I used to think a bone folder was just for creasing paper until a workshop in Chicago

For my first two years, I only used my bone folder for scoring folds, thinking that was its whole job. At a workshop last fall, the instructor showed us how to use the rounded end to burnish leather, smoothing out tiny wrinkles without any heat. I tried it on a calfskin cover project the next week and it cut my finishing time by almost half. Now I keep two on my bench, one for paper and one just for leather work. Has anyone else found a simple tool can do way more than you first thought?

3 comments

3 Comments

tyler_white421mo ago

Try burnishing book spines next.

charlieo291mo ago

Tried that once and nearly gave a first edition a stress fracture. My hands just don't have the gentle touch. Ended up making a copy of "The Old Man and the Sea" look like it fought the marlin bare-knuckle. Now I just use a bone folder and pray I don't leave a shiny streak. Some of us are meant for rougher repairs.

grayh606d ago

I had the same worry about shiny streaks, @charlieo29, but a tiny bit of beeswax on the bone folder tip made it glide right over the leather.