better case-covering material in the future, but I think this paper is pretty good. I like that it's not flimsy while still being easy to manipulate. Both the chipboard and the paper are acid-free.

I'll post more tomorrow on the actual creation process, with a focus on the things I learned the hard way :)

>6 johnbean9: You are absolutely correct in that anyone can learn to make slipcases and I heartily encourage one and all to give it a go! You are off to a great start. Keep on truckin'!

Be careful as to what you use for the case. You want something that is acid- and lignin-free, and I am not certain that your chip board is. It works for learning purposes, but I think eventually you will want to replace that case with something constructed of better materials. I use Davey binder's board for all binding/slipcase work and you will want to upgrade to that in time.

A good paper to use is Canson Ingres paper which can be purchased in sheets from any good art supply store, but for some reason, not Michaels! It comes in various colors.

Having said that, I must confess that the very first slipcase I ever made was made from thick art board and covered in construction paper, which is very soft, easily abraded and definitely NOT acid-free! To overcome the softness of the paper, I sprayed the entire case with several coats of clear matte finish DuPont Krylon, thereby rendering it impervious to wear and incidentally, to liquids.

I have spent a great deal of time browsing in fabric shops looking for cloth that could be used in bookbinding. I have found many wonderful patterns that have found their way onto various of my bindings over the years. I am especially fond of calicos, but such thin cloth has to be backed with paper before using it in a binding.

Here is a slipcase I made for one of our books to show what Canson Ingres looks like on a case. The black cloth used for the edges of the slipcase was a heavy buckram cloth purchased at a local fabric shop. It is a tight enough weave and is heavy enough that glue/paste doesn't soak through if applied sparingly. The book itself is enclosed in a separate box which slides into the slipcase and is also covered in the black buckram. The red pull-ribbon allows me to remove the inner case with ease. I apologize for the cat fur. It's everywhere!

Keep going, man, and have fun! I look forward to future progress reports.

>6 johnbean9: Upon re-reading your post, I note that you said your chipboard is acid-free. Excellent! You are on the right path.

>7 Glacierman: Now that's a lovely case! I aspire to reach your level of craftsmanship some day. I think I can get there :)

Thanks to the experiences of others on this board I knew to look for acid-free material. While the materials I got are inexpensive, I do think my first case will hold up well over time, given that it won't be handled much and will reside in a room with practically zero sun light. The materials are no-frills but still well regarded by reviewers and I enjoyed working with them. I think especially for my initial cases, and any other cases for books that don't mean a great deal to me, I would be happy to use these materials. As I get more adept, and move on to books that are more special to me, then I likely will branch out to better paper - better in the sense of texture, and possibly durability. The Canson Ingres paper looks to be in that vein. It appears to have the tactile quality I'm seeking. Thanks for mentioning it!

>1 johnbean9: Nice job! I also chose a red slipcase for this book.

My most recent slipcase project was for Vanity Fair. I had managed to find a Fine (because of the dust jackets) copy with very nice dust jackets (spines toned only) but no slipcase. Because the dust jackets have been wrapped in Mylar, this slipcase did not need to be velour lined. For this edition, the original slipcase, dust jackets, binding, and endpapers all used the same floral motif. Naturally, I was unable to find the same pattern but I did find a gorgeous Florentine floral paper that I feel works well with Oxford's design and the book itself. In the past I have not added labels because I'm not very artistic but recently I've been content to print simple text labels on high quality paper.

>11 kdweber: Your slipcases look to be well constructed and attractive. I know the Vanity Fair case has to be well done considering the weight of the books. I hope to try my hand at this soon. Keep the information and pictures coming.

I will get into my creation process (as it is at this preliminary stage of my learning) by showing my efforts on slip case #2, for The Tales of Hoffmann from 1943. I purchased it without its case, although I have seen photos of the case. I think I will go in a different direction with my creation, but more on that in the future :)

So my first step is to get a sense for how big my case pieces need to be. There are a total of 5 pieces - 2 big side pieces, a top and bottom piece, and the spine piece. I have used the worksheet from this site - http://www.handmadebooksandjournals.com/create-custom-books/boxes-and-slipcases/.... I will admit, it was a bit confusing when I used this sheet for my first case, but I took my time and it proved handy. Now with my second case it's much smoother. There's also an embedded YouTube video on the page showing her using the sheet, and that helps. I recommend using some kind of worksheet just so you can get numbers on paper that can help guide you and keep you from simply guessing. Also, I haven't done this but I think it could be useful for a beginner to use any old paper you have lying around and cut sample pieces after you make your worksheet calculations. You can compare these samples to your book and get a feel for if you're on the right track.


