Unlocking the Future of Book Preservation: A Knife-Free Guide to Book Disassembly with a Hairdryer

Pro Tip: play this video at fast speed using the YouTube playback speed controls. Because you can listen much faster than I can talk.

Before you comment "OMG you are destroying books", please consider: in fact, I am freeing information from the ancient and vulnerable wood-pulp format; preserving it; backing it up to multiple locations so that it is no longer vulnerable to fire, flood, and theft; and making it far more available to me than the ancient wood-pulp format. However, DO NOT destroy your wood-pulp book if that book has sentimental and/or fiscal value.

*Preserving Books Digitally: My Experience with a Knife-Free Method*
*Unveiling a Knife-Free Book Digitization Technique*
In this video, I share my approach to disassembling a book for digitization without resorting to a knife. Instead of traditional methods, I employ a hairdryer to gently heat the glue binding the book, facilitating easy separation of its pages. This technique proves effective for most commercial softcover books held together by glue.

*Exploring Knife-Free Alternatives: My Guide to Preserving Books*
*A Safe and Easy Way to Preserve Books Without a Knife*
I discuss the viability of preserving books without the need for cutting tools, particularly when a knife isn't readily available. The showcased method involves using a hairdryer to loosen the glue, offering a practical solution for those seeking to digitize their books without causing damage.

*Re-Binding Options and Long-Term Preservation: Insights from My Process*
*Long-Term Preservation Solutions for Digitized Books*
In the video, I delve into the possibility of re-binding the book after digitization, presenting alternatives such as glue binding or Sur locks binding. These techniques, available at office supply stores like Staples or Kinkos, provide a way to restore and enhance the longevity of books. While using a hairdryer may take slightly longer than a knife, with practice, the process can be completed in about half an hour.

*Efficiency and Effectiveness: My Journey with the Hairdryer Method*
*A Quick and Effective Book Digitization Technique*
I share my firsthand experience with the hairdryer method, emphasizing its efficiency and effectiveness in preserving books without causing damage. This technique becomes a viable option for those looking to digitize and re-bind books for future use.

00:00 Start with cold open
00:06 Opening stinger
00:10 Can the books be rebound? Probably. I don't know. I just take books apart. Why are you asking me? 😁
00:33 Alternate way to disassemble a book: use a hair dryer
01:00 Loosen the glue, so doesn't work with stitched signatures
01:28 Demo video on inset PiP
02:05 You end up with a few pages that have some glue chunks
02:15 The books is now exactly as it was prior to glue application at the printer
02:25 Useful if you don't have a sharp knife handy
02:45 Likely can be rebound with glue
03:02 Likely can be rebound with CERLOX
03:30 Takes a bit longer than using a knife
04:09 Closing summary
04:23 Closing stinger
04:27 STOS bridge sounds

[DigitizeYourBooks]

Here I present an alternate way to remove the cover and binding instead of using a box-cutter knife. A hair-dryer heats the binding glue up to the point it gets soft and can be pulled apart. I expect this method will work with most (if not all) paperback books, and even many hardcover books (as long as not bound using sewn signatures).

It might be possible to re-bind this book, after it has been digitized via a sheet-feed scanner, HOWEVER, I know nothing about book rebinding, so you will have to verify this on your own.

Before you comment "OMG you are destroying books", please consider: in fact, I am freeing information from the ancient and vulnerable wood-pulp format; preserving it; backing it up to multiple locations so that it is no longer vulnerable to fire, flood, and theft; and making it far more available to me than the ancient wood-pulp format. However, DO NOT destroy your wood-pulp book if that book has sentimental and/or fiscal value.

Pro Tip: play this video at fast speed using the YouTube playback speed controls. Because you can listen much faster than I can talk.

00:00 Start with cold open
00:06 Opening stinger
00:10 Can the books be rebound? Probably. I don't know. I just take books apart. Why are you asking me? 😁
00:33 Alternate way to disassemble a book: use a hair dryer
01:00 Loosen the glue, so doesn't work with stitched signatures
01:28 Demo video on inset PiP
02:05 You end up with a few pages that have some glue chunks
02:15 The books is now exactly as it was prior to glue application at the printer
02:25 Useful if you don't have a sharp knife handy
02:45 Likely can be rebound with glue
03:02 Likely can be rebound with CERLOX
03:30 Takes a bit longer than using a knife
04:09 Closing summary
04:23 Closing stinger
04:27 STOS bridge sounds

[shadowliving]

I tried this on a couple old paperback books and it worked great. Thanks for sharing this “new” method of digitalization.

[prncssprpllrhd]

I just used this blow dryer treatment on a paperback book. It worked like a CHARM! Thank you!!!!

