This is the third and final installment. It involves several basic elements: making the thin wood pieces for the inside cover linings, mounting the Amazon Kindle 2 hinge on the right side cover lining, trimming the linings with marbleized paper, and gluing the linings into the cover.
Here’s what we’re starting with: the Leonardo leather cover with the address book and interior paper linings stripped out.
The wood linings are made of 1/32 birch plywood used in the aircraft hobby world. It can be obtained at almost any good hobby shop or craft supply shop. Here’s a photo of the label. As it shows, I bought a 12” x 24” sheet.
Using a utility knife, cut two 8 3/8” x 5 7/16” pieces out of the sheet. You might want to double check these measurements, since the size of each Leonardo address book cover could vary a bit. This size leaves about a 1/16” margin around each edge of the cover.
Measure twice to be sure, and mark the dimensions on the plywood sheet with a pencil. Use a straight edge to guide the knife, and make 4 or 5 firm strokes to cut through the plywood.
Here’s a photo of the two cut plywood pieces placed on the cover to double-check the fit (always a good idea!).
Next mount the Kindle 2 on the hinge and place the mounted Kindle 2 with hinge attached on the right-side edge of one of the plywood pieces you just cut. Center it vertically so there is equal space on the top and bottom sides of the Kindle 2 and make sure the edge of the hinge is precisely aligned with the edge of the plywood. Then using a pencil carefully mark the position of each side of the hinge on the plywood. This step is very important, since it ensures that the Kindle 2 will be in the right position when it is mounted into the case for reading.
The photo below shows this alignment.
Next we’re going to complete the mounting of the hinge on the plywood. First using the markings you made in the previous step, align the hinge on the plywood and trace around it with a pencil.
Now we need to create a surface that will create a platform even with the surface of the hinge that will make mounting of the Kindle for reading smooth and easy. We do this by adding a strip of wood 3/32” thick x 1” on the right side of the hinge for the full height of the plywood piece. A strip of wood this size is a standard item in the same hobby or craft shops that sell the aircraft plywood described earlier. These things can also be purchased online. I recommend sanding or filing the right side of the wood strip so it has a smooth edge where the marbleized paper will be glued to it later.
The photo below provides a good idea of what this looks like (the wood strip in the photo has not yet been cut to the right height).
Now, using the Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive, glue the hinge and the wood strip in place, as shown in these photos.
Now, to provide an even surface for the marbleized paper we have to fill in the empty slots/corners around the hinges. To do this, use excess pieces from the 1’ wood strip we just cut, hold them in place in the slot, and mark the size with a pencil. Then we use trusty utility knife to cut them. Then we glue them in place.
Now we’re ready to glue the marbleized paper onto the two plywood liners we just created. Here’s a photo of them loosely placed on the insides of the Leonardo cover.
The marbleized paper is Serra Negra Bookbinder's Marbles and can be obtained here:
http://www.papermojo.com/marble/book...l+designs.html It’s beautiful stuff, with small flecks of gold. Don’t use anything other than bookbinders paper for this purpose – it won’t be durable enough. Plus you won’t find any paper more beautiful than this – marbleized paper is a centuries-old craft, with much of it made and sold in Florence, Italy, like the leather Leonardo cover itself.
Please note that the marbleized paper has a directional pattern. You may want to coordinate that pattern for each of the pieces you make in the instructions below, or you may want them to be randomized. It's your choice.
I highly recommend Zip Dry Paper Glue for gluing the marbleized paper onto the plywood surfaces. It’s acid free, easy to work with, dries clear and fast (in about 1-2 minutes). A container of it, along with the marbleized paper and all the other pieces for the cover is shown in this photo.
Now you’re ready to prepare the paper for gluing. Lay a large piece of the marbleized poper face down on a clean, flat surface. Then lay both wood pieces face down on the back of the paper. Mark about a ¾’ border around each wood piece and cut two pieces of the paper to that size. These photos show the process.
Next spread the Zip Dry glue over one side of the left side wood piece (the one without the hinge) and place it on the back of one piece of the marbleized paper. Spread the glue so that you don’t leave openings of more than about ¾’ between glue lines. Press the peice firmly with your hands or a paperweight for about 2-3 minutes until the glue sets.
