Adam Savage Makes an Old Book From Scratch

[@tested]

Black vintage handmade paper: amzn.to/3tn54FX Adam's Indiana Jones Grail Diary replica: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdoO1... Adam Savage Learns How Old Books Were Made! kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5LYiXWdmq6gfMU

[@mattblank4402]

have you thought about doing some leather work to make a book cover? idk what you call it the pressing and or carving of material to create art on leather.

[@_owen.c]

@DASBookbinding is an amazing and deep resource for book binding!

[@_owen.c]

youtube.com/@DASBookbinding?si=Xtzd2N9livEbHdba

[@tiacho2893]

@@mattblank4402 IIRC, it's generally called "tooling" which includes pressing into the leather (like a stamp) or removing material (like carving) like you mentioned. Interesting note, the ridges on an old book's spine are the heavier cords that bind the signatures together. They're not just decorative.

[@GearsAndBricks]

Idea: a wholly braille diary.

[@rockyetsx70]

There's a KZbin maker channel from Norway called Nerdforge, and Martina regularly makes stunning custom bound books with sword and sorcery styling, elaborate leather covering, using all the classic book binding techniques and tools. When you did the tour of the book binding museum, so many of the tools and techniques were the same as she uses.

[@eronGreco]

MARTINA 💕

[@gownerjones]

She is that badass who built herself a replacement finger because she cut it off with a saw or something right? I love her videos.

[@Kenkire]

I love Nerdforge.

[@Craftlngo]

@@gownerjones exactly. If you go back in their KZbin timeline (about six years ago) you can see her with all ten fingers. Then with a bandage 😬, then hiding her left hand and now self-confident and open about it. She is totally a badass!

[@shaynecoventry8894]

I was just about to tell him that too. Shagera bagerja or how ever she says it! I love them

[@CorwynGC]

Adam: "Every tool is a hammer" Also Adam: stands in a shop surrounded by tools; hits things with his fist.

[@iout]

The hands are the greatest tool. So therefore they must also be the greatest hammer.

[@jmalmsten]

To be fair. They were the closest tools at hand :P

[@aserta]

For that specific part, your fist is the best. It's not too hard to be denting the solid part of the cover, it's not too soft to do nothing. You're hitting the glue with your own directed force, just enough to make sure the two materials bind through the glue, not too much to drive it out completely. You could roll it, but you really need to know what you're doing otherwise you risk making a kink in the glue-up. So fist, for that, perfect.

[@Smucklz]

His fist is a hammer

[@fixpedalboards1969]

Most efficient non marring spark free dead blow hammer

[@graemejackson5979]

I was watching a Myth busters episode earlier today where Jamie mentioned that Adam had "for whatever reason, a sword forge." which back then struck me as odd, but as time has told me was totally in keeping with the mentor to millions Adam had become. What an incredible gift it is to have your boundless curiosity matched with an intellectual willing to disseminate and teach, all whilst being humble, funny and engaging. I doubt I'll ever bind a book, but thanks for showing the process, both practical and thought. You're an amazing teacher Adam.

[@gownerjones]

I can't think of anyone who would be a greater teacher in the arts and crafts associated with making things than Adam. I would kill to just exist in his workshop and watch him do what he does. So, we're fortunate this channel exists. I don't have to kill anyone.

[@tiacho2893]

The show was "This is the thing. This is how we do the thing. This is us doing the thing." Those "process" portions of Mythbusters were (in my opinion) the key to the show as well as the inclusion of "failures". Hey, remember their mantra "Failure is always an option." And I'm am sure if you ever need some specialised piece of kit, Jamie would have it in the M5 "wall o' random stuff" or Adam's Cave. Sword forge? Adam's got one or Jamie has the stuff to jury rig one.

[@iainmcculloch5807]

I find that the DAS Bookbinding channel explains all the techniques really well, and has very clear demonstrations. He also goes through all the tools and materials, which is something a lot of places just skip past.

