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I quit folding signatures with a bone folder and now I use a $9 teflon sheet from the kitchen aisle
For my first two years binding, I folded every signature by hand with a bone folder and a straightedge, and it took me about 40 minutes per book. My creases were never quite even, and I'd get that shiny burnish mark on the paper if I pressed too hard. Six months ago a binder in Portland showed me her setup, which is just a teflon baking sheet laid over the fold, and you rub it down with the folder without touching the paper at all. My fold time is down to 15 minutes, the creases are sharp, and I haven't scuffed a single page since. The cheap sheet doesn't leave any marks and it wipes clean when glue gets on it. Has anyone else tried this, or do you have a different trick for keeping folds crisp on heavier stock?
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ruby_foster9310d ago
I have to say I land on the other side of this one. The bone folder directly on the paper is doing more than just pressing a crease, it's compressing the fibers right at the fold so the signature holds its shape and opens flat later, and a teflon sheet between them softens that bite. I folded with a barrier for a while and my spines ended up feeling kind of spongy compared to the ones I did bare. The burnish marks you're talking about usually mean too much pressure or a dirty folder tip, not that the tool itself is wrong. For heavy stock I score first with a dull awl along the straightedge, then fold and burnish in two lighter passes instead of one hard one, and that gets me sharp creases without the shine. Different hands, different books though, so if yours are coming out clean at 15 minutes that's a real win.
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