Thursday, September 26, 2013

Cheap and Easy Music Binding

Spiral binding is fine, and it is often quite useful, but sometimes I want to have music that can lie flat. Sometimes I have scores that require paper that is too big for my comb binding machine. I tried my luck with masking tape, but cloth athletic tape, which has the forgiving quality of being removable (if necessary), is the perfect solution.









You can use it to repair books too.

[Update: I now use the paper athletic tape that you can buy at Walgreens in a tape dispenser. The Walgreens brand is best. Trust me.]

2 comments:

faszember said...

While this is generally a great idea, it should only be used on a temporary basis, as products such as this are not acid-free, and will lead to early deterioration of the paper. (In other words, I'm really regretting the music I bound with athletic tape 15 years ago - as the paper has turned yellow and brittle where it's in contact with the tape!) If you need something that's long-lasting, similar acid-free products are available from library supply companies, such as Gaylord, Demco, Highsmith, and The Library Store. Libraries routinely use both paper and cloth hinge tapes, both of which would be perfect for binding music. (I'm a librarian, if you couldn't guess!)

Elaine Fine said...

Thanks for the warning, Richard. And even more thanks for the names of the library supply companies. Most of the music that I print comes out on standard laser printer (with water-based ink), so I have no illusions of permanence. If I do make repairs on something I want to last, I will certainly take your advice and go the "acid-free" route.