[@fondofmoose]

I never miss a chance to recommend that channel... so much there for beginners and experienced bookbinders

[@harbl99]

Beat me to the DAS recommendation. I've also found the Four Keys Bookbinding channel to be accessible and comfy.

[@edwardgurney1694]

We stan Darryn in this house.

[@planetspectra]

Seconded to both. Great resources.

[@jaycraft21]

LOL! I was just going to recommend @DASBookbinding - Darryn explains things in such detail, I expect he'd be a great tutor (If he isn't already) and I find following his videos enjoyable, along with this he is great at responding to emails and comments if you get stuck or need advise, a true gent!

[@minder01]

2:45 I was at the edge of my seat for the whole solid 30 seconds of Adam just slamming and flailing his arms near that sudden exacto knife.

[@susanj8158]

LOL!

[@LucasCarter2]

Man I just gotta say it's so cool that Adam is still producing content and unleashing his scientific curiosity. When I heard Mythbusters was ending I felt a deep sense of loss I couldn't identify until much later as being the sadness for future people not having the experience of curiosity led fun science like I had growing up. I know probably no-one will ever read this comment, but I still want to sincerly say thank you to Adam and his team for keeping the joy and enthusiasm for various creative outlets alive.

[@iout]

I've always been somewhat obsessed with bookbinding. Even as a kid, I decided just stapling the edges of a bunch of separate sheets of paper didn't look that good, so instead I would sew down the center of them using the most basic fabric sewing stitch. Didn't know about signatures at the time though, so every one of these books was just one massive signature. Which in hindsight is pretty funny. One day in school my teacher asked us to make an educational report based on one of the units we learned in the style of an "X for Dummies" book. And I decided, "screw it, Imma take this opportunity to learn to bind an actual book." The actual report only needed to be about 4 pages long (and indeed, mine was only 4 pages long), but the book itself was about 240 pages long with a ton of filler pages littered throughout. Some of which were misprints of the report itself, because turns out arranging pages into signatures is really easy to screw up when you don't have a program to do it for you and have to do it manually. I used scraps from around the house to make it, including some left over fabrics from a costume I made some years back and some vinyl leather as the cover. When I was done, I had the stupidest grin on my face and couldn't stop cackling to myself for like 10 minutes. One of my favorite bits was doing the headbanding, because it's one of those things you never notice on books, but after learning about them, I see them everywhere and it makes me really feel like I've unlocked some view of the world I hadn't been privy to before. Unfortunately, my teacher only went through the reports after class, so I never got to see her reaction to a stack of papers and then randomly *a fully bound book, smack dab in the middle of it,* but it makes me laugh whenever I try to imagine it. The best part was when I got the book back and read through it, she had made notes not just on the report, but also on all of the filler pages and all the stupid jokes and secrets I included in them. That's when you know the effort was worth it. By far one of my favorite projects I've ever had to do for school.

[@justinyon2324]

What was the grade you received?

[@iout]

@@justinyon2324 Unfortunately I do not remember. I only remember the feeling of the project, which I would argue was more important anyway.

[@RadRyan]

I always misread a word in the background as "IMMORTALITY," as if Adam is eventually going to build something that causes you to live forever.

[@Jah_LEASE_yah]

I've been bookbinding in some form since the age of 11 or twelve. Way before I knew what I was doing. And I started legitimately learning the art form maybe ten to fifteen years ago. It's definitely a skill that is easily accessible to start off with, and the learning curve is basically growing from, "that'll do" to, "yeah, that looks like something a professional made." LOL Since everyone in the comments is sharing their favorite bookbinding tutors, I have to shout out Sea Lemon. She pretty mush taught me everything I know, and she explains it in a way that is easy to comprehend, for people who are just getting started out.

[@venom0237]

First, I love when Adam does design related things. It makes me feel like all that Art School I went to actually taught me SOMETHING, lmao. (Cries in student debt) Second, I REAAALLLY appreciate how much action your new (ish) workbench has seen. I remember when he put it together and my main thought was-I can't wait to see that thing get properly worn in.

