That old bookbinder at the Denver workshop showed me his homemade bone folder from 1982

He said he carved it from a cow rib and it's still smoother than any plastic one I've used since, has anyone else found a tool they keep coming back to for decades?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_moore757d ago

My buddy down in Santa Fe has this old awl his grandpa gave him. The handle is wrapped in electrical tape that's been sweat on so many times it's basically petrified. He uses it for everything from stitching leather to poking holes in stubborn clay for pot repairs. Tried using a fancy new one from a craft store last year and it slipped right out of his hand, chipped a tooth on his favorite mug. That beat up old thing is probably the most dangerous yet somehow most reliable tool in his shop.

stellac976d ago

Oh absolutely, that thing about the petrified electrical tape on the awl really hit home for me. @diana_moore75 that describes like half the tools in my shop honestly. I got this old bone folder from a guy who retired in 1998 and the edge is worn down at a weird angle from decades of use. It has this slight curve on one side that no new tool can match no matter how hard they try. I bought a brand new one from a big craft store last year and tossed it in a drawer after one day. You just cant replicate years of someone elses mistakes and muscle memory in a tool. New stuff is too perfect and it doesnt work right.