With my calculations done, I'm ready to slice. With my handy bypass trimmer, I just measure (6 13/16 inch in this example) and drop the guillotine. Easy-peasy. I also make the width cut, and then I repeat the process to get a second piece and I'm ready for step 2.


As I discussed in an earlier post, the chipboard I use isn't quite thick enough for a satisfactory slip case. So I glue two identical pieces together to create a "sandwich" that gives me a nicely sturdy piece.


Here's a sandwich - terrible for snacking, great for slip case manufacturing.


I repeated the above steps to make the other side piece for my case. As the glue dries, I don't want my board pieces to bow at all. So I enlist one of my barbells, with a hefty book as a buffer (see, Easton Press coffee table books are good for something). In the morning I will have boards that are nice and flat.

I could go on and make the other three pieces but it's late :) I will resume tomorrow, so stay tuned ...

>11 kdweber: Another winner :) I'm eager to expand my paper repertoire - in time, with the right project. My first two cases are for books that aren't exactly dear to me, and my focus now is on learning the craft, so I am happily sparing expenses. But that will change before long ... As for labels, I will admit that I think a lot about them lol For me, it's where my creativity (such as it is) can come through the most. I actually design my label before even working on the case. I did splurge on a label printer that is paired with an app that lets me design to my heart's content. It's a lot of fun, and therapeutic even :) I just need to find more household uses for this thing to justify the outlay.

>14 johnbean9: I chose black for my copy of The Tales of Hoffmann. What app are you using to create your labels? That's the only area where my slipcases are less than ideal. You might try bookcloth with one of your cases. I find it easier to work with and it probably makes a stronger case.
You were wise to go for 11"x17" raw boards. It's amazing how many LECs are larger than 8 1/2" x 11". I found a brush to work much better than a roller for the glue.

I'm currently working on The Adventures of Gil Blas printed for the LEC by the Oxford University Press (1937) as was Vanity Fair. The OUP was one of the few LEC collaborators besides the Officina Bodoni which used dust jackets as well as slipcases. Unlike my Vanity Fair I probably made a mistake in purchasing a mediocre copy of this edition sans dust jackets. As a result, the spine is quite toned and the boards worn though the text block is in good shape. I have decided to make a simple slipcase covered in blue book cloth but I have also bought some nice paper to use for dust jackets for the two volumes and I will cover these with Dura-Lar. I've constructed my basic Daveyboard box and am letting it dry overnight before covering it tomorrow. The paper for the dust jackets hasn't yet arrived.

>15 kdweber: I use Brother Color Label Editor, which pairs with the VC-500W label printer. You don't need the printer to download and play with the app. There's also a desktop version of the app, which actually might be easier to use. I'll have to look into it. Keep in mind that the app and printer are geared towards traditional crafters of cards and decorations and pretty and cutesy things. So much of the available clip art would likely be of little interest to a slip case maker. However, there is still a whole lot that I find usable, and you can also import your own images. It's pretty robust and, despite what the app's negative reviewers say, I have had no issues with it.

As for the printer, I paid an embarrassing amount for it, but it was a splurge and I wanted ease of use and design, which it gives me. I also had a cost-saving motive, in that I am now willing to acquire books sans slip case at a fraction of their usual cost, and then make my own case, whereas in the early days of my collecting I wouldn't touch books like that. So who knows, maybe this printer will pay for itself some day lol I did get Invisible Man (arriving today!) at a hefty discount, and that will likely be my first "really nice" slip case project.

Quick update from last night:


After an overnight under the weight, my side boards came out nice and flat and, as you can see, strong and sturdy. Note how the slight post-gluing gap within my sandwich from one of my photos above is gone after the weight treatment. The board looks and feels like one solid piece. I'll prepare my three other pieces later, and then the fun really starts :)

>16 johnbean9: For more ideas, including how to make your own bookpress, get a copy of Aldren Watson's Hand Bookbinding. It is readily available in the secondary market or from Dover: https://doverpublications.ecomm-search.com/search?keywords=bookbinding

>17 Glacierman: This is indeed a valuable resource that I likely will make use of when I look to advance my skills. Thanks for sharing!

