Preparing a Lithography Stone For Paring Leather скачать в хорошем качестве

Preparing a Lithography Stone For Paring Leather

When it comes to paring leather for bookbinding, having a good quality work surface is almost as important as a sharp knife. In this video I prepare the Rolls Royce of paring surfaces: a lithography stone. Lithography is a method of printing that was extremely common in the 19th and early 20th century, but has since been largely replaced by more modern processes. Images were imprinted onto slabs of fine-grained lithographic limestone, which could then be inked and printed over and over. It is perhaps because of the decline in lithographic printing that the lithography stone became the preferred work surface for bookbinders. As demand for lithographic prints fell, it is likely that the stones became both readily available and inexpensive. Sadly this is no longer the case, so I didn’t hesitate when I was able to purchase one fairly reasonably. The ubiquitous self-healing cutting mats we all use are of little use when paring leather, as the low angle of the blade invariably gouges the mat to shreds. Glass or marble surfaces are better, though these are very hard and could damage a carefully-honed blade. Litho stones have the advantage of being extremely fine-grained, uniform, and comparatively soft. Moreover, stones prepared for printing are absolutely flat. This makes for an ideal paring surface, as it fully supports the leather being thinned, and won’t catastrophically damage a tool if the user should slip. (No such guarantee for fingers - use caution around sharp tools!) Another advantage of such a stone is its sheer mass. The one in this video weighs about 18 kg (39 lbs), which means it stays put while working on it. Smaller paring surfaces need to be secured to prevent them from creeping across the bench (as often happened with the small marble slab that was my previous paring stone). The extra height is also a perk, as it gives clearance for the hand holding the blade when paring at extremely flat angles. And finally, there is the undeniable pleasure of working not only with traditional tools and materials, but with one that has so much history on its own. Thanks for watching! ________ If you'd like to support the channel and get loads of extra content, check out the Four Keys Patreon here:   / fourkeysbookarts   Other ways to support the channel: You can buy me a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fourkeys... Or you can drop a tip in my PayPal account: https://paypal.me/FourKeysBooks?local... All contributions help me to keep making videos, so your generosity is greatly appreciated! ________ Follow me on social media: Instagram   / four_keys_books   Facebook   / fourkeysbookarts   All original works of art in this video are copyrighted exclusively by Four Keys Book Arts.