[@greyhaircrafter]

My mom was an elementary teacher and would teach the kids how to make books. Used cereal boxes, wallpaper for the cover and computer paper inside. Then they would write and illustrate a story and it would be tagged and put in their library. Kids could “sign them out”. They were so proud!

[@dharmakelleherauthor]

I started learning how to do bookbinding a month or so ago. I've been a creative (writer, graphic designer) for years, but never been what you'd call a maker. So this was new to me. I watched a TON of KZbin videos, then made my first book, rewatched a lot of the same videos to pick up on the techniques that I'd missed, and made another book. My biggest challenge was the level of precision required. But I approached it with a beginner's mind and am really enjoying the process.

[@PPedroFernandes]

I absolutely adore Adam's percussive maintenance of... Basically everything

[@maximusgriffiths4507]

Great video Adam. Four Keys Book Art is my favorite bookbinding KZbin channel. He's doing a series on getting started in bookbinding with basic tools.

[@steventagg]

Dennis is great. His D&D series is brilliant!

[@demetreasandrews]

I started bookbinding in 2021, and that's one of the things I loved about it. It's accessible and flexible, and even your first crappy attempt gives you some good results. I've had a lot of fun trying new things and ways to stitch the pages together, different materials to use for covers, and ways to decorate the covers.

[@doogong]

I think this is the first one of these videos that made me think "I could do that!" I feel inspired to make a book for myself!

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

before attaching the pages to the cover ... round over the spine of the pages ... a curve that would make the arc of a circle whos radius is the width of the book from the spine to the edge of page ... this allows the spine to NOT be broken easy and lets the center pages open as well as the end pages ... by NOT rounding over his book Adams spine will break after limited use and break the stitching quickly ... also his middle pages will rip out easier ... and the spine cloth goes on the pages and NOT on the book cover ... it is the support for all the folios

[@robertlocock5636]

@@kaboom-zf2bl To be fair I think Adam added linen to the pages then another strip to the cover.

[@jkhoover]

Good luck. I definitely couldn't do it.

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

@@jkhoover tbh ... it is easy to bind a book ... the hard part is making it look precious ... mine I make scrap books so they can look crappy ... practice improves the work

[@jkhoover]

@@kaboom-zf2bl It may be for you, but I'm just not good with my hands. I had anxiety when he was gluing the two boards together, because I know I'd mess that up.

[@MrJackBroady]

After the prolonged intro saying how accessable bookbonding can be, and that most references are difficult to follow - I really enjoyed the bit where you timelapsed over the actual binding so we don't know how it was done...

[@swordsmanfabian18]

Watching Adam make things is just soothing, I love how jazz'd he gets about trying something new, and just being all excited about the end product. It also gives me some genuine hope knowing that there's other people like Adam out here on KZbin showing folks how to make stuff by hand. A lot of people today don't understand how precious knowledge like this is.

[@HunterJE]

The talk about getting over the intimidation and just doing a thing is so big, in the last few years have made a point of taking a "just give it a go" mentality towards things and it's really opened up whole worlds to me...

[@MrGreenAKAguci00]

I believe what Adam was saying is that bookbinding has a low threshold for entry but the threshold for mastery is a different thing altogether. The journey to mastery is very rewarding though and at all the points one may find sufficient enough for one's self the end result can be satisfactory.

[@whogavehimafork]

Well said

[@seeingthepattern]

There are so many crafts that are much easier to start than many people realise.

[@McCrocodile6]

Adam I have been watching you since I was just a kid. You and every team you've ever worked with have really inspired me to create things, sometimes by the book and at other times just with a little grit and reflection on my own abilities. I have gotta say, you're love for science and pop culture inspired crafts have always kept me on my toes but I never thought anyone could make me want to watch a whole video about making a book. Thank you for being you, and showing me that I can create without always knowing exactly how.

