Heard a guy at the craft fair say leather hinges are ruining modern bookbinding and I can't stop thinking about it

There was this older binder at the Portland Craft Fair last weekend. He was looking at my journals and just said "leather hinges are the death of honest binding." Then he walked off. I mean I use leather hinges all the time for my coptic stitch books. They look great and hold up fine. But now I'm second guessing myself. Is there really something wrong with leather hinges or was he just being a gatekeeper? Has anyone else run into older binders who hate on modern materials for no reason?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_kim2h ago

Hold up, did that guy seriously just drop that line and peace out like some bookbinding oracle?

the_drew1h ago

Man I've been thinking about this since I read a post on a bookbinding forum a few months back. Some older binder was talking about how leather hinges can actually cause stress on the spine over time because they don't flex the same way as the paper. But honestly I've used them in journals that have lasted years without any issues. Seems like every generation of binders has their own pet peeve about materials. Probably just one of those things where old habits die hard.