I'll sorta' outline my process for the bible, as I didn't take a ton of pictures since really it was just a matter of cutting pages, over and over and over.
I {
...} created a template. I printed the image of the page that the cuts start on & stuck that to the front of some styrene, drew the shape that needed to be cut{
, matching the shape by going letter to letter from screenshots/auction images/etc}, cut that out, & used that on the initial page{
, as my cutting template}. After I did the first page, I proceeded to carefully/gently cut the next 20-50 pages, (I didn't count, but I did quite a few).
Some things to note - from my perspective - that were really important. 1: Use a VERY sharp utility/X-acto knife. 2: Go VERY, VERY slowly on the beginning & end pages that you're doing the cutting on. Those are the visible pages, obviously. After that, you have some leeway with the accuracy of the cuts a bit. 3: Change the blade whenever cutting becomes difficult, especially at the beginning & the end, {
...}.
Anyway, after I got through those first bunch of pages, I got a heavy duty razor knife & cut through 50-75 pages at a pop. Eventually, I even stopped using the template & just used the edges of the opening I'd already cut. Again, if it starts being difficult, change the blade.
It actually took a LOT less time than I anticipated, once I got past the first bunch of pages & up until the last pages, (I did place another piece of styrene at the 'end' page for the hole so as not to cut past where I wanted to finish. Also, to keep the hole from creeping side to side, I braced the spine of the bible against some surface whenever I was cutting so that I stayed as close to a 90 degree angle in relation to the back cover.
When I finished the cutting, I mixed up some school glue with water, (probably 3 to 1, glue to water), & brushed that on the interior of the hole, holding back the two or three pages at both the front & back of the hole. I left the styrene in place at the back of the hole for any dripping/drainage, just in case.
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...}
Hope that helps!