[lesliewit]

Brilliant. I do a lot of workshops and groups that require me to provide handouts for participants. I HATE that "Photocopied" look that leaves shadows on the pages because I can't get a good copy. This strategy is so helpful!

[kentboortz]

Thank you!!! I just used a heat gun to take apart a 210 page compendium in preparation for scanning, it was so easy!. My hair dryer made alarming noises, it just could not cope, so i turned to my heat gun that can be set to different heat settings :)

[chuckadams]

FYI. For rebinding, look into 'padding compound' used for making notepads. Hold pages in a press, once aligned, and apply a coat on the edge with a
small paint brush. The 'glue like' fluid is flexible so that the book opens and closes as before. Been using the stuff for more than 50 years.
Use two flat boards with screws and thumb nuts to hold book while gluing back together. May have to do a video to illustrate. Check to
see if someone else has described this technique.

[Lasharella]

I need to comment on amazing discovery Dr. Genius I genuinely mean it, it’s been almost week I got 4 sets of Christian Early Fathers Teachings which was pretty expensive but I have no choice need it digitalized so I can have all 4 with me on my iPad, your channel was eye opening, thank you, god bless! 🙏

[TheLegendOfTenzin]

I was lowkey skeptical but took my blowdryer to it and boom. Worked perfectly. HOWEVER he is right when he says it takes a little bit, took about 3 min to get it going and probably another 8 minutes total just going over the small parts of the book

[yesenia]

This is awesome! I've been wanting to Cinch my devotional workbooks having to buy extra tools and equipment. Thanks!

[Werewolf]

I would definitely go with the hair dryer method. I tried the microwave and the iron but the binding would not stay hot long enough to pull the pages out with ease, thus resulting in a lot of rips and jagged edges...in fact I pretty much ruined a book and will need to buy it again, so I blame the people in these comments who suggested those methods...if you'd like to send me some money to cover my loss, let me know. The hair dryer method though works great...the steady heat on the binding allows the pages to gradually and naturally pull away from the binding cleanly...the only tricky thing about the hair dryer method is that it would be nice to have a third hand...one to hold the hair dryer, one to gently tug the page(s) away from the binding, and another to hold the book firm while you do this...I ended up using a foot to hold down the book. The other trick is to point the hair dryer at the joint between two pages...that is, on the inside between pages, not on the outside by the binding. Using the hair dryer it was also easy to preserve the entire cover with spine. Then you can use a paper cutter to cut the cover nicely. In my case these are piano song books that are impractical to use with a glued spine, so I wanted to separate them to put in a 3 ring binder.

[kr-rudm]

I'm old school and I want to try your experiment on my college textbooks. Not all publishers have loose-leaf versions. Im buying the books, then removing the glue and rip hardcover, then putting it on binders. That way, I can take just what I want to carry around.

[grygat]

Have you tried using a iron? Heats up the glue faster, just don't use the steam. Just need to put a paper towel or parchment paper between the hot iron and book.

[drjing]

This is very helpful! Thank you so much! I tried it and it works really well!

[Clandestinemonkey]

Thank you for this video! We're going to try a heat gun instead of a hair dryer.

[neonblkhole]

Ah shucks, I have some antique stitched books with some nice diagrams Im planning on digitizing and was hoping I wouldn't have to exacto/reglue the pages I wanna scan since I worry it might come out a little wonky, but thisll be great for my paperbacks! Ty ^_^

[tomn]

The best reason to not cut the pages out is to preserve the cross-binding photos. I am able to make complete phot out of both halves in Photoshop with nothing lost.

[telinoz]

Great, I have some magazines I just want a few sections from for games I am interested in to consolidate.
Will try this now.

[damien]

Does this work with magazines from the noughties?

[Neocro]

Peter Hi.
Have you ever try to scan and 'cleanup' a booklet order on paper, but without cutting, ungluing...
Let me try explain, you have a 4 pages on one paper sheet (2 front, 2 back) and when scan that booklet order, final pdf is in one word, a mess ;)
Do you maybe have a idea, how to 'clean' that easy, if it that possible ;) that the pages will be in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8... continuous order

[beckerdo]

Another book-binding removal method similar to the hair dryer method in this video is to bake the book. I recently stuck a paper back into the oven at 350 degrees F (remember that paper burns at 451 degrees F) for 15 minutes. The book will be warm but still cool enough to handle with bare hands. The binding glue will be liquid. Remove the book from the oven. Remove the cover first. Then start removing pages as quickly as you can. The glue will likely harden again in about 5 minutes, so try to separate as many pages as you can.