Sean's Idea Kitchen

Moleskine and Friction Tape Spine Fix - Hack

I've got an ailing Moleskine that is suffering from the fraying of the spine.  It's not that old, however it is a "new" Moleskine.   Check out the top and bottom views before the fix.  Not good at all.  The black Moleskine cover is separating from the spine binding.

I was looking around for a fix for the spine that would work.  Something the same color that would blend and flex as needed.  I was looking for a black cloth tape like a medical tape, however the closest I could find was 3M Brand friction tape.  It's a good strong fabric, not plastic, tape that flexes and bends.  You can find it at your local Home Depot.

Now for the fix!

Step 1 - Lay the tape along the bottom.  Half for the spine and half on the back cover.

Here's an alternate view.  Note - I probably should have trimmed off the loose material from the Moleskine.

Step 2 - Cut the tape to the length of the Moleskine and press down hard.  Make sure it's smooth.

Here's a side view.

Step 3 - A little glue work for the top.  I'll let you know how well this worked.  I used SuperGlue.  I'm not sure if there is a better glue for this.  You can also see in this shot the separation.

Step 4 - Tape again on the top using the same "half on the spine, half off the spine" technique.

Step 5 - Trim it up.

Step 6 - Fold it over and be sure to keep this smooth.

Step 7 - Lay a piece directly across the back of the spine to cover the overlay and be sure to smooth it down.

A couple of views of the finished fix.

Here's a close-up of the fix. 

Here you can see how the last piece of tape matches the edge of the Moleskine. 

 A couple of notes. 

1. The tape is sticky on both sides, however its not as sticky on the outside.  But keep this in mind if you use this fix.
2. The tape isn't as polished as the Moleskine cover itself, however it looks much better than an open spine.
3. It took about five minutes to do.

If anyone knows of another type of tape that is cloth and would work I'd be interested in knowing about it.  I'll also post about the longevity of the fix in a month or two.

Sean