At the Quilter’s Planner, we love a spiral binding! A spiral coil allows the pages to be opened a full 360 degrees, so it’s easy to use.
And because a spiral book can open fully and lay flat, words don’t get hidden near the spine. You have free access to the entire surface of the planner! When opened, the pages of a spiral bound book rotate smoothly… and they stay put; no need to weigh the planner pages down so you can read it. I personally love to fold my planner in half, which would never be possible with other bindings.
When you receive your planner, first take a second to make sure the top and bottom coil are properly crimped and tucked over the spiral ring before it. Sometimes at the manufacturer, the coil may be slightly bent, but not completely tucked over the previous coil. Over time, your coil may spin, and the coil might slip out of the top and bottom holes. But there’s an easy way to keep this from happening!
If you prefer video ——–> Check this out showing you how to secure your coil or read more below for a written description and photos
In the photograph above, the bottom of the spiral binding has become uncrimped, and could uncoil.
Virtually any kind of pliers can become your best friend in this situation. And if you don’t have pliers, that’s ok – The Quilter’s Planner spiral binding can be manipulated by hand too. But the pliers help ease the force required (important if you have arthritis or weakness in your hands) and with small grips, the pliers can also easily move between the coils to tuck the end securely.
If your spiral binding has become uncrimped, we recommend using a small pair of pliers to crimp it, and coil the end of the spiral binding up and around the next spiral above (or below) it. This can be done by grabbing the end of the spiral with the pliers and twisting the end of the spiral in a loop.
Next, here’s a picture of it tucked over it’s neighbor, so it cannot unwind… no matter how many times you flip it open.
If you’d like to see a video of how we crimp and tuck the coil using fingers instead of pliers, click here!
You could cut out a new cover with scissors or a paper cutter (use something sturdy- plastic covers work much better than cardboard). Some binders have suitable plastic.
Use double-sided tape to stick two strips of masonite to the edge of the cover. Measure out carefully where the holes should be (a notebook I have to hand has 39 of them). You could use the good cover as a bit of template or to check your measurements once you free it.
Use an electric drill (or drill press if you have one) to drill through each hole location (in the one I have the holes would be about 3/16" in diameter. You'll need something like a 2x4 under the bottom to keep from drilling into the table.
Peel off the masonite, clean off any adhesive residue and you should have a new cover with a neat row of holes that match the original holes.
Use a pair of pliers to bend the dog leg at the end of the spiral and unscrew the spiral spring. Reassemble with the new cover and bend the spiral back to lock it in.