Once the glue has set, you’ll be ready to trim the corners of the paper so it can be folded back onto the other side of the wood piece, thus presenting an nice finished appearance. Using a straight edge and utility knife, trim each corner at a 45 degree angle, as shown in these photos.
Next, spread Zip Dry glue on the exposed undersides of the paper extending beyond the sides of the plywood and fold each side over to the back, holding it in place with your fingers until the glue sets. Do one edge/side at a time. This is what you’ll have when you’re finished:
Now you’re ready to attach the marbleized paper to the hinge side wood piece. Owing to the need to fit the paper around the two small metal hinge pieces as well as the varying thickness of the wood, this takes a few more steps than the side you just finished.
The trick here is to cut two small slots in the marbleized paper so it can fit over the two metal hinge pieces. First, mark the place for the slot cut-outs by laying the marbleized paper face up so one long edge butts up against the two hinge pieces. Make sure the paper is centered over the wood piece. Then, using a soft pencil, mark both sides of each hinge piece on the edge of the paper. Then, using your straight edge and pencil, draw a line on the paper about ¾’ back and parallel to the paper edge. Then draw lines on the cut marks vertical to the paper edge back to the horizontal line you just drew. These will mark notches in the paper that will enable it to slip abut ¾” past the hinge pieces. Cut out these notches. The photos below show these steps:
Next spread Zip Dry on the surface of the wood piece with the hinge side up. Make sure you spread Zip Dry on the plastic hinge surface as well, but don’t get it into the metal hinge pieces themselves, especially the one that is sprung. once the glue has been spread, slip the marbleized paper onto the wood piece, keeping the paper off the glue until the notches you cut have slipped fully into place past the two hinge pieces. When everything is properly aligned, press the paper firmly into place with your fingers for about 2-3 minutes. Please note that there it’s a drop off in the surface where the 1” wood piece ends. Once the paper has been glued into place, that will be invisible. But don’t press hard with your fingers in this area while the glue is setting. Once the glue has set, flip the whole thing over and using the same procedures you followed with the left side non-hinged piece, fold over and glue the extended paper for a finished appearance. This photo shows the hinge side piece before the paper edges have been folded over and glued.
Here are the two sides we just made laid loosely in place inside the Leonardo cover. Note that the spine is still exposed. The next step is to make and glue in place a marbleized paper piece that will cover the exposed spine.
First, get a piece of marbleized paper about 9” long and 3” wide and lay it face down under the two sides as shown in the photo. Mark both the upper and lower sides with a pencil. Then fold the paper back over these marks and glue with the Zip Dry. This will give you a piece that looks like this:
Lay this piece over the spine as shown and align it perfectly in place, so that it’s centered horizontally and vertically. Mark the right and left edges with a pencil onto the naked surface of the Leonardo cover. Next spread Zip Dry on the naked surfaces of the cover from the pencil lines you just made up to the edges of the spine. But don’t spread glue on the spine itself (the paper lining needs to be loose here so it has more give when the case is opened and closed, and especially when it is folded back. Then glue the paper piece in place, taking care to align it perfectly before the glue sets (you’ll have about a minute to do this).
Now for the last step. Start with the hinge side first and spread Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive liberally and evenly over its exposed underside surface. Then lay the piece carefully into place on the left side of the inside Leonardo cover, lining it up perfectly so that there is about a 1/16 gap between the edges of the piece and the edges of the Leonardo cover, top and bottom and on the right side. Hold the piece in place for about 5 minutes with your hands or a heavy paper weight or other object until the glue sets.
Once the hinge side is glued into place, do the same with the other side. This is what you’ll have:
Let the whole thing sit for about 30 minutes to let all of the glue dry, then slip the Kindle 2into the hinge. It should slip in easily. Here’s what you’ll have:
Now fold the case closed over the Kindle and enjoy your craftsmanship:
I recommended that you fold the case closed and place a book or other weight on it for about 24 hours. This ensures that everything settles into place and makes the cover take "a set" in the closed position.