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Picked up a tip at the Library of Congress bindery tour last month
Went on a behind the scenes tour of the bindery at the Library of Congress in DC. One of the old timers there showed me how they use a paring knife to thin leather edges in a smooth curve instead of a straight line. Tried it on my last restoration project and the corners laid down way flatter with no bumps. Has anyone else gotten a random pro tip from an unexpected place like that?
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ryan_hart381mo agoTop Commenter
Hang on a second, is this really that big of a deal? Like yeah, a smooth curve makes sense for leather but a straight pare probably works fine for 99% of people who aren't doing museum quality restorations. I feel like the Library of Congress guys are on a whole other level and a random hobbyist doesn't need to sweat the small stuff. But hey, if it makes you feel good about your corners, go for it I guess.
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the_robin1mo ago
Nah man, I gotta push back a little. A straight pare might look fine from across the room but once you actually open the book and start turning pages, that sharp edge catches and creates stress points that'll crack the leather way faster. @garcia.cameron knows what I'm talking about - those tiny details like a rounded corner vs a sharp one are what stops your repair from falling apart in 5 years vs lasting 20. I've seen too many "good enough" paret cuts that ended up with the leather peeling off at the corners because the grain was left too thick. Library of Congress guys learned those tricks from decades of fixing other people's shortcuts, not from being snobs about it.
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the_sage1mo ago
That "sweat the small stuff" line reminds me of a guy I knew who only shaved one side of his face. Hey @ryan_hart38, different strokes, right?
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