>18 johnbean9: It was the book that I learned from when I started binding oh, so many years ago. I later added many of the other books on that page as well as some others not reprinted by Dover. If you get bitten by the bookbinding bug, you'll find yourself traveling the same road. I'd get as a second book, Arthur Johnson's Thames and Hudson Manual of Bookbinding. Those two are, I think, best for beginners. There are many others out there you can get when/if you are ready for them. My favorite among the more advanced manuals is Eric Burdett's The Craft of Bookbinding. Not only is it an excellent instruction manual, it is a very well-made book. Should you ever have any questions, feel free to PM me.

>10 kdweber:
Nice -- I see you've made one for the Allen Press "Four Fictions" as well! My copy is feeling slipcase envy....

>20 kermaier: Actually, I haven't made a slipcase for any of my Allen Press books. Most just have Mylar dust jackets to protect the fabric covers. My Four Fictions was bought used (for a great price) with the slipcase. I don't know if it's original or not. There are a few Allen Press books that did come with original slipcases or clamshells.

>19 Glacierman: Thank you again for the information, and even more so for the offer to help. I'm hoping to do something special for The Invisible Man in the coming weeks and might pick your brain.

Now that I have some time again, it's back to work.


I completed my five pieces. Now if you don't care a whit what your case looks like you can just glue these pieces together and call it a day. But that wouldn't be fun, or stylish. So it's on to the paper.


This would be the time to paper the interior of your boards. I have to admit, I don't see a compelling reason to do this. I understand it would offer more book protection. And I have cases with interior lining and it produces a satisfying sound and sensation, sliding the book in and out. But I feel my books will be protected well enough. And I simply don't want to do the extra work. If anyone out there with more experience wants to call me out, I won't take it personally :)

In papering the exterior, I start with the big side pieces. I'm not impressed by the look of the original Tales of Hoffmann case so I will be going in a different direction, with black being the main color. I decided against black being the only color because I don't want my case looking like a prop from the movie "2001". So a dash of color will be added, as you will see in a later post :) My goal here is to add enough paper to wrap around the unsightly edges of the board that would be exposed in the final case. So I cut a piece of paper that is a little longer and wider than the board. As you will soon see, I will be covering up the fore edge and top edge of the board. The bottom edge will be covered by the bottom piece of the case and the back edge by the spine, so I don't need to wrap paper around those edges.


First I glue the body of the paper piece to the board before tackling the edges. How, you might ask, do you fold the paper over so it doesn't bunch up around the corners? You simply make a square cut at the corner, effectively creating flaps that you can now easily fold over the edges and glue down.


Not much adhesive is needed. While the cardstock I have been using isn't anything special from a tactile perspective, it is easy to use and holds up especially well to the adhesive. I recommend it as a paper for beginners, and I can see myself using it as a workhorse paper, particularly for my more run-of-the-mill cases. Here I just apply a little adhesive along the edge and then fold the paper flap over and rub it down until it's nicely adhered.


After gluing down both flaps, all that's left is to place both side pieces back under my barbell weight (as seen in a post above), and tomorrow I should have boards that are still flat, but now also papered.

The process is a little different with the other three pieces. Hopefully I will have time tomorrow to show that.

>23 johnbean9: I see some problems with your approach to building a slipcase. If you paper each of the five pieces and then glue them together, the strength of the box depends entirely on your glue joint. If you use one giant piece of paper or bookcloth, the paper or bookcloth adds strength to your construction. Also, I have a difficult time assembling a pure square box (slipcase). I do some minor sanding of the boards to square up all the edges, then the single sheet of paper or piece of cloth hides any left over imperfections.

>23 johnbean9: Ah, grasshopper, heed the words of Sifu >24 kdweber:. He is wise.

>24 kdweber: I understand your point and agree with you, at least in principle :) The issue you mention is one that I pondered during my design stage. What I wanted to do with this case was have top and bottom pieces of a different (green) color. So normally, as I did with my first case, in papering the exterior I would fold over paper flaps to cover up the unsightly exposed edges and, in the process, reinforce the structural integrity of the case. You can see evidence of that in one of my first photos above. That resulted in a very sturdy slipcase. I was concerned about my Hoffmann case not being as sturdy. Fortunately, I can report the finished product is at least sturdy enough. It doesn't feel quite as strong as my Looking Backward box but I do think it will suffice. In retrospect, I see how, after constructing the box, I could have applied green paper so that it wrapped around from one side piece to the other and over the top/bottom piece, thus helping to reinforce the box, and then applied the black paper on the side pieces. All part of the learning process ...

