I hate spiral notebooks! Ok, hate is a strong word. I really do not like them Sam I am!

And I have actually tried them!
Here and there,
And I do not like them
Anywhere.

No House, No Mouse, No box, No fox, NO!

I do not like them to unwind
I do not like them to unbind
I do not like them when they rip
And then the pages do not flip!

Ok seriously, I have been homeschooling now for 100 years or since 2009 whichever is longer. Spiral notebooks, workbooks, textbooks, and manuals never ever fair well. The covers rip, the spirals bend, break, or unwind. Then the pages start falling out. For this reason, I always buy composition notebooks even though they aren’t a full 8 1/2 by 11.

So, if this happens to you or in your house and you want to know what I have finally (after a 1000 years of trial and error, videos, and blogs) figured out, then keep reading.

Before:

This is what my book looked like before I started. It is in much better shape than some of our other spiral books, but still, it is falling apart. (P.S. I highly recommend Rightstart Math, if you’re interested in a review the curriculum comment below).

Materials:

You are going to need:
Binder clips (I recommend using at least two but I couldn’t find a 2nd)
A large needle
Dental floss
Packing tape
Regular tape
Glue– rubber cement works well. School glue can work too, there is also book binding glue on amazon, but both take longer to dry).
Card stock, or heavy paper, or a folder and or paper*
coffee (well maybe not, but if you’re like me you need the coffee).

*You will also will need a piece of paper or card stock to make a back spine of the book. For this book I used a piece of paper the color of the spiral spine. If the cover of your book is torn off and lost you will need some heavy paper or card stock to make a cover. For this book I used card stock for my front cover, I only need it to last 4-6 six more weeks. If the book needs to last a full school year (or longer) with daily use, then I suggest a school folder (the sturdier kind that have that slick finish on the front). You might also be able to laminate the original cover to make it last longer.

Procedure:

Step 1. Place a binder clip (or more) on the edge(s) of the book. It is easier if you have one on the two ends.

Step 2. Clip off the curled edge of the spiral binder that is supposed to keep the spiral from unwinding. (Though, if you are reading this you know they are a lie! Stupid things always unwind anyway).

Step 3. Unwind the spiral binder from the book. At first it seems like it will take forever but this only took me a little over a minute. Yes, I timed it.

(I tried to take a video but I can’t post videos on my blog unless I pay for an upgrade, but like 4 people read this thing, and half of them are my parents, so I’m not paying for an upgrade! I had to do a screen shot of the video and that is why it’s stupid and blurry.)

Step 4. Tape any torn pages. Placing tape over the edge gives you something to sew to if the holes are ripped.

Also, for the cover I put tape on both sides of the cover. You do not need to put tape on both sides of the paper pages.

Step 5. Pull out some dental floss about 4 times the length of your book. I used about three times today and I had to tie another piece on part way through. Thread the floss onto a large needle.

 

Step 6. Thread the needle through the first hole on either the top or bottom of the book. Then loop it back through the same hole and pull tight.

Step 7000. Not really 7000 but I’m sure you feel that way. Sew through the holes skipping every 3 or 4 holes.
If you have tape on your edges of your cover, make sure you sew through the tape. (You can see how the pages not stacked perfect, that is because I only had one binder clip.)

When you get to the end sew back down the book the opposite way, alternating the stitches on the way back down. If the first time the stitch went up through the book, then the second time it should go down through the book.

To finish off the the end I stitch back up the book about 4 or 5 stitches in each hole to keep the floss from raveling.

Step 8. Tape the cover to the book.
Attaching a cover, if you no longer have the original. Line the cover up on the book as though it was open. If you have the cover, open the book, and tape the cover to the book the length of the book with packing tape. For added security tape the other side of the first page (cover page) to the 2nd page in exactly the same way as show below.

 

Step 9. Put a back binding on the book.
For this project I used ordinary paper because I wanted to keep the binding the same color as the spiral. I did not have card stock the right color. I folded the paper in half and glued it together. For sizing take a scrap paper and folded in over the book to estimate the size needed for your book. Since I folded my sheet of paper in half, the size I used was 8.25 in by 11.

To attach the back spine to the cover, spread glue the length of the book about 2-3 inches closest to the spine. If you are using rubber cement also cover about half of the paper for the spine with glue as well.

Then place the paper spine on the back of the book.

Cover the rest of the paper spine with glue. Once again, if you are using Rubber Cement make sure to put glue on along the front edge of the cover about 2-3 inches in (or however wide your spine wraps around.

Step 10. Tape the spine onto the cover. Then cover the spine with tape.

I like to cover the spine with packing tape and tape it to the cover, so that it holds well and doesn’t wear or rip.

 

Step 11: Add a title to you cover if you do not have the original cover and you done.

This only too me about minutes to an hour and that is with stopping to take pictures and remind my boys to stay focused on their chores.

Outside of book:

 

Inside of the book

Other Projects:

Last fall I did something like this to my teacher manuals. It took a lot longer because I wanted them to be able to last for more than one school year and maybe even be able to pass them on when we are finished with them. I used a glue specifically made for book repair. I ordered it from Amazon. It’s very similar to white school glue, though it smelled a little bit like fabric stiffener. The basics are all the same, clean with warm water and it takes about 24 hours to dry.  I spent a lot more time to glue the edges of the pages to the new back spine of the book. This helped keep the pages from tearing out. I also glued the covers to folders which makes them even more sturdy. The project was more difficult and time consuming. But as I stated: I HATE SPIRAL BOOKS! And I did not want another school year wrestling with them everyday trying to keep them in one piece.

If you have any questions about how I fixed my son’s workbook, or how I made my teacher manuals comment below.

If you would like a PDF of these instructions to print, first comment below requesting a copy, second subscribe via email to this blog so I will have your email to send the copy to you.

Copyright 2019 J. A. Goggans

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