How to Attach Replaceable Covers to a Reverse Piano Hinge Binding Without Glue

A reverse piano hinge binding connects folded page sections, called signatures, to an accordion strip. Accordion folds pass through slits in the signatures; separate paper or card strips slide through those folds to retain the pages. Alisa Golden demonstrates this structure in Instructions: A Book Structure from Australia.

The internal retaining strips and the cover attachment perform separate jobs. Keep the retaining strips in place when changing a cover; release only the outer tab attached to that cover. This replacement sequence follows from the construction: there is no need to dismantle the page sections to reach the cover lock.

For this project, use two separate card covers. Treat an existing book with glued outer tabs as a different starting condition: the instructions below assume both accordion ends remain free and are long enough to form the locks. A short or already attached tab needs a revised spine arrangement before this method becomes practical.

Gather the assembled text block, its accordion spine with uncommitted end tabs, two pieces of cover card, scrap paper, a pencil, ruler, bone folder, and your usual paper-cutting tools and mat. Golden’s underlying binding instructions specify lightweight to medium-weight accordion paper and heavier paper or card for the retaining strips; use those material roles as a starting point for a small model. See her materials and assembly instructions.

Before cutting decorative card, record these dimensions on a worksheet:

Measurement	What to record
Closed text-block size	Height and width of the assembled pages
Proposed cover size	Your chosen height and width, including any overhang
Accordion-strip height	The dimension that determines the cover-slit length
Available end-tab length	Measure each free end separately
Attachment position	Distance from the cover’s spine edge to the first slit
Slit spacing	Distance between the two parallel slits

Choose cover stock by making a scrap attachment in the actual material. A paper mock-up establishes the route, but a card sample establishes whether your folds and slits accommodate the chosen thickness. Record the stock alongside the measurements so replacement covers can reproduce the same fit.

Plan the spine before folding the entire strip. Carol DuBosch’s Flat Style Australian Reverse Piano Hinge handout expresses total spine length as the number of page units multiplied by the width of a complete double fold, plus two cover tabs. Her envelope-book example uses eight double folds of 1.5 inches, with 2 inches added for the two tabs, producing a 14-inch strip.

That example explains the accounting, but its tab allowance is not a specification for the folded cover lock here. Calculate the middle accordion and the two attachment ends separately.

For an illustrative three-signature model, suppose each signature uses a double fold consuming 24 mm of strip length. The middle needs 3 × 24 = 72 mm. If your full-size cover mock-up establishes that each attachment needs 50 mm, the total becomes 72 + 50 + 50 = 172 mm. These are illustrative inputs, not tested dimensions or a universal cutting pattern.

Mark the boundaries between the middle and the reserved ends. Check the arithmetic against a paper layout before cutting the final strip. This makes the design adjustable: changing the cover attachment does not require guessing how much material the accordion itself consumes.

Use the following orientation consistently: A is the slit nearer the spine edge; B is farther toward the fore-edge. Keep both parallel to the spine and aligned with the strip.

1. Reserve the accordion’s end sections before folding its middle.
2. Position the cover and mark matching slits A and B.
3. Lead the free tab across the outside of the cover, through A to the inside, then through B to the outside.
4. Fold the emerging end back across the bridge between B and A.
5. Tuck its tip into A. Angle the tip’s side edges to help insertion.
6. Repeat for the other cover, checking its inside and outside orientation.

The return panel must match the spacing between the slits. Byopia Press explains the pre-folding and matching slit placement, with photographs showing the threading and completed lock. Consult that original construction sequence while making the first sample.

Label the inside of each scrap cover before threading. Once both attachments work, transfer the successful positions to the final card rather than measuring the front and back independently.

Use this diagnostic sequence as a workshop check derived from the construction. It is a way to locate an adjustment, rather than a prescribed tolerance chart.

Observation	Check before changing anything
The tab will not pass through	Compare slit length with strip height and confirm that the slit is completely cut
The return panel buckles	Compare the distance between its folds with the spacing between A and B
The tip barely engages	Revisit the reserved end length on the scrap model
The cover sits at an angle	Check slit alignment and the cover’s position against the text block
The cover opens awkwardly	Check the attachment position with the book both open and closed

Change one measurement at a time and mark the revision on the sample. Otherwise, a successful second attempt may leave you unsure which adjustment mattered. Test a complete opening and closing cycle, then remove and refit the sample cover before committing to the decorative version.

Also inspect the book’s overall shape. Byopia Press observes that the interior tabs can make a reverse piano hinge book thicker at the spine than at the fore-edge, particularly in thicker books. Allow for that existing shape when judging cover alignment; the attachment cannot by itself equalize the text block. See Revisiting the Australian Reverse Piano Hinge Binding.

Reverse the attachment sequence: ease the tucked tip out of A, unfold the return panel, withdraw the end through B, then unthread it through A. Support the accordion end while working so you can see which layer you are releasing. This removal procedure is the reverse of the documented weave.

Use the removed cover as a positional template only if its fit was satisfactory. Mark the replacement’s inside face, spine edge, and slit endpoints before cutting. For a different card thickness, make another material sample; identical outlines do not establish an identical fit.

Keep the successful scrap model and a short measurement note with your bookmaking supplies. A useful record includes cover dimensions, slit length, slit spacing, attachment position, tab length and stock. That turns the first attachment into a reproducible pattern for later covers.

Keep the attachment geometry consistent while changing the visible design. Cover colour, printed artwork and overall outline can vary, provided the spine-side attachment still matches the existing tabs. Mark the slit positions before placing decoration so the woven strip becomes an intentional part of the composition.

Finish by checking both covers together: their edges should sit as intended, each tucked tip should remain accessible, and the book should open through its page sections without the cover lock pulling out. Once the scrap pattern passes those checks, you have a practical reference for making another cover whenever you want a different finish.

• A Non-adhesive Cover for the Australian Reverse Piano Hinge Binding — Byopia Press
• Instructions: A Book Structure from Australia — Making Handmade Books
• Flat Style Australian Reverse Piano Hinge — Carol DuBosch, 2024, hosted by Escribiente
• Revisiting the Australian Reverse Piano Hinge Binding — Byopia Press