Folded my first leather hinge wrong 3 times today

Been binding for about 2 years now and finally tried a proper leather hinge on a journal. Messed it up three times before lunch. First try the leather was too thick. Second try I cut the grain too deep and it ripped. Third try I finally got the paring right but forgot to wet the leather first. Ended up with a lumpy spine that won't close flat. Should have watched that DAS video on hinge prep before jumping in. Anyone got a go-to thickness for goatskin hinges on a standard text block?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivanl761mo ago

What kind of paring knife are you using? I ask because I had the same problem with tearing until I swapped from a standard French parer to a round knife with a more gradual bevel. Also, are you skiving the whole hinge or just the edges? I find that if I don't thin the whole thing down to about 1mm or less, it fights me on closing.

wesley_hart1mo ago

Funny how that applies to so many things, not just knives. Getting the whole structure right instead of just polishing the edges, whether that's a leather hinge or planning a week's meals or fixing a squeaky door. Really makes me think about all the times I've only half fixed something and wondered why it still fought me.