Hello all

I've recently discovered a new use for the watercolour Moleskine - I've started printing some of my work on the removable pages. The archival ink from my Epson printer looks lovely on it - very deep colours. I don't use watercolour a great deal being a bit of a techno geek when it comes to colour so I'm really pleased to have a use for the new Moleskine.

I've been wondering about reattaching the pages in the book when I've finished printing on them - I think it would be an interesting way of making a one off book...

Best wishes to all

--

Michael

Michael, if you google library supplies and repair you'll find suppliers who sell a whole range of tapes for book repair. (There's a company that starts with D but the name is not coming up in my mind! Wish I had a search engine for that!) This includes linen tapes and others with archival adhesives.

Talas, which sells book making stuff will have some items that you could use, as might Light Impressions or Universityproducts.com (I have a catalog from them labeled Archival quality materials, but their website is what I just wrote). I've only purchased from Talas and Light Impressions.

I don't like adhesive tapes for this type of thing, even the archival ones because they don't always stick like I think they should.

I would recommend creating some sort of hinge using thin but strong Japanese paper. I haven't looked closely at the Moleskine watercolor journals (perforated pages turn me off) so I am just guessing here, but assume you have a tab left in the book when you remove the pages?

If so I'd simply cut thin strips of thin but strong Japanese paper the height of the page and wide enough to go onto both the tab and the page itself a little bit, say maybe 1/4 inch. I'd glue one of these on the front and back of each page and tab with PVA (polyvinyl acetate), put in some wax paper to separate pages while drying, close

it all up and WEIGHT it for several hours until dry.

If you don't like to use PVA because you think it might be messy, you could use PMA (Positional Mounting Adhesive) from 3M which is an adhesive in sheet form. I understand from a conversation I recently had with a binder friend that a similar adhesive is available at Talas called Gudy adhesive.

The 3M product has a bit of a chemical odor for a little while (over a month) so I wouldn't use it on a book I was actively carrying around. I assume the Gudy does too, though I haven't had any to smell.

If you want to try the PMA but can't find it localy I know that the local store I got to will see it by piece (don't know if it is by the foot or the yard) which means you won't have to buy a huge roll of the stuff. You could google them and ask. Wet Paint in St. Paul on Grand Ave.

Good luck

Roz