1. Home
  2. Scrapbooking
  3. Does anyone know how this works?

Does anyone know how this works?

I bought a plastic spiral binder a few months ago from someone selling them on ebay

It's like this:

formatting link
I looked into them and a lot were more expensive, and I found out first that Staples sells the plastic spiral combs (100 for around $9) that are standard size. Actually, I wrote to Staples when I was looking and could only find the replacement combs there, and asked if they sell the machines to use them and received the answer back NO. Later, after I bought the one I did, and went to Staples to buy replacement combs, machines using them (a little more expensive but maybe better) came up. So, either the first person who answered really didn't know, or it's something new.

Anyway... my plan was to make calendars for family members for Christmas, setting them up in Publisher and putting on family birthdays, etc. I wanted to have pictures, also, like the the picture for March (for example) would be on the back of the dates for Feb, etc. And the binding in the middle, so it opened up and could be hung.

I managed to make a few like that, but mainly made them plain, 12 pages.

I'm also interested in making picture books (like scrapbooks) for my husband, who is in a nursing home after having a stroke years ago. He enjoys looking at them and the alternative is to pin pictures to a bulletin board across the room. I've also wanted to set up pictures and recipies in a book with the spiral binding. The spiral binding it perfect for turning the pages and having them lay flat.

There were no direction or instructions with this product. It was "new in the box". On the front of it, in the actual tool, it shows some rough drawings that apparently tell how it works.

I asked on other groups and nobody seemed to konw.

I finally figured out a way to do it, but I can't get more than

12 pages to work with it. If I work at it, and the paper is thin, I can get maybe 20. Even using the sample binder combs that came with it (which look basically the same size as the ones I got from Staples) I can't.

Since it says it binds up to 100 pages, I'm thinking maybe I'm doing something wrong. it also says it punches 3 pages at a time, and using regular printer paper, i've tried this and it doesn't make all the holes open like it should. MAYBE if all the holes punches were exactly alike, lined up and fully open, it might be easier to put on more pages (at one time) into the binder when it's set up. Right now I have to put 1 at a time, or a few and it quickly fills up the space before I close it (the coils)

It's even confusing to explain.

What I now do is, I slide in the paper, lining it up by the size, and either press down really hard on the handle on the top or "pound" it with my fist (this seems to work the best to make clear, open punch holes)

I take a plastic spiral comb, lay it in the mechanism, turn it so the curls hook on, open it up and this opens up the coil- leaving slightly pointed pieces of it facing up and open. I then put on the pages one at a time, getting the pointed pieces through every hole. In theory, it seems like one could take the entire stack of punched paper and put it in place and wiggle it so the pointed pieces go through all the holes. But, being light plastic, they only bend and move and don't always go right through the punched holes.

Then I pull the lever on the side (I used to open the comb) back and it closes up the coils and I wiggle the bound paper out of the mechanism.

Am I not doing something correctly?

There are little hard "posts" sticking up along the tool, that hold the back of the comb when the mechanism pulls it out (to put the paper in) If there was some way to set up the comb so I could stack the punched paper on those hard metal posts and when closed the plastic points would go through the holes, i can see how more than 12 or so pages could be bound at once.

I made the calenders from "cover paper" which is a little heavier and stronger than regular printer paper, and it was easier to put the punched holes on the pointed pieces of the comb. But, after 12 pages or so, it filled up the space and I couldn't add many. Last night I printed out an ebook that's 40 pieces of paper (printer paper) punched it (1-2 at a time) and couldn't get more than 12 on the binder at a time, so gave up and put it together with twisty ties.

If it says it binds up to 100 pages, and only 20 or so will fit on the comb (before it's closed) it seems like I must be doing it the wrong way.

As I said, no real instructions came with it.

Thanks!

Reply to
starchild
Loading thread data ...

I would write to the person you bought it from and ask, or maybe try to write or call ABC distributing and ask for a manual. Maybe they might even know the manufacturer and you can contact them about it. jmo.... hope it helps.

Reply to
cowchipper

Hi Starchild!

OK, I don't know how much help I will be as far as if you're punching the paper correctly because I last used one of these machines back in elementary school when we had to bind projects like a class recipe book or our own stories with illustrations etc.

Anyway, I do know that the only way that you are going to get more pages to fit is to get a thicker spine. They come in different sizes from what I remember (like maybe up to an inch worth of paper).

I recently had a certified appraisal done on some property that I own and the appraiser's report had the type of binding that you are talking about. The report is about an inch thick so I know that these things are still made.

You can see the different sizes here at this link:

formatting link
Try a google search with +"binding machine" +spines and you should get a bucnh of results. Maybe you could call the manufacturer of the machine and see if they can send you an instruction manual (or even email it). Good luck!

