Well, here is another step by step on the faking of the book spines. This will add the Roman numerals and then the arcane symbols will follow using the same techniques.
First I ordered very thin white goat skin leather from a great vendor on ebay. This will also be used to make the lids on those jars that have a leather cover. It takes dye very nicely and is thin enough to not be noticed when it is glued over a couple of panels on the books' spines. I also ordered leather dye in a couple of shades to allow me to match the color of the existing books exactly and, hopefully, tone the existing color towards red. I ordered mahogany and dark red dye. Next, I applied the red dye to all the leather on the books.Then I experimented on the white leather and found that a coat of mahogany followed by a coat of dark red matched the new book color pretty well.
Using a rotary fabric cutter and a straight edge I cut a strip of leather exactly as wide as the panel of the books' spines currently occupied by the title of the volume.
Using Barge cement, I glued a piece of this strip onto the panel of the first book. Barge works like contact cement in that you apply it to both surfaces, allow it to dry and then press the white leather piece into place over the title, allowing it to hang off the front and the back of the spine:
Then, using a sanding stick, I trimmed (and thinned) the front and back of the strip so that it blended in as well as possible with no edge thickness to work loose later.
The little bit of rawness this creates on the cover leather will be touched up with dye in the next step.
Next, I applied the mahogany and then the dark red dyes to the white leather piece:
Not a bad match!
Next I printed out the Roman numerals in the proper font and size, being sure to kern each number so they would fit on the correct volumes. I had to cheat a little and make the thinnest volume number V as it was too thin for more than one digit and I did not want the skinniest volume to be number I. I tried to match the thickness of my volumes with that of Dr. Broom but could only get sort of close. Since I will have 7 volumes and he has 6 it hardly matters!
Next I cut out the numbers for each volume making sure to standardize the height of each piece to help in getting the numbers centered vertically in their panels. Then I rubbed yellow chalk on the back of each number to facilitate transferring the number to the spine of the book.
Then I traced over the number, pressing hard with a blunt pencil, and the yellow chalk transferred the number to the spine of the book. I cleaned up the chalk image with a small damp brush and it was ready for the gold leaf:
(Forgive the continuity error as I am going to go forward from here with volume II.)
Next, I carefully painted the gold leaf sizing (adhesive) onto the spine, carefully covering the chalk:
Then I cut a piece of gold leaf and laid it over the dry adhesive size (right side up!) and pressed and then burnished the gold down onto the adhesive.
Then I brushed away the excess gold leaf:
Trouble spots can be cleaned up by scraping with the tip of an eleven blade or spot reapplying more adhesive size and more leaf.
Once I felt the leaf was as good as I could get it, I applied the leaf sealer with a tiny brush. Once that dried, I applied Johnson's paste wax to all the leather parts to tie it all together.
Repeat 6 more times:
First I ordered very thin white goat skin leather from a great vendor on ebay. This will also be used to make the lids on those jars that have a leather cover. It takes dye very nicely and is thin enough to not be noticed when it is glued over a couple of panels on the books' spines. I also ordered leather dye in a couple of shades to allow me to match the color of the existing books exactly and, hopefully, tone the existing color towards red. I ordered mahogany and dark red dye. Next, I applied the red dye to all the leather on the books.Then I experimented on the white leather and found that a coat of mahogany followed by a coat of dark red matched the new book color pretty well.
Using a rotary fabric cutter and a straight edge I cut a strip of leather exactly as wide as the panel of the books' spines currently occupied by the title of the volume.
Using Barge cement, I glued a piece of this strip onto the panel of the first book. Barge works like contact cement in that you apply it to both surfaces, allow it to dry and then press the white leather piece into place over the title, allowing it to hang off the front and the back of the spine:
Then, using a sanding stick, I trimmed (and thinned) the front and back of the strip so that it blended in as well as possible with no edge thickness to work loose later.
The little bit of rawness this creates on the cover leather will be touched up with dye in the next step.
Next, I applied the mahogany and then the dark red dyes to the white leather piece:
Not a bad match!
Next I printed out the Roman numerals in the proper font and size, being sure to kern each number so they would fit on the correct volumes. I had to cheat a little and make the thinnest volume number V as it was too thin for more than one digit and I did not want the skinniest volume to be number I. I tried to match the thickness of my volumes with that of Dr. Broom but could only get sort of close. Since I will have 7 volumes and he has 6 it hardly matters!
