xena_murphy•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Spent $40 on a bone folder made from cow rib, best tool upgrade I've made

I was using a cheap plastic bone folder for my cloth bindings and it kept leaving weird marks. Picked up a real cow rib one from a craft fair and it's way smoother, plus it fits my hand better. Anyone else find that pricier tools actually feel worth it after the first use?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.jennifer1mo ago

That cow rib one you got, was it from that seller at the Pittsburgh Craft Fair that does the hand-carved handles with the little leaf pattern near the top? I've been thinking about upgrading my cheap plastic folder but I'm nervous about dropping $40 on something that might not actually be better for the spine creasing work I do. Does the curve of the bone feel different enough that you notice it when you're doing tight turns on the spine, or is it more about the overall weight in your hand?

rowan2621mo ago

Wait have you actually held one of these before? The curve thing surprised me because it's not about the bone itself feeling different, it's actually way more about how it changes your wrist angle when you're working on those tight spine turns. Like with a plastic folder you kinda fight against the straight edge but the bone lets your hand sit more naturally so you get cleaner creases without even trying harder. And the weight thing is a bonus for me because the extra heft means I don't have to press down as hard to get a deep crease, which saves my hands on longer projects.