That moment my bone folder snapped in half mid-fold in my living room

I was working on a rebinding project for an old paperback I love, sitting on my floor in my tiny apartment in Portland. I had this cheap bone folder I got from a craft store for like 8 bucks, and I was pressing down a crease on some heavy bookcloth. The thing just cracked right in the middle, totally clean break, and the piece flew under my couch. I was so frustrated because I was in the zone and had no backup tool. So I grabbed a butter knife from the kitchen and used the rounded edge to finish the folds, which actually worked okay but felt wrong. Then I looked up proper bone folders online and ordered a real one from a bookbinding supplier for 25 bucks that came with a leather sheath. Has anyone else had a tool fail on them at the worst possible time and had to MacGyver something on the spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_jackson9d ago

Broke a needle halfway through sewing a binding once. Rummaged through the junk drawer and finished the whole thing with a bent paperclip and a lot of patience.

walker.alex9d ago

My grandpa used to fix his glasses with a twist tie from a bread bag. Kept a pair going for years that way. Wonder if @wren_jackson still has that book kicking around with the paperclip stitches.