Punching & Performance Notes: Piece 7 (Part 2)

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Tested the 1 mm punch on 2/2.5 oz leather, evaluated punchboard indentation, and assessed 18/3 linen thread behavior across stations. Findings included uniform hole quality, minor substrate compression, and the need for periodic rewaxing to maintain thread integrity during stitching for upcoming prototype work.

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Date: Wednesday October 29, 2025

Classification: Week 4 Day 10 | Craft Day

Piece: 7 of ∞

1. The 1 mm punch from Amazon performed well. Holes were uniform and sharp when piercing the 2/2.5 oz leather I sourced locally.

Note: I positioned the punch strategically to address the original holes made with an awl. I gained slightly better alignment where it mattered most, which saved using additional leather material. Excelsior.

2. The 12×12 punch board from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply suffered small indentations from the 1 mm punch.

Note: This made me wonder if I was applying too much force with the hammer, or perhaps the hammer is too large/heavy, or a combination of the two. Will research more on this tomorrow. It's reasonable to conclude some indentation will occur, but to what extent, and are there other correlations worth noting? 1 mm punch, big heavy hammer, and me just a-swingin’ away, for instance.

3. The 18/3 linen from Talas held up very well. I noticed at almost equal intervals the thread could use a second wax application. It rubs off over the course of threading. I think this, in part, aided in holding its integrity. Not one break, and tension was tight.

I didn't notice this effect as much when sewing Station 1. This could be due to the fact that I had already passed freshly waxed thread through it before. The thicker thread is undoubtedly playing a part here as well.

Stations 2 and 3, however, showed dryness, loosening, or even fraying. A second wax application worked great to solve this.

Final Note: I used Dark Horse Workshop for reference again as a video reference for threading the binding. Remembered the pattern quickly and finished stations 2 and 3.

Conclusion for now

I'm happy with this little book! It's very close to what I imagined, and to see it next to its predecessor (from October 1/3, 2025) brings with it a sort of... joy. I made book. I like book. Good book is good.

I wonder about future iterations, and especially the grey leather samples arriving tomorrow. It won't be long until I'm making the next prototype. Black, archival quality, 118 gsm text paper — covered in dark grey leather. Eventually with the choice between ruled, grid, or dotted.

sigh. The subject of printing aside, tomorrow could be the day we solve our current most