With all that said, yes, my Hoffmann box has been successfully completed.


The papering of my pieces continued as I described above, although the spine piece was a little different in that I wanted flaps attached to the side pieces to both cover up ugly seams and to strengthen the case. With that done I just had to apply my label and the box was finished.


The Tales of Hoffmann, looking a tad exposed. The book label's green color has lost some of its luster, but I thought I'd work it into the case.


Herr Hoffmann's new, spiffy home.


I wanted a Germanic, Gothic looking font and I think this does the trick.

All in all, as I mentioned above I would have constructed this case a little differently, applying the paper in an alternate way to make the case stronger, although it would have made the actual papering trickier. This is one of the reasons I started this thread - to share my process and solicit input and get better at this, and in the process hopefully help some of you if you choose to explore this craft. I am pleased with how my Hoffmann case looks, and it seems to be made well enough to serve its protective function. Now I have to decide what job I want to tackle next :)

>26 johnbean9: Your slipcase looks very nice. Yes, the traditional method is to use one piece that the covers the top, bottom, and spine and then overlaps the edges. Then apply apply the two sides. This method leaves three edges in one color with the two main boards in a different color. Alternatively, cover the top and bottom with separate pieces and then wrap on big piece around to get the pattern you achieved. In all cases, it's best to build the complete box first. I like to have the big side boards cover the entire side, it's harder to glue up the box with your approach. One can increase the strength by adding a second bottom (and top if desired) piece inside the box. All your glued seams are paper against paper which seems to me will not be as strong as having the boards glued together. Look at other slipcases in your collection, I have never seen a slipcase built in the manner you have shown.

I don't mean to be overly critical, I still consider myself to be a novice with only around three dozen slipcases under my belt, but I'm trying to see if there are things I can learn from different approaches.

>26 johnbean9: Your slipcase is nice - but - the tall "s" is used at the beginning and in the middle of a word, never at the end.

If you check out the font that you used, I am sure that you will find also the short "s".

>27 kdweber: You are on point, sir, and your advice is sound. After three dozen slipcases, I think you are entitled to be called senior apprentice at the very least.

Very impressed how crafty some of you are! :)

I apply my lessons learned as I move on to my third slipcase, for 1955's The Warden. This one is different in that it already has a case; as seen below, it's seen better days. I thought about simply repapering it, as the box itself is in good shape, but given that I have scrap pieces from earlier cases that are close in size to the Warden case, and given that I clearly need the practice, I will make a new case for the book.


A big advantage of making a case when a case already exists is that the existing case can be used as a template. So no need to use a worksheet to figure out the dimensions. I simply measured the existing case's dimensions and cut my pieces accordingly.

I will soon assemble the case in full before papering it, and will keep you posted on the results.

>31 johnbean9: Go for it!!! For future reference, for paper-covered slipcases, you can re-enforce the edges with cloth before putting on the paper. Preferred material is something called mull which can be obtained from TALAS, etc. Lacking that, cheesecloth can be substituted, but starch it first otherwise it is very hard to cut accurately. Japanese mending paper can also be used for the purpose. Just an idea for you to cogitate over.

>31 johnbean9: My only experience with recovering a slipcase did not end well. The outside was not uniform and this showed through the new bookcloth. Also, some of the color, particularly from the old label, seeped through and discolored my new bookcloth. Probably not a bright idea to use an off-white bookcloth to recover the surface. Most LEC slipcases were not well made, I recommend a completely new slipcase.

The box has been built. I will move on to the papering shortly.

>33 kdweber: You're right. If one does decide to re-cover an existing slipcase, you need to first remove the old covering material before laying down the new cloth or paper. That can be a real pain in the rear, or it can be super easy. I have the slipcase for the LEC Popol Vuh that is in pieces. I will replace it rather than re-construct it as the boards are rather flimsy.

>34 johnbean9: You can glue a length of cord or string in that little shelf formed by the join at the top and bottom of the spine to smooth the edge before you cover it. That also strengthens the join.

Have you ever tried to "lift" the original label from a slipcase for reuse on your new one? I have the LEC On Human Bondage with a completely falling apart slipcase. I was wondering if I could at least salvage the label for a new slipcase...

A moist (not wet) paper towel laid on the label and covered with wax paper to keep the towel from drying too quickly has let me remove old bookplates. Put a weight on the wax paper and let it set for 30--45 minutes; that should moisten the glue to where you can slide a thin spatula under the label and lift it off.