Bone folders

[krains]

I've found that Tandy's bone (plastic) folder is scratching my leather when I try to crease/fold. Is there something I can do to stop that from happening? Am I using it wrong? Where do you find top notch bone folders?

[bruce johnson]

Krains,

You can buff off any seams or pits from the plastic mold it was formed in. That said, Osborne makes a real bone folder that I use a fair bit. I just got a wooden one made by Riley Cornelius. They are members here on the forum. It has a nice shape and the edge varies from fairly crisp at the tip to a nice round edge. The variance allows you to use what part you need for the effect you are looking for. Nice tool.

[Dale]

Bookbinder suppliers and paper suppliers usually have them less expensive than most leathercraft suppliers. They're pretty easy to shape, so don't be afraid to make it the way you want it.

[RandyScott]

I have the same plastic folder and had the same problem. So, out to the garage and dig through my stack of sandpaper. Started with about 180 and went up through to around 1500 grit. Smoothed the sharp edges (by the way, surprise to me, that little knobby thing with the grooves is to be used as an edge burnisher will pull off or detach from the other piece!). Finished it off by polishing it with automotive polish compound. I then worked on the edge burnisher and smoothed its sharp edges

[krains]

thanks guys, i'll try to buff the tandy one. but i will look into mr. cornelius' also.

[barra]

I had a look at Riley Cornelius' folder. Now I don't really need one but that thing looks so sweeeeeet I just might have to get one just cos.

Barra

[pepin1948]

I've found that Tandy's bone (plastic) folder is scratching my leather when I try to crease/fold. Is there something I can do to stop that from happening? Am I using it wrong? Where do you find top notch bone folders?

Look at this link. There are excellent bone folders, extremely fine sanded.

http://store.falkiners.com/store/category/55/334/Bone/

[Randy Cornelius]

Here is a picture of the wooden folders or rub sticks that my son Riley makes. If interested give me a PM I think he sells them for 20-25.00. He says there is about 2-3 hours work in each one.

[yaklady]

I bought one of Riley's folders last month. It works much better than a normal bone folder, and is big enough to get a good grip on it. I like that one and the cocobolo one I got from Hide Crafters.

[oldtimer]

I've found that Tandy's bone (plastic) folder is scratching my leather when I try to crease/fold. Is there something I can do to stop that from happening? Am I using it wrong? Where do you find top notch bone folders?

You can make bonefolders of your own design from a material called " Pakka-wood", actually laminated wood impregnated with some kind of resin, that makes it hard as ebony. Pakka wood is used by knifemakers to make handles and can be polished to a mirror finish on the buffing wheel.

[joet]

I also like the Hide Crafters Cocobolo burnisher. I have read in another group that some people use deer antlers for their burnishers and edgers. Cut it to size and put a handle on it, or use as is. Some people swear by it.

[DCKNIVES]

Well, I am one of those who use deer antler.The piece I have is smooth and rounded on the tip and I have been using it for about 20 years. Works great. Dave

[okiwen]

Well, I am one of those who use deer antler.The piece I have is smooth and rounded on the tip and I have been using it for about 20 years. Works great. Dave

A picture of the deer antler?? Thanks.

[okiwen]

I'd like to bump this to the top again in hopes of seeing a photo of a deer horn boner......thx

A picture of the deer antler?? Thanks.

[DCKNIVES]

Sorry, it took me a bit. Dave

[okiwen]

Sorry, it took me a bit. Dave

Well, that even looks like a antler. I thought you had shaped and inlaid gold or something. I can comprehend its use the way it is. Thank you for the post.

[Hoyden]

If you go into a Joann Fabrics or a Michaels Craft store and look in the scrapbooking section, they have a really nice bone folders,

The top one is the nicer one.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CAT...PRODID=prd24849

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CAT...PRODID=prd28284

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/display...oductNum=pc0735

[whinewine]

:D Link to

http://talasonline.com

they are a supplier of stuff for bookbinders. do a search of their site for bone folders. they have many different kinds, very reasonable prices & are located in New York

[Windy]

All this talk of making "bone " folders from cocobolo, some resin

impregnated wood and plastic and deer antler. Shall we revisit

the name "bone " folder. I am not real old , alas I figure this

name came about ,hmmmm cause it was made from a bone.

