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Got schooled by an old timer on grain direction at a shop in Detroit
He watched me cut a cover the wrong way and just said 'you're fighting the paper, not using it.' Showed me how the spine cracked clean when he folded his test piece. Has anyone else had a pro correct a basic habit you thought you had down?
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thomas_sanchez11d ago
Man that's the kind of lesson that sticks with you forever. The grain trick is simple once you see it but most of us learn it the hard way. Next time take a scrap piece and fold it both ways before cutting that'll show you which direction the paper wants to go. I keep a little test sheet on my bench just as a reminder.
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claire87211d agoMost Upvoted
Wait have you guys ever read that thing about how paper grain actually affects how glue dries? I think I saw something in a woodworking mag once where they said the paper fibers expand differently along the grain and cross-grain. Thats why your creases look cleaner when you follow the grain direction because the fibers aren't fighting against themselves. Honestly that little test sheet trick is genius though. I've been burning through expensive cardstock trying to get it right until someone showed me that exact method. Now I just keep a scrap pile near my cutting mat and it saves me so much headache. Kind of makes you wonder why they dont teach that in school when you're doing art projects.
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