[@crazykittenvideos855]

I wrote a kids/young adult book about time travel and wanted to print it like a book. It was fun learning about signatures and that ‘Word’ can print them. I ended up running each signature through a sewing machine, hand stitching the signatures together through the machine stitches here and there. I clamped it tight whilst it did that and then using wood glue adhered a small piece cut from an old bed sheet. It came out so well that my wife refused to write on it with her comments, which was the whole point of printing it out in the first place! I still have an unedited potential bestseller if anyone wants to buy the movie rights😂. Now half way through the sequel. Loved the video Mr Savage!

[@SJR_Media_Group]

The Book of Eli - Adam Savage style.... What a genuine message of encouragement to those afraid to 'just try' something new. We grow stronger when we bend.

[@Natalie-hg3gh]

I'm so happy you spoke about the accessibility of book binding because it seems simultaneously easy and difficult depending on videos watched, but it's ever in the back of my mind as a skill I'd love to acquire

[@cpbethlehem6548]

Great work. You have inspired me to create a book. The museum I work at just received a donation of printing plates from the 1800's of a German children's book. I have not found a printed copy, so over the next few weeks,(years) I will be trying to print this and now going to make a book like you did.

[@m.-.-.]

You might consider what Mr. Savage said at 1:04 and think about making more than one at once even.

[@HomunculusStreams]

I find it lovely, your admiration with the inventiveness you bring to bookmaking. As a book artist, the looks I get when I tell people my passion is in bookmaking and they’re like “that’s still a thing??”. Making me appreciate my bookmaking community in Minneapolis.

[@killer_rabbit42]

I love doing bookbinding projects for personal use or prop making. I play D&D & converted a 2E supplement for Aurora's Emporium into 5E rules. I went all out with it, including color swatches in the back for when characters order custom clothing. One of my players really liked how it looked & asked me to make one for her. To this day, it's probably my favorite bookbinding project.

[@fiach]

I've been watching book binding videos the last couple days for exactly this, a dnd character journal. What good timing to have Adam's video pop up

[@jazzc5632]

As someone who is very much a beginner bookbinder (only made one book so far), i found previously mentioned channels like Nerdforge and Nik the Booksmith very helpful but also Sea Lemon. I found her stiching tutorials in particular very informative and easy to follow, and it's not too tool heavy.

[@daveturnbull7221]

Two really good sources of bookbinding instruction for me have been DAS Bookbinding and Four Keys Book Arts (both on youtube) with detailed how to videos, explanations and loads more. Also Darry from DAS Bookbinding is giving an online lecture with the American Bookbinders Museum on 16th Dec called "A Beginner’s Bindery in a Hide-Away Box". Making your own books is fun and (depending how technical you want to be about it) really not easy if you can hold a sewing needle.

[@XxL3G1ONxOFxHAVICxX]

i just watched four keys book binding combine 3 dnd books and rebind them in leather. so naturally now im adhd-hype-fixated with book making.

[@MrContilius]

LOVE this video, Adam. Thank you for making it. I just started playing with book binding about 2 months ago. I even started a new one, last night. It's going to be the first one that I attempt covering with leather. It's also going to be my first making/crafting journal, in which I'm going to start drafting my projects. Thank you for being an inspiration to start creating more of the things in my world!!

[@jabbertwardy]

I can't believe I'm only seeing this video now. The video about Adam's Grail Diary prop is what got me watching this channel. Once again I'm inspired to give it a try!

[@blakxhart]

I've been book binding for a year and it's the best thing I've ever done. A super accessible hobby to learn!

[@wadewilsondp07c31]

It never ceases to amaze me how skilled Adam is at making something he just created look like it’s existed for generations.

