An inexpensive way to breathe new life into old manuals

Today is one of those days. I can claim no credit for this tip. It’s just something I wanted to pass along to those who wear out paper shop manuals like I do. (Remember those things?) All praise for this one goes to my buddy, Dick, who sent me the following text that kicked off this story.

That’s pretty self-explanatory. I have a very, very ancient shop manual that I love dearly. I consult it very regularly, as it covers two of my own motorcycles and a few owned by friends.

It’s tattered. I love it. Reproductions exist, but dammit, I like to use my buddy’s manual. He even wrote me a nice little note a few years back.

So I wanted to save it, of course. Dick and I are alike in that we are both far more likely to take out our wrenches than our wallets. We repair, not replace. Keeping this book on the bench helping me keep bikes running is the only way to go. So though this service is just something that Staples offers, it can be put to use in the motorcycle sense. It should help those of you with old magazines and books you have in the shop, too.

After I got Dick’s text, I called up Staples. They said they could turn me around immediately. I hopped in the truck, and they asked me a few questions, and then used some horrifyingly scary cutting and poking machines to bind and recover my manual.

They measured my manual to make sure I’d have enough room for the recover, then cut off Dick’s old packing-tape binding job. It got holed and then bound. The guy who did mine even honored my request of skipping a clear cover and instead using the thick black vinyl back back covers on front and rear to better protect the manual within.

The fella even cut the covers to fit my pages! I think if I had asked nicely he would sliced the page edges on three sides, too, where they were all greasy. I didn’t want it shiny and new, though, I just wanted it to not continue deteriorating. I think the results speak for themselves.

And the price was nice, too. They did not tell me that I could have dropped it off and saved a little over a buck, but I ain’t mad.

And the best part about this is because it’s now spiral-bound, the manual lies flat on the bench when I’m working! I think Staples is that place with the easy button, right? I feel like maybe that was pretty close to the truth for me.