Took a class at a bindery in Portland and learned how to pare leather properly

I went to this old shop called Bindery X in Portland last month for a two day workshop. The instructor showed us how to pare leather down to 0.5 millimeters for tight joints on a fine binding. I had been struggling with thick, bulky edges for years and never understood why my covers looked so sloppy. After practicing on about 10 scraps, my corners finally laid flat and clean. It took me about 3 tries to get the knife angle right, but now I feel like I actually know what I'm doing. Has anyone else had a moment where one class just fixed a whole mess of problems?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah_west397d ago

My buddy took that same class and spent a whole weekend just cutting scrap leather until it clicked.

marybutler7d ago

Hell yeah, I read somewhere that getting the knife angle right is the whole damn battle with paring. Glad it clicked for you, that must feel good.

lucasw847d ago

My first three tries I basically stabbed myself trying to get the angle right, so you're already ahead of me.