This is for other Ghostbusters Props that don't fit into the categories above.
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4902459
So I just recently read the GB:International storyline in the comics and instantly fell in love with the Rauoskinna. So here I am on a wacky journey to making my own replica.

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I started with a "Very Big Sketchbook" and some red leather
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The base book was too wide--the proportions just didn't sit well with me. So I got out a fresh box cutter and silly me thought I could cut it straight and even.
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Foolish mortal.
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Now here is where my family motto becomes really apparent. "There's the fast way to do something, the right way, and then there is the Kime way." I got out the skillsaw and went to town trying to take off the rest of the excess.
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And got this as a result. Note the area where the box cutter curved inward.
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The next (questionably) logical thing to do was get out the combination sander and just sand it all down until the mistakes disappeared.
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This will take a while, but it's working. Next time I try something stupid like this I'm going to invest in a bandsaw. That will make this whole thing so much easier.

After all of the sanding it will be time to remove the old cover and construct and attach a new one. Stay tuned for more.
Last edited by DerGrundel on March 2nd, 2018, 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Glenn Frederick liked this
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4902793
Since the next step is going to be very time consuming, I thought I would pause and make a small update.

After sanding the Dickens out of the pages I finally had the pages nice and evenly trimmed to the proportion I wanted:
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Then I removed the cover and was left with this:
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I was really disappointed in how the original book was bound. For something this heavy there really wasn't much holding the pages to the cover; if I were to have dropped this book at any time the binding would have surely snapped right off of the cover. Here's a shot of the spine before I began strengthening it:
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And here is where I am with it as of this posting:
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I'm only stitching though every third signature (grouping of pages) just to save myself some time. With the amount of work I'm putting into this thing, I really would have been better off just making the entire book from scratch instead of using the existing sketchbook. The only upside to doing it this way is not having to buy a mountain of oversized acid-free paper. Stay tuned for the next update!
User avatar
By Tyrael
#4902794
Wow, with the work you've already put in I can already tell this is going to look great! Keep it up!
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4902842
I got a little more done so I thought I would make another update.

I got through stitching all of the signatures together with the scraps of muslin between them to eventually glue to the coverboards. I thought I took a picture of this, but it looks like I didn't. You'll just have to imagine the last pic in my previous update with stitching going all the way down. Sorry folks.

Next I tried to use Tint-It to dye the edges of the pages to look more aged and worn. This was not as successful as I had wanted, but I may go back later and try to apply a few more coats. Here are a few pics on that:
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While that was drying I started work on the coverboards. I want the spine to be curved just a little, so I figured the best way to do that would be to laminate two pieces of lightweight chipboard in that curved shape and left overnight. Here is a pic of freeing pieces long enough from a piece of 12x12:
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And a pic of the laminated pieces ziptied to a cardboard tube so they can dry with a curved shape:
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Until next time
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4902869
Another day, another update.

After the glue dried I trimmed away the excess and marked where I wanted the raised edges of the spine to go:
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And then glued on scraps of leather:
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Here is a picture of the three pieces of the cover laid out on the leather just before I glued the front and back coverboards down:
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With that drying I glued additional fabric to the spine. It's made by Lineco, I'm afraid I don't remember what it's called. I also managed to salvage the faux headbands from the original spine, so I glued those in, too. I don't have a bookbinding press, so I had to get creative:
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I will leave all of this to dry over night.
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4902876
I apologize for the slew of micro-updates. I just get so excited each time I finish a step I have to share it. Speaking of which...

I trimmed the leather around the edges:
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But always seem to fail to do the corners just right, so I added a little red sharpie in the space between:
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And with that out of the way I was able to finally glue the spine board to the cover. I made some quick jigs to help get some string into the corners of each ridge. This will help them stay nice and defined once the glue dries.
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I should note, I've been spelling it Rauoskinna and not Raouskinna (like in the comics) because that is how the actual book's name is spelled--yeah, the guys over at IDW based this on what is believed to be an actual book, written by Icelandic Bishop Gottskalk Nikulausson sometime in the late 1400's to early 1500's. Pretty wacky, huh?
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4903035
Almost there!

I folded the edges of the red leather over and glued them down:
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The glued the mulling and added fabric to the cover:
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And finally glued the fly pages to the cover:
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and here it stands as of right now:
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As a book it is complete. Now I just have to get my cricut machine working so I can make vinyl stencils for the glue I will be using on the gold leafing. Since I found out what book the pages were based off of, I am considering drafting a few pages by hand. Right now the priority is fixing the cricut machine so I can finish up the cover.
Kingpin liked this
User avatar
By DerGrundel
#4903700
The Cricut machine has been fixed, and so I've finished up this little beauty over this morning and afternoon.

I recreated the cover artwork in gimp using a frame from the comics that I distorted into being relatively close in size and proportion:
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After running that through the cricut machine I ended up with a vinyl stencil of the artwork, which I burnished onto the leather:
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Once I removed the stencil vinyl I was dismayed to find that the vinyl removed some of the skin of the leather, leaving me with a sueded appearance. Very disappointing. Next time I guess I'll seal the leather before attempting to put anything sticky on it.
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Once the gold leafing adhesive was set I began applying the gold leaf. It's the first time I have done this in over 10 years. It went pretty well, though:
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Applying glue to the spine:
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And FINALLY the finished result:
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By KevinSHolt
#4945110
DerGrundel wrote: February 4th, 2018, 2:49 pm I got a little more done so I thought I would make another update.

I got through stitching all of the signatures together with the scraps of muslin between them to eventually glue to the coverboards. I thought I took a picture of this, but it looks like I didn't. You'll just have to imagine the last pic in my previous update with stitching going all the way down. Sorry folks. https://sheetmaterialswholesale.co.uk/s ... chipboard/

Next I tried to use Tint-It to dye the edges of the pages to look more aged and worn. This was not as successful as I had wanted, but I may go back later and try to apply a few more coats. Here are a few pics on that:
Image
Image
Image

While that was drying I started work on the coverboards. I want the spine to be curved just a little, so I figured the best way to do that would be to laminate two pieces of lightweight chipboard in that curved shape and left overnight. Here is a pic of freeing pieces long enough from a piece of 12x12:
Image

And a pic of the laminated pieces ziptied to a cardboard tube so they can dry with a curved shape:
Image

Until next time
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Chicken, He Clucked and -1 others liked this

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