Spent three hours trying to get the spine curve right on a small leather journal

I was rounding the back on a 5-inch tall journal, and my usual method with the backing hammer just wasn't working. The curve kept coming out lumpy and uneven. I finally realized the leather was too dry and the signatures were packed too tight before I started. After letting the leather relax and re-sewing with a bit more slack, it took about 15 minutes to get a perfect curve. Has anyone else had a project where the prep work made all the difference like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery92126d ago

Honestly, why do we always blame the prep work first? Sometimes a backing hammer just isn't the right tool for a small, tight curve like that. I've had way better luck using a bone folder to work the spine slowly, even with dry leather. It gives you more control to fix those lumps as you go. Maybe the method needs to change before the materials.

seth_wells4925d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah but @avery921, I gotta disagree. A bone folder on dry leather sounds like a fast track to cracking the grain, especially on something stiff. I've seen it happen. A backing hammer with the right face, like a narrow cross peen, lets you hit the high spots directly on a tight curve. The control is in the swing, not just the tool. Sometimes the prep really is the thing, like not skimping on the case time before you even start shaping.

jessicab3323d ago

Can't you just use a bit of water with the bone folder like @avery921 said, to avoid the cracking?