Alida

Reply to
Alida Spry

Office max had them:

formatting link
I know I also saw them at BJs. They are a little pricey but I'm sure you can find them on eBay or Overstock Auctions

Kate

Reply to
a-scrapbooking-diva

I did ask the seller about it and he said he just sells them. they are all sealed in boxes.

I can't find the manufacturer online.

Maybe the fine point is, it binds up to 100 pages BUT not with the size spine (combs) that come with it and I got from Staples (I got what looks like the same size, thinking that was the size to use that binds up to 100 pages)

At the time I mainly wanted to make calendars or maybe little booklets with pictures and sayings, etc.

I have made some with pictures printed out (or glued on like a scrapbook) for my husband, and got maybe 10 pages on each one.

I just thought I was doing something wrong, not doing it the right way.

Actually, now that I've found scrapbooking, this has been coming to my attention a lot recently (I just found out one of my daughters has made some with pictures of her son). Of course, I had heard the term before and years ago had my old "Elvis Presley" scrapbook (which might be valuable today if someone hadn't walked off with it over the years).

I was talking to someone who was looking at some of the pictures I took and printed who said I should make scrapbook pages and sell them on ebay. She said her friend does this, and sells them for $20 each. I didn't believe this, but looked on ebay and see they are quite expensive, and seem to sell, but also aren't all that simple and are bigger (12X12") then my printer would print.

But, it's interesting, creative and artistic. I had thought one needed real pictures (like printed out, on glossy paper, from a film camera) but, I see the potential for making them myself, the size my printer will do (which is around 8X10 or 11) and putting them together with the binder. I've already been doing this, without realizing what it was, for my husband in the nursing home. And plan to do one for my grandson, who loves trains (he must have been around them in a past life, he knows a lot about them, too) for his 4th birthday next month.

So, I guess in a way I am already scrapbooking.

Reply to
starchild

You should be able to buy different sized combs... the little ones hold very few pages and are made for binding presentations etc, but you should be able to get fatter ones too.

Reply to
Karen AKA Kajikit

Hi, well it happens that I have one of the bigger binding machines. What they mean is that it can bind up to 100 pages depending on the plastic comb you use. For 100 pages I would think that the comb would have to be at least 1 inch or more. The machine is supposed to open the coil and allow you to slip in the punched pages a few at a time. I hope that makes some sense. If not email me privately by taking off the nospam!

M-C

Reply to
M-C

I was looking at the machine description from the url you left and it says that it punches 100 pages in seconds - not 100 pages at a time. Just looking at the machine, it appears to NOT be one of those that do a lot of pages at a time (at least compared to the ones that I've seen at Staples).

- Stan For A Great Way to See The Hottest eBay Scrapbooking Listings Without Logging into eBay!

formatting link

Reply to
stanl3y

Someone sent me a page from Office Depot that showed the combs for sale and what size holds what and the ones I got 3/8" says "60 pages". The ones i got, putting them on one or 2 at a time, holds maybe 10-12 easily. Well it would hold more, if I could get them to stay on the little plastic arrows before closing it. There's plenty of room ON the spirals themselves.

It's hard to even discribe and talk about, like a foreign language.

LIke I can take a comb and push (by hand) one of the little curled arrows that go through the holes through 40 pieces of paper and it fits. I just can't get all the little arrows on the comb through all the holes, especially using the machine.

I'm thinking (in theory) if the holes in the pages were punched nice and big and open (which they don't always so, even one sheet at a time) and the entire stack of paper, with the holes lined up exactly (so you could look through them all) was held in the middle, where the binder comb was stretched out- with the plastic arrows pointing right at the lined up holes- and the lever closed, the plastic arrows would go right through the holes in all the pages. Without having to PUT each page on the arrows and get them all to fit on the little bit that is sticking up when it's held open.

If the little plastic arrows (part of the comb that opens up) weren't so light and bendy it would help. if the paper isn't pushed over them, they bend and don't make their way through the holes easily.

But the combs that came with it and the ones I got (that are a known brand) seem to be standard, who they come.

I'm thinking the problem might be the holes aren't getting cut even and open enough. The plastic arrows that stick up (when the comb is openned) should just go right through when it's closed.

Last night I took one side of scissors and made the holes in 40 pages (I was trying to bind) bigger, but they still didn't seem big and open enough for the arrows to go through when closed.

people who never saw this machine will think we're nuts (LOL)

Reply to
starchild

I know you're not nuts because I followed what you are saying. If I remember, the comb should be held open far enough for you to get those pages on. Maybe you're not putting the comb on the opener correctly?

Maybe your local office supply/ copy place has one of these machines that they will let you look at or they can show you how they use it.

Alida

Reply to
Alida Spry

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.