Next I cut out the numbers for each volume making sure to standardize the height of each piece to help in getting the numbers centered vertically in their panels. Then I rubbed yellow chalk on the back of each number to facilitate transferring the number to the spine of the book.
Then I traced over the number, pressing hard with a blunt pencil, and the yellow chalk transferred the number to the spine of the book. I cleaned up the chalk image with a small damp brush and it was ready for the gold leaf:
(Forgive the continuity error as I am going to go forward from here with volume II.)
Next, I carefully painted the gold leaf sizing (adhesive) onto the spine, carefully covering the chalk:
Then I cut a piece of gold leaf and laid it over the dry adhesive size (right side up!) and pressed and then burnished the gold down onto the adhesive.
Then I brushed away the excess gold leaf:
Trouble spots can be cleaned up by scraping with the tip of an eleven blade or spot reapplying more adhesive size and more leaf.
Once I felt the leaf was as good as I could get it, I applied the leaf sealer with a tiny brush. Once that dried, I applied Johnson's paste wax to all the leather parts to tie it all together.
Repeat 6 more times:
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Thanks for the kind words! It has been a blast!
Where it stands, so far:
Next, I need to work on the big compartment in the lid on the left under the drawer. Anyone have a good photo of the symbols carved/painted there or of the amulets hanging on the pegs?
(Some odd items of my own are hanging out in the box for now!)
Where it stands, so far:
Next, I need to work on the big compartment in the lid on the left under the drawer. Anyone have a good photo of the symbols carved/painted there or of the amulets hanging on the pegs?
(Some odd items of my own are hanging out in the box for now!)
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Your Box looks jawdropping ahoudini :thumbsup :love
Are these the correct outside dimensions of the box?
11" x 11 1/4" x 19 7/8" ?
I am asking just to make sure. I am not sure if I read the "drawings", posted on page 9, post# 201
especially about the wigth (or length however you may call it
) of 19 7/8", correct.
Thanks in advance for your feedback guys
Are these the correct outside dimensions of the box?
11" x 11 1/4" x 19 7/8" ?
I am asking just to make sure. I am not sure if I read the "drawings", posted on page 9, post# 201
especially about the wigth (or length however you may call it
) of 19 7/8", correct. Thanks in advance for your feedback guys
Murdoc,
Thanks for the kind words!
I will check the dimensions when I get home and post tonight. I was going to direct you to Contec's re-posting of Adam's high-res diagram on page 11 of this thread but the link there is broken. Contec, can you repost those high-res drawings, please?
Thanks for the kind words!
I will check the dimensions when I get home and post tonight. I was going to direct you to Contec's re-posting of Adam's high-res diagram on page 11 of this thread but the link there is broken. Contec, can you repost those high-res drawings, please?
Murdoc,
Mine ended up at 10 3/4" x 11 1/4 " x 19 7/8". I did not allow for the kerf of the saw blade when I cut the top off the box and so that is why my lid is a 1/4" too shallow.
If you plan to do it that way (build the box and lid intact and then cut the lid off on the table saw) add 1/4" to the height so that when you put it back together the 1/4" wide path of the blade (3/16?) will not be missed and the final height will be correct.
Mine ended up at 10 3/4" x 11 1/4 " x 19 7/8". I did not allow for the kerf of the saw blade when I cut the top off the box and so that is why my lid is a 1/4" too shallow.
If you plan to do it that way (build the box and lid intact and then cut the lid off on the table saw) add 1/4" to the height so that when you put it back together the 1/4" wide path of the blade (3/16?) will not be missed and the final height will be correct.
Thanks for the measurements ahoudini! Very much appreciated.
Indeed I planned to first build the "box" and cut off the lid after.
Your table saw blade has a thickness of 3/16 to 1/4" ? Now thats a thick blade, right?
Anyhow I do not count about a 1/5" here or there. I think with a prop-replica in that size, this doesn't matter (to me)
as long as the general proportions are fine.
Indeed I planned to first build the "box" and cut off the lid after.
Your table saw blade has a thickness of 3/16 to 1/4" ? Now thats a thick blade, right?
Anyhow I do not count about a 1/5" here or there. I think with a prop-replica in that size, this doesn't matter (to me)
as long as the general proportions are fine.
