I always thought linen thread was just for show until I saw a 200 year old binding

I was at a book show in Portland last month and got to handle a ledger from the 1820s. The guy running the booth pointed out the original linen sewing was still holding strong, while the leather spine had cracked. He said, "The thread outlives the skin by a century." I looked it up later and found a study showing linen fiber loses less than 10% of its strength over 100 years. Now I'm switching my personal projects to linen. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in how the book opens?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliotw371mo ago

That "thread outlives the skin" line says it all about modern materials.

logan2991mo ago

Had a backpack where the plastic buckles were still perfect after ten years, but the fabric panels completely wore through. Ended up having to cut the straps off just to salvage the hardware. It's frustrating when one part is built to last forever and the rest isn't.

grantnelson1mo ago

Yeah saw an article about how some plastics last way longer than the stuff they're attached to now. Kinda wild lol.