TIL I was sharpening my bone folder wrong for years

An old binder at a workshop in Portland told me to stop using sandpaper and switch to a honing rod - now my folds are actually crisp instead of mushy. Anyone else have a tool habit they had to unlearn after getting called out?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse7731mo ago

Same thing happened to me with my awl. I was using one of those diamond files on it for years, thinking I was keeping it sharp. Then a bookbinder in Chicago (shout out to the Guild) straight up told me I was making it worse by putting micro-serrations on the edge. Switched to a leather strop with some polishing compound and now it glides through paper like butter, no tear-out at all. It's wild how many of us pick up bad habits from YouTube tutorials before someone who actually knows their stuff sets us straight.

the_ruby1mo agoTop Commenter

Hate that you went through this too, but I'm glad you figured it out. I had a similar wake up call with my carving knives a while back. Watched all these YouTube gurus raving about diamond stones and thought I was doing it right. Then a old timer at a craft fair just looked at my edge and laughed, told me I was basically sandpapering the steel into a saw blade. Switched to a strop with green compound and it changed everything. Honestly makes me wonder how many other tools we're all wrecking because of bad internet advice. Good on you for listening to someone who actually knows the trade.