My bone folder snapped mid fold on a leather spine

I was working on a leather bound journal last Tuesday night and my cheapo bone folder just cracked in half during a tight spine crease. The piece flew off and hit my cat, who then knocked over a jar of PVA glue all over my cutting mat. I had to stop and clean everything up with a damp rag before the glue dried on my tools. Took me like 20 minutes to get back to it, and the fold ended up lopsided because the leather cooled off. Anyone got a recommendation for a bone folder that won't break after a few months?

3 comments

3 Comments

valh3226d ago

Started using a bamboo folder after my last cheap one snapped. Been solid for over a year now on tough leather projects. What kind of leather are you usually working with?

vera_murphy26d ago

Used to think bamboo tools were just eco-friendly gimmicks that would crack under real pressure. But after a friend lent me theirs for a heavy bag project, I picked one up myself. Mine has held up through dozens of thick harness leather pieces without any issues. It actually feels better in my hands than the metal ones, less slippery when my hands get sweaty. Definitely changed my mind on that front.

grant.nina22d ago

Gotta say I see it different. Tried a bamboo folder for about three months on some bridle leather and it just didn't have the same crisp edge I get from my metal one. The bamboo flexed a little too much on tight curves and left me with rounded corners. I get what @vera_murphy says about the grip being nice when sweaty, but for me the tradeoff wasn't worth it on precision work.