Shoutout to the old bookbinder at the Seattle Public Library who showed me a trick with a bone folder

I was dropping off some donated books in their preservation room last month and this guy named Ray who has been binding for like 40 years saw me struggling with my corners. He grabbed my bone folder and showed me how to wet the tip just a little bit before burnishing the spine hinge. I had always heard to keep everything bone dry but he said a tiny bit of moisture on the folder helps the leather settle without cracking. He also told me to stop using a metal ruler for scoring because it flattens the fibers too much. I tried it on a recent rebind of a 1920s poetry collection and the difference was NIGHT and day. Has anyone else run into old timers in library conservation rooms who share random secrets like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielhenderson14d ago

Bone dry is how I keep my toast, not my bookbinding apparently.

drew69013d ago

Bone dry is a nightmare for all of us who tried it at least once. I did my first few books with the glue way too thin and dry, ended up with pages falling out after a week. Had to redo the whole thing and had a much easier time when I just let the paste be a little wetter instead of trying to get that perfect crisp look. What's your go-to trick for keeping the moisture right without ruining the pages?