Monday, June 24, 2013

How to seal a bookmark

Joanne just raised an excellent question about the upcoming bookmark swap.
What kind of glue/sealant should be used to ensure the bookmark doesn't have a residual stickiness that will ruin your books when you try to use it?

rule #1
NO MOD-PODGE

Sorry mod-podge lovers.  Even though I use it for some things, I don't trust it for something that's going to spend most of it's life pressed between paper.

Also -  no hair spray.
I know a lot of people use it, and it might be fine for a postcard, but it's too sticky (and smelly) for a bookmark.

Review our glue discussions for recommendations on people's favorite glue sticks and other adhesives.
A few additional thoughts off the top of my head:
  • you could laminate them
  • I've had good luck with spray sealants.  I use Krylon crystal clear - it comes in a can like spray paint.  The downside is  you can't use it indoors because it's toxic and smelly, but it does a nice job sealing things and keeping them from smudging. (here's a nice tutorial on using fixatives from Quinn Creative)
  • Make your bookmark out of fabric, or stitched paper, or paint/draw directly on your bookmark so there is no glue involved at all

 As always, your suggestions are quite welcome.  I will revise and update this to showcase your brilliance!

Reader suggestions: 
  • cover in clear packing tape
  • sew the bookmark to a plastic sleeve/transparency

11 comments:

big mamabird said...

I often seal my bookmark by sewing it into a plastic sleeve..fight now I have a bunch of retired window plastic I'm using, if I don't I will often leave the paper naked ;) or I slap on some packing tape.

Cindy said...

Clear packing tape perhaps?

Anonymous said...

Good suggestions all. xox

Unknown said...

OMG -- I had two bookmarks all ready to mail (coated with ModgePodge) so now it's back to the drawing table! Sure glad I caught this post before mailing!

Karen Isaacson said...

oh no, Peggy. I'm sorry! Instead of making new bookmarks you could give the mod-podged ones a coat of spray sealant, or cover them with packing tape?

Unknown said...

Aha! Thanks Karen. I'll give that a try -- though they are both round so tape wouldn't work. I'll try the sealant. You just saved me alot of time!! :-)

chewytulip said...

I was working on some bookmarks last week, pondering the same sealant issue, and decided that acrylic medium and varnish should work. I left that bookmark in a book for a week, and though it "sounds" sticky, it is not sticking to anything.
But you should note that "acrylic medium & varnish" is different from "acrylic medium"...acrylic medium stays sticky.

Unknown said...

My concern with packing tape is the sharp edges. Maybe cutting the tape thinner than the bookmark is the answer.

Luminosity said...

Thank you forposting this info. I have 25 watercolor and ink bookmarks I was just going to donate to the hospital... now I have to figure out how to make them safe. Much appreciated.

Gloria said...

What if there is no writing or painting on your bookmark. For example, it would just be a cut out on cricut. Would you still need to seal it?

Anonymous said...

Could you use contact paper?

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