Shoutout to the old timer who told me to stop stretching leather before paring

An older binder at the Northeast Printing Museum saw me fighting a piece of goatskin and told me to just wet it and let it relax for 15 minutes before cutting. I had been stretching it tight to get an even thickness and ending up with tear outs half the time. Has anyone else gotten better results from relaxing the leather rather than tensioning it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sean1d ago

Yeah I had the same issue with calfskin when I first started. I was pulling it tight on a board thinking it would help me pare more even but I'd get these weird thin spots and tears. Once I started just wetting it a bit and letting it sit flat for like 10 minutes the cuts got way cleaner. Also found that using a lighter hand with the knife helped a ton instead of trying to muscle through the damp spots.

nelson.cameron20h ago

Yeah I used to be all about pulling it tight too, thought that was the only way to get a clean edge. But after ruining a couple panels I finally tried your method and yeah, you're totally right, way smoother cuts without fighting the leather.