Unpopular opinion: I think people are way too precious with their bone folders.

Honestly, I see folks treating them like they're made of glass, but my $12 Teflon one from a craft store has handled 200+ books just fine. Anyone else think we overcomplicate the basic tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

blaked791mo ago

My first bone folder was a repurposed plastic putty knife from the hardware aisle. It creased paper just fine and never cracked on me. Sometimes the simplest tool is the right one.

milalopez29d ago

That's a clever idea, @blaked79. Did you sand down the edges of that putty knife at all, or was the plastic already smooth enough to not tear the paper? I've found even a tiny burr can ruin a fold.

hunt.shane2d ago

lol yeah, it's just a creasing tool. @milalopez has a point about burrs, but honestly, my cheap one is rounded and smooth. I use it on everything from cardstock to book cloth, and it's fine. People act like you need some special polished bone or fancy brass thing, but I've even used the back of a spoon in a pinch. If it's smooth and hard, it works.