Now I do not know about y'all , but my hams come with a bone

and some of my steaks come with a bone and least we forget

ham hocks and ribs and pork chops. Of course I could be wrong.

It may have just looked like a bone so they called it a bone folder.

[TwinOaks]

Nope, Windy, none of my food has bones in it. The name stuck some time ago I believe, and for the reasons you presume. However, it's simpler to stick with a name that everyone knows than to start getting picky. Of course, then you'd have to think about the second word of the name- folder. Well, it certainly doesn't fold, and from what I've seen, it's used mainly for pressing or creasing. So back to the second part of the second sentence- it's easier for jammon (member) to say I sent him a bone folder/ slicker than to say I sent him a "chechen wood creasing, folding, and burnishing tool", because not everyone would know what chechen wood is. The generic 'bone folder' is more readily recognized.

[RandyScott]

Windy,

Bones from cow and pig contain large amounts of fat and grease. Tends to mess up your leatherwork. The effort it takes to 'degrease' the bones is simply not worth the time nor aggravation. I have the TLF 'plastic bone' folder and I have one that I made from cocobolo. I learned that cocobolo is tough stuff especially when you are cutting and shaping with hand tools, i.e., hand saw, wood rasp and sandpaper. Additionally, it is time consuming. So for less that $4 one can walk into a fabric store and purchase a folder. Or one can pay the price at Hidecrafter or purchase one from young Cornelious above and have a quality tool. I am glad I made mine for the experience of making the tool. But it's not an experience I wish to endure a second time.

[Leather Bum]

Well, this is an interesting point: what qualities does one expect from a bone folder? In other words, what do you like best about your bone folder, and/or what characteristics does a bone folder need to function as a bone folder? Does it need to be a hard, dense material, or. . .? What about solid surface material (such as Corian)?

L'Bum

Edited April 25, 2008 by Leather Bum

[bruce johnson]

L'Bum,

I like my plastic TLF one for the square heel end to get down into crevices or to sharpen up a crease like on my picture frames. I like my Osborne real bone folder for the point that gets into areas others can't, like the underside corners of a Cheyenne roll. The thin edge also has some applications for creasing. I like the ones with different curves for shaping swells on a saddle. I make them from chunks of plastic HDPE or LDPE cutting board. The half inch radius also helps with creasing up things like purses and shaving kits.

If I had to choose one for the smaller stuff it would be Riley's. First off, the edge has a tapering radius working thinner toward the tip and I can pick and choose which part to use. The heel end is substantial enough to have a good grip on, and less hand fatigue. I can put some pressure on it to help tuck a Cheyenne roll up into place, and then smooth it down. Good tool, and pretty well thought out. Final reason is that Riley makes them out of Osage Orange/hedge apple/bowdark/Bois D'Arc wood. I bid a job restringing fence in college for a local farmer. He didn't tell me the posts were Osage Orange, and I didn't ask. They had been in the ground a while, and I couldn't drive a single staple in them. I had to predrill every hole for each leg of every staple for 20 acres of woven wire fencing. That was pre-cordless drill days. I did it with one of those eggbeater hand-drills. He was a jerk, but his wife fed well. Lesson learned, and 25 years later I still hate those trees. I am glad Riley isn't cutting them into posts.

[Rayban]

I just made this one for myself yesterday out of Cocobolo...inspired by another one I saw some where on this forum.....easy to make and it works great...I put it to work this morning....please excuse the sloppy stitching job on the slip.....hand stitching and watching Detroit Tigers on tv don't mix.....

Edited April 27, 2008 by Rayban

[TwinOaks]

golly, but that looks familiar....

Rayban, you did a nice job on that. What I did on the ones I made was very similar, but at the butt end I made a tapered radius groove that wraps around the end. To do it, use a dremel with a conical cutting bit. Start thin, then get deeper/wider as you wrap the groove.