[@Nanakinsz]

Mister Adam, this was GREAT fun to watch! Thanks for the inspiration on a HUGE old book! The best book binding videos I have found have been by DAS Bookbinding here on KZbin. He knows his stuff, and is an excellent teacher! Nik the Booksmith also has great tips and techniques on her channel. Some of her creations may be a bit less classic. But solid techniques are solid techniques. One cannnot go wrong with either.

[@carolinelabbott2451]

I love getting inspired by Niks creativity, also enjoy listening to her talk.

[@jeremymartinez827]

Very much enjoyed the video. I own a commercial print shop, and we do saddle binding, coil, and perfect binding in house. I've seen some smyth sewn book equipment, including the videos you did. As a printer, I always enjoy the trip to see how things used to be done. I've actually had customers ask me to make smyth sewn books, but it's not practical to do that in a commercial environment. Thanks for sharing. I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of your book. It came out amazing.

[@darrellwaggerby]

Thank you Adam, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed covering and repairing books in the library in grade school, and then in my twenties as a temp in a bindry, putting all different types of book binding together, I really enjoy this thanks

[@violentfrog_]

great resources in Nyk the Booksmith, Four Keys Book Arts and Rajiv Surendra got me started this summer

[@BlackOakBindery]

I've been binding for a few years and I picked up some new ideas from this video! Easy to learn, difficult to master. That is absolutely bookbinding. There are so many aspects to the craft that you can work to master (or not! That's totally valid too.) that all lead up to creating a beautiful book. Thank you for encouraging people to give binding a try. It's a craft that needs more people playing and experimenting with it. If anyone is looking to make a book similar to this, look up case binding. That's pretty much the structure Adam used here.

[@raysmancave1]

My great grandfather was a book binder for most of his life, he worked for a scottish company called Edmond & Spark he used to say that the company was Scotlands first publisher, but I've never been able to corroborate that. Our family still has his leatherworking tools. The intricate embossing on the leather was done by hand using around 100 differently shaped punches and dyes. Some of the books took up to a week to make, back in the 1800s leather bound books were so expensive only the richest could afford them. They were made of Vellum, this leather shrunk with time giving a long lasting tight finish, the pages were bound together with strips of leather/Vellum. Bookmaking was an art form in it's own rights, sadly now a days only a few make books the traditional way. Thank you for letting your viewers see the basics of book making. BTW when you have your signatures built up into the sized book you need, place them between 2 wooden boards and place them in a press and leave them for at least 4 hours, the paper will sit tighter together and take less space.

[@ConnieFaye]

If you get a bone folder it makes nice sharp creases. After years of not being able to find the kind of paper I like to draw on in a sketchbook, and the size of sketchbook I like, I started making my own sketchbooks.

[@danielclement2832]

I've made a few books like this. Never occurred to me to weather them as Adam does. Make me chuckle when he took it to the belt sander - awesome!

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

as Adam said book binding itself is simple enough ... the hard part is doing it well .. THAT is where the art and skill shine through

[@ChizFri]

This was both a perfect inspiration and launch point for further research. I’m a part of my local theater troop and we are performing _The Book of Will_ to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio. I play the lead compositor of the bookshop that is building the folio, and needed to know how to sew the book together for the final montage. It is wild how things line up.

[@gownerjones]

Adam, no apologies are needed. I'm not a bookbinder but I would be honored to see you try out my profession, even if you get words wrong. Getting more people interested in more things is always a positive.

[@ThiagoOliveira-yk5sy]

As a amateur bookbinding i have to say ta its only easy because of you back ground, Adam , every difficult ting in bookbinding you have already encountered in your life as maker. Like precise measuring, molds, and puting tings together by force and by dexterity.

[@annwagner5779]

Book binding is actually something I have done (as opposed to most of what Adam does, which I could never manage). I always wanted to know if Adam had that skill. I was delighted to learn about the Grail Diary - it is so great to see Adam in the act of binding!

[@prillewitz]

Great to see this Adam, my family comes from the occupation of booksellers and bookmanufacturers but I have never seen how handbinded books are made, thank you very much.

