Watching a binder in Prague use a bone folder on damp paper completely changed my approach to rounding spines.

Did they mention if the paper type made a difference? Everyone talks pressure, but I bet the fiber content of that paper was the real key. A soft handmade sheet would fold under pressure a machine-made one would fight. That choice changes the whole feel of the rounding step.

5

aaron_flores846mo ago

What specific pressure did they use on the damp paper?

3

anthony_wells5mo ago

Elliot's got a point but seriously, that pre-soak makes more difference than the fiber content 9 times out of 10. I've seen soft machine-made sheets fold cleaner than a lot of hand-pulped stuff because the binder knew exactly how long to let it sit. The bone folder work on that Prague demo was all about timing, not what the paper was made of.

3