My first stab at a leather hinge went sideways, but the old timer saved it

I've been binding notebooks for about 3 years now, mostly cloth and paper, but last weekend I finally tried a leather hinge on a journal for a client. The leather was too thick, I cut it wrong, and the whole joint cracked when I tried to close it. I was about to trash it and start over, but the guy who runs the local print shop saw me cursing at it and showed me how to skive the leather down with a utility blade before gluing. He also said to use a flexible PVA mix instead of the stiff stuff I had, which made way more sense after I watched him do it. I ended up salvaging the cover, and the hinge actually flexes now instead of snapping. Has anyone else had luck with thinner leather on a first try, or is that just something you learn by ruining a few covers?

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1 Comment

logan_ellis24d ago

Yeah, thicker leather always fights back. Skiving saves every mistake I've made too.