[@spudsmith]

This is one of my favourite things you've ever made. LOVE it!

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

Very diplomatic, your handling of the idea that getting started in book binding can have immediate rewards and satisfying results at entry level! You acknowledged that the craft is as much art as science, you pay respect to the experts and masters of the craft while encouraging everyone to give it a try. Very well handled.

[@LunteBooks]

"Books, in addition to being repositories, are magnificent objects." So true, thank you Adam and crew! Really enjoyed the information and insights in this video.

[@dbzlinkinpark99]

4:31 I love that, he wants to innovate so deep down inside his soul, he can’t pass up a chance to help clarify something he feels should be proper archived knowledge for everyone to be able to access and understand, that’s very admirable 💜

[@donevans1884]

What a brilliant video Adam , i was so so happy to see how exited you were , the book looks gorgeous , so cleaver , loved it just loved it , thank you for sharing .

[@violentfrog_]

Oh just for anyone starting out, four keys had great advice for folding paper in quarters (rather than half). Once folded in half, slit the signature at the crease about 2/3 the way through and it will help avoid wrinkles and creases around the second fold. Much more cost effective to practice on smaller books to use less board.

[@neilclarkwork]

I did book binding a lot about 10 years ago. I have moved on for now but I actually have a book in the catalog at the San Francisco Center for the book.

[@josephdestaubin7426]

As a double major in philosophy and history, I had to read and annotate a lot of things that have never been published and quite a few works that, while still being published, were not bound in such a way to facilitate annotation. So to get around this commandrum, I learned how to rapidly print and bind books that I would read, annotate, and never pick up again. Somewhat unsurprisingly, from my large book collection, these are my absolute favorites. Shockingly, I ran out of money and time before I could graduate. I'm sure you can imagine why.

[@christopherpike8269]

Add some of that "Old Book Smell" that the one maker uses for those Da Vinci Books. This has inspired me to try book binding. Love this kind of content!

[@ScreamWaveVideo]

Ah I’ve been binding books from scratch a few years now so it’s very cool to see you make one and watch how your style differs

[@Dargonhuman]

I've been working towards making a replica of a book from a video game and this video came up at the exact perfect time! Definitely going to save this to my Watch Later for reference when I get to the point that I can start printing out pages and assembling them.

[@jimmipadge]

I always find the way he slams and tosses stuff around to be very vicariously cathartic.

[@UnoriginalElephant]

Bookbinding is a lot of fun and the barrier to entry is very low. I taught myself to bind my first book when I was 14 by peeking inside the spines of some sewed books in my parents' house to examine the stitching, then sewing together signatures of printer paper. In my early 20s I would sometimes take the covers off old books and and put in blank pages I'd bound to use as notebooks or to give to friends. I've been feeling the itch lately to get back into it, I just haven't carved out the time.

[@BotanicalBits]

Adam I grew up watching you on Myth Busters as many of us have. I think you do amazing work. You work in the same way I try and teach my son how to draw. He will always Ooo and Awe over something I have been sketching for an hour or so. Little does he know that you can work anything into something amazing. Those finishing frantic free hand steps at the end is where the real magic is. I once wanted to be a fine artist but I found it took the fun out of it for me. My work looked like everyone's and I kinda liked the messiness. You sir, messy sketch when you build, layer by layer you create something amazing. Do you feel energized as a project comes to an end, with a crash after?

[@WyverrnDice]

I started my book binding journey just a few months ago and I just love to see one of my favourite creators who I’ve watched most of my life also doing something I love

[@kamicokrolock]

I learned book binding in college and it was the most satisfying thing ever. I made so many custom sketchbooks I was giving them away as gifts. I even bound a copy of a play my friend wrote in HS (that we performed) as a gift. The binding was the easy part. The hard part was typing it up and formatting it with Microsoft office (circa 2000's) so that it printed 2 in 2 columns, double sided, and in the proper order for the signatures. I have no memory how I figured out how to do that but I did. I also now know why some books sometimes have a few extra blank pages in the back.

