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Hollowing out a book

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zahc

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Anyone ever do it, so that the results are transparent, both in appearance and center of gravity/shake test? Just use Elmer's? You think it would be a good idea to have it velcro shut? Or maybe use one of those leather covers with a closure strap?
 
sounds like a good idea, ive never done it but i might try it. if i get some good results ill post pics and give some instructions.
 
No, I would never do that, guns aren't allowed on campus.

This is an exercise of purely 'academic' motivation.
 
i tried this once when i was little but i couldnt get all the pages cut the same and i didnt know how to glue them without going page by page with a gluestick.
 
Try rubber cement. Elmers and other water-based glues tend to wrinkle-up the pages.

Use a very strong material (wood/metal) to make the cut-out template, simple cardboard will crumple and not give you a very crisp cut-out.
 
http://www.hollowbooks.com/

hbgun.jpg


http://www.cabelas.com/

i213660sq02.jpg
 
Let me chime in as a graduate professor. I would be suspicious as heck of any book that did not reflect serious use, i.e. the spine bent, cracked, pages disturbed, bent corners, etc. I don't think we need to be overly concerned of people taking such "books" into classes in violation of law...they would be fast to spot (at least of they were on a desk top). Again, as I have stated numerous times, always follow the laws! Please!
 
Off-body carry is undesirable. If I were going to carry off-body, I'd go with the larger versions of the Versipack in a non-tactical color and spend the $9.99 for the universal holster add-on. Backpacks and manpurses don't attract much attention, especially in venues where backpacks, bookbags, manpurses, and briefcases are common. BTW: OBEY THE LAW.
 
If you do use a hollow book to store cash, a pistol, jewelry, or whatever else people think they might store, remember that it needs to be a book that NOBODY would find interesting. Otherwise, they might open it.:)
 
Ha, thank steve, I just bought a Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary that should exactly hold my XD45 and a spare mag. It's cheaper than cutting up one of my old physics books, and language prescriptivists deserve it, so it's a little less sacriligious.
 
I made a few when I was in my early teens. After a little experimentation, I learned that in order for it to look real, the outer edges of the pages needed to be left unglued. I also learned that since the inner part of the pages needed removed, gluing them was a bad idea. So I'd run a glue line around each page, just slightly inside from the outer edge. Then put a weight on the book and let it dry overnight. A sheet of waxed paper kept the front cover from adhering to the first pages. I usually left the first page or two loose also, so that they'd cover the compartment if the cover was opened.

The next day, I'd run an Exacto knife around the inner section, cutting out a few pages at a time and using a ruler to keep the cut straight. It didn't take long to get through them all if they were left unglued. Then I'd run some extra glue along the edges of the compartment to glue the edges together, or I'd epoxy line it. Both ways worked fine. They actually came out quite well. You could go on to line the compartment with foam to reduce rattling, etc.
 
You could make a template out of 1/4in MDF and clamp onto the open book. The pages could be cleanly cut out with a router using a pattern or template bit. Loosen the clamp a bit to allow the book to return to a more realistic compression and treat the pages to fix them in position.
 
You could use Klinton's "My Life"...my wife's copy is certainly thick enough. (It was given to her by a liberal friend)
Or, any other Liberazi puff piece... just drive over it a few times, and thumb through it with dirty fingers a few times.

NotthatI'dadvocateanythingillegal...
 
a comment posted on the above article suggested putting multiple books together. it think i'm going to do this will all the old college books that didnt get bought back by the book store. that should give me a box long enough to hide a shotgun. put it on the bottom shelf with a book end holding it shut. do not even think about this if you have kids.

also, someone suggested small magnets to hold it shut and i like this idea.
 
here's how it works...
first, you're gonna be there all day with a knife or *gasp* scissors so, get creative.

Fold the cover of the book back, clamp the pages together as best you can and firmly as possible using two thin strips of wood...then drill a 1/4" diameter hole through the wood and the now compressed paper that's acting like wood, then step up to about a 1/2" drill bit. Now, with this still in place, fire up your jigsaw with a fine toothed blade. It'll take some time, but you'll have a perfect cutout when your done.

Now, glue from the INSIDE of the cavity using a plain old gluestick or some elmers or wood glue (use liquid glues sparingly) or you could use some spray adhesive if you're a good shot and really lazy. Now, get some felt or even an old dishcloth and line your cavity (this step optional) the felt will add a nice touch and provide a little bit less 'shakability' to the book. I like the felt because I keep money in mine, and I'd hate to have it fall out where the glue has given way.

or, you could just buy a safe. a firesafe has a big advantage, for like $30 you get a cheapo, but it protects against a fire...and all your most valuable documents will go in there, it also doubles as a 'freak out kit' you know, an old backpack or suitcase with just the essentials (9mm pistol, lots of ammo, cash, bottled water, sharp knife, tampons....blah blah blah).
 
After you glued a block of pages together (pre cutting), you could probably use a router to hollow out the middle.

While tedious, I'd use a slow setting glue and a brayer (rubber roller) to get it on every page. Then use two cawls and clamps to keep everything really tight while the glue dries. Then the pages would act like plywood or particle board, which can be routed very easily.

So in this scenario, the gluing would be tedious, but the cutting would be rather easy.

Never tried it, though, just thinking about it.

Also, I'd love to use the Klinton book for this purpose, but every one of my conservative friends would pick it up out of shock that I would have it on the shelf and not in the fireplace :)

jh
 
every one of my conservative friends would pick it up out of shock that I would have it on the shelf and not in the fireplace
Click to expand...

Well, they're not the ones you're worried about.:)
 
Also, I'd love to use the Klinton book for this purpose, but every one of my conservative friends would pick it up out of shock that I would have it on the shelf and not in the fireplace
Click to expand...

That would be a funny book, but I think that Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is the most ironic for a hollowed out book to contain firearms.
 
That would be a funny book, but I think that Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is the most ironic for a hollowed out book to contain firearms.
Click to expand...

That book is only good for weighing down a bucket with your possessed, chopped-off hand in it. :)


-- too obscure??? :D :D


"The name's Ash . . . housewares."
 
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