I have gotten SO many questions about my binding machine that I am finally giving you all the info in ONE PLACE!
I bought my coil binding machine 5 years ago. Why? I was creating my own adapted books and visual pieces for my students and binding them using a comb binder at my school. You know… the one in the back corner of the dungeon like hallway covered in dust with coils that have been sitting there for years. NO ONE used this machine anymore. But I did… because I thought it was my only option!
This post will contain affiliate links. I ONLY talk about products I love, this is not sponsored, just sharing to answer your questions. If you click my link, you don’t pay any more, but if you purchase from my link I get a small commission. This allows me to try everything out that I recommend to you and keep my blog running smoothly, so sincere thanks for clicking my links!
It wasn’t until a colleague mentioned coil bindings to me that I had my “ah ha” moment. I raced myself back to my desk and bought the rubicoil on amazon (affiliate link) right then and there. Full disclosure… it’s not cheap! But my adapted books that I spent hours prepping were constantly becoming “undone” by students. I lost pages and pieces, and hours of work and $ on materials. This investment was worth it for me… and I never had to rebind a resource again.
So how do you use it?
First, you laminate what you would like to bind. You are able to punch holes for up to 25 sheets if not laminated…. but with laminated paper… I only do one sheet at a time. You push the page all the way to end and all the way to the back of the machine. Then you pull down the lever and your holes are punched!
After you punched holes in all pages, you line up all the holes and twist the coil through- it’s quick and simple. Once the coil is in place you trim any excess with scissors and crimp the edges. There is a crimping tool on amazon (you can find it here, affiliate link) but I prefer to just bend over the edge with my fingers. The COMB bindings (like the machine at most schools) open up at each piece… while the coils are locked on by crimping the edges! The final product is a perfectly made book that will not easily uncoil!
Tips for Coils:
The coils seen here are 1/4 an inch (affiliate link) or 6mm. They come in a variety of colors. The binding machine has a guide at the front of the machine to let you know what size you need for what you want to bind by lining it up.
For adapted books, I prefer larger coils, to make the pages easier to turn for little fingers. The larger the coil, the easier the page turns. I usually go 1/2 inch (affiliate link) for things larger than 5 sheets of laminated paper.
Below is an example of what a coil binded top looks like!
Because I was no longer dealing with students picking apart books, losing pages, missing pieces, and having to reprint, laminate and bind all over again, I became in LOVE with this machine! It truly has saved me money and time in the end, and I know my resources last much longer because of it!
You can find the materials I used for the photos above below! (affiliate links!)
The resource I am prepping in these photos is the Women In History Comprehension Flip Books.
This post will contain affiliate links. You don’t pay any more, but if you purchase from my link I get a small commission. This allows me to try everything out that I recommend to you and keep my blog running smoothly, so sincere thanks for clicking my links!