[@scoutsatan6206]

I and a couple of friends got ahold of a well used D and D 2nd Ed players handbook it was falling apart so we decided to re bind it ourselves we punched holes using heavy leather needles then used artificial sinew to tie it all together then covered the original cover with leather. Ten of us used that book for years and lovingly cared for it. When I left I passed it on to our DM so it could continue it's life.

[@sloankirk3742]

I make prop books for D&D campaigns. Really cool to see almost the exact process I made for myself be used here.

[@peterwhitehouse]

I often find it useful to distinguish between "complex" and "hard", because they are not the same. Complex means a lot of involved steps (where each step may not be difficult at all, there is an integral sequence of them). Hard means challenging (either intellectually, physically or psychologically) - some may not be able to master hard things (or it may take time to develop those skills). My context is I was a Computer Science Teacher and now fold super-complex Origami, but I have found the distinction useful for many other disciplines.

[@SirWhiteRabbit-gr5so]

Bookbinding used to be a major industry, long gone.

[@IrinaGreenman]

For anyone wanting a good dedicated bookbinding channel, Four Keys Book Arts is absolutely fabulous. (My rec for a starting point tutorial is Sea Lemon, she's great!) EDIT: For different types of books, Nik the Booksmith!

[@markedis5902]

@FourKeysBookArts, made a medieval book from scratch! Loads of really good info on his channel

[@zoes17]

I tried to mention them earlier(15-20 minutes after posted) and must've got caught by some spam/auto-mod filter. That being said I second this recommendation Adam.

[@starfirebird3099]

I got into bookbinding via the Renegade Bindery fanfic binding community. They have a really excellent guide to both typesetting and creating a basic hardcover book, as well as a Discord community where people are always willing to answer questions. I also enjoy the DAS Bookbinding channel for videos on specific techniques.

[@Pup_Pryde]

i really enjoyed Adams comments on the accessibility of bookbinding. especially in comparison to watch repair as adam said. watch repair is something that either works, or it doesn't, and requires pre-requisite skill to make it happen. whereas bookbinding is more of a success by any means necessary sort of thing. you can certainly master the art of bookbinding and create beautiful, perfect works of art. but at the end of the day, if the book stays together regardless of whether its made with the finest skill and materials, or bound with fishing line and bad knots, its still a bound book.

[@andrewmcteigue8736]

I have been learning bookbinding for the past year and I have fallen in love with it. So many books to rebind and make from scratch. 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@Verlisify]

Adam's weathering and aging techniques are his strongest maker trait

[@joshuabrigden4820]

I didn't know i wanted to make my own book, i want to make one! I was like a kid glued to the tv/ipad with this one, thanks Adam 👌

[@docschro6847]

So I'm primarily a more than hobbyists leatherworker, and through a curious journey of finding an unfilled niche of leatherwork from my larping friends i slipped in to doing simple book binding and now i am find myself voyaging into more complex and artistic binding. I enjoy the fact that book binding at the more basic level doesn't take up any more space than my leatherwork does and there is a massive overlap between the two

[@KayAwoooo]

Shoutout to the Museum of Bookmaking in downtown SF! They have a hands-on display for bookbinding techniques that really helped me understand the process for the first time

[@nzlemming]

Beautiful! I love that you didn't trim the edges - such a nice feel. This was fun to watch. Thanks.

[@ryokomusouka]

The bookbinding course I took as part of my art degree was one of the most fun. I have handsful of little prototypes that I'll likely never write in, but the fact that I made them is enough.

[@katgillang]

It’s an art that is easy to do a rudimentary form that you can be proud of while simultaneously gaining a strong appreciation for the work of skilled artist work… win win for art.

[@smylingsnake]

I've been bookbinding for around twenty years now, and I love that my motivation for learning was the same as yours - to make the Grail Diary. Great to see the practice getting attention!

