KwiltyKahy

I have done this on several of my books and love it. I especially like it because the pages stay in. One of my books that I haven't had it done to (yet) is coming apart. Need to make a trip to the office store.

nancysp

Yes, you can replace them. I run a business that does comb binding and we do this all the time. If the "holes" are still clean and can line up, it's very easy. If there are pages that are damaged, we make a copy of the damaged page and replace. Due to copyright laws, we cannot copy entire books. but if you own the book and have a few pages that need to be replaced, it's OK.

Sometimes, there's a lot of labor involved so buying a new book is more economical.

DJ

Ah! Nice tip. Thanks.

AngeliaNR

Thanks, Nancy. I have a cookbook I bought for my husband--it was a hard-to-find item--but the comb is a mess! I'll look into having it redone. I appreciate hearing from someone with your expertise that it can be done!

michelleoc

I learned that in one of my quilting classes...one of the more brilliant ideas, I think.

nancysp

You are welcome. We also do a lot of piano music books for those piano players with books in sad shape.

QuiltMom2

I have a story about taking a quilt book to have a spiral binding so it will lay flat. I live in the metro DC area so multi-cultural is the name of the game. I went in to have the book rebound and there was this little Indian (as in Calcutta, India) man working at Office Depot and he looked and looked at the book to the point I felt like saying "... so I'm weird! I spend hours cutting fabric up and sewing it together again!" Anyway, when I picked the book up later in the day, there was a note in elegant cursive script "I've looked at your book whenever I could today: I studied textiles in my home country and this is fascinating!" Didn't someone say that quilts are universal?

daisydebby

I get my favorites done with a coil. But, to protect them more I have the front and back covers laminated. No raggy pages

youngduncan

Here's a thought: if you have a teacher friend, see if his/her school has a binding machine in its workroom. The cost of an individual comb is really cheap. It doesn't take an engineering degree to operate the machine, and it shouldn't take more than two or three minutes from start to finish. Use a white or yellow binding comb and write the name of the book on it using a Sharpie pen. You can still read the name, and the book will lie flat when it's opened.

Zinda

I've also done this with a few of my books, including a few cookbooks. I really like how much easier it is to have the book laying flat. A few things I've torn apart and punched holes and placed them it a cheap 3 ring binder. Some times I get the binder that has a pocket on the front and I put the cover of the book in it. I think Wal-Mart has some for under $3.00