Old timer at the local print shop showed me a trick with bone folders

Was dropping off some endpapers at Johnson Print Co. downtown and the guy there, must've been 70, saw my bone folder. He said I was using it wrong, that you should pull it toward you not push. I'd been pushing for 3 years. Tried it his way on a test sheet and the crease was way cleaner with less effort. Anyone else ever get a basic technique turned around on them after doing it the same way for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_murphy362d ago

The real trick nobody talks about is that bone folders get micro-cracks over time that snag the paper. I bet that old timer's folder was polished smooth from decades of use while yours still had that factory finish. Take a magnifying glass to yours and you'll probably see tiny rough spots. Run it across some fine grit sandpaper then buff it with a scrap of denim. That plus the pulling motion will change your whole game.

-1

reese_perry62d ago

Funny you mention that, it reminds me how most things in life actually get better the more you use them, not worse. We're always told that stuff wears out, but tools like bone folders, cast iron pans, and leather jackets all tell a different story. There's something honest about objects that reward you for sticking with them, where the scratches and marks just mean you've figured out how they work. Even something simple like a pair of jeans gets more comfortable after a hundred washes, kinda like that folder smoothing over time.