[@ac4054]

You listened and finally uploading in 4k! THANK YOU!

[@kalchev89]

Awesome video. I have been contemplating sending you one of my books to nudge you into making a book. I've been making books for about four years now and all the things you said are completely true. I still don't have none of the fancy equipment you "need" to make a book. No book press - use two cutting boards and some woodworking clamps, for cutting the holes for the thread I use two expandable planks and woodworking clamps etc. The process is super fun and the end result is super satisfying. If you guys want to try it, don't hesitate.

[@MonkyTube18]

Very nice improvised book binding. The wethering is inspirational. I will apply that on the next boxes i build

[@Crytical8494]

Plywood and Cinder blocks works great too for clamping paper down. I've made various forms of guillotine presses for holding paper for glue ups and for stitching.

[@susanj8158]

I love Adam's joy when he is weathering things.

[@Johnrich395]

I recently watched through an entire bookbinding of a gothic book by a master, very interesting and mostly zen. It’s fascinating to see an expert maker who is an amateur bookbinder do one.

[@BobLoudist]

He made a book without making a book pure genius!

[@KagomeMorino]

I want to sketch in it! 😂 I picked up book binding as a hobby so I could make my own sketchbooks. So much fun!

[@Swayzee68]

I learned bookbinding because of you. I always wanted my own Grail diary so I found a good layout of one, re-typeset the whole thing (used some drawings I found online, made a couple of my own, even created my own font in the style of one of the popular diary fonts, probably taken from the video game? Made an draft version of it on newsprint paper. But after rewriting it I have to make a new one. So great then this video pops up. Now I'm going to have to look into this paper! I wasn't planning to make my version super aged but maybe I will have to! 😆 Have also learned to make journals bound with waxed embroidery thread. Thanks a lot for this new hobby! Enjoying it so much ❤

[@fe3o2y]

There is also "Nik the Booksmith". She makes it seem so easy. She made something called a lapbook that was so cool. Id love to see Adam try his hand at one of them! And, since you can only show the same things so many times, she's added some murder mysteries to some of her vids. You see her make a book as she tells you about a missing 9 yr old girl. It's like you're at the table with her having a conversation. One sided, but, hey, still. She explains things so well too. Check her out, Adam!

[@galivanting]

the library has books about book binding that will have pictures and amazing information, i know cause ive checked them out from the sf public library system! the internet is sometimes not the best place for information about certain hobbies, especially the older traditions

[@kthxbi]

I've been binding my own sketchbooks since I was 14, so for a decade ad a half now, ad I can remember back in those days of the internet how impossible it was to find good clear bookbinding tutorials, information, or even supplies. Its still a bit trick even now! I had to throw my method together mostly from dissecting pictures. Nowadays Sea Lemon does really good introductory bookbinding, Nerdforge does some great fantasy themed binding, and Stopan is a Bulgarian bookbinder who is making absolute art with his amazing medieval inspired bindings.

[@patrickcollier7090]

For anyone who is interested in making their own books Nerdforge has some great videos on the process she goes through.

[@joshhoman]

That does look like a genuine old book! I have seen many old books from the early 1900s and even one from 1898, and that one that you made would definitely be at home with them!

[@nicolasc7063]

Amazing job as always Adam. I now know how to bind and age the cover of my Grail Diary replica when I do it, thanks...

[@meloneeleddington7664]

Looks amazing you did a great job. I have really missed Mythbusters. I found this channel by accident and am so happy I did. Great to see you again Adam. I would want to turn it into an old witch book for Halloween. 😀

[@marissaduran423]

I've been bookbinding for a little over a year. Love DAS here on youtube. Theres actually a lot of folks binding fanfiction right now. Particularly Harry Potter and Star Wars. Renegade bindery discord is a fantastic resource as well.

[@Doyle69]

As a 37 year old who watched Mythbusters at 17 when it first came to air, its great see Adams own projects, he loved creating on MB, but when in his own environment, it's so much better!