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Just realized I spent 4 hours trying to get a clean edge on some handmade paper for a cover.
It was this heavy flax paper I made myself. Looked great until I tried to cut it. My usual rotary cutter just tore it. Tried a scalpel, still ragged. Switched to a metal ruler and a fresh blade, pressing down hard. That sort of worked, but it wasn't perfect. Finally dug out an old bookbinding bone folder and scored a deep line along the ruler first, then cut. That did it. Clean break. Why did I not try that first? What's your go-to method for tricky paper?
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averywilliams6mo ago
My last project with heavy mulberry paper had the same problem. I keep a cheap pizza cutter in my toolbox now just for scoring thick sheets. It has a dull blade that won't cut you, but the weight lets you press down and make a deep groove without tearing the fibers. After that, any sharp blade along the groove gives a perfect edge. Why do the simple tricks always come to you last?
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evan_burns956mo ago
Used to think a fresh blade was the only answer for everything. Scoring that line first with a bone folder was a total game changer for thick paper like that. Now it's my first move with anything textured or handmade.
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