Overheard a guy at the bindery supply shop say something that clicked for me

I was picking up some PVA glue at the shop last Tuesday and this older guy was talking to the cashier about his rounding hammers. He said something like 'you gotta let the spine tell you where it wants to go, not force it.' I been struggling with my rounded spines looking lumpy on my last 3 books. Turns out I was just pounding the crap out of the leather instead of feeling the sections settle. Has anyone else had that moment where a random comment fixed a problem you been fighting for months?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex52420h ago

That's just some zen master bookbinding wisdom, lol. I say just pound the crap out of it until it looks right, the spine can't talk anyway.

evan_stone11h ago

That's kind of funny but I think the guy had a point. Punching down harder usually makes the lumpiness worse, not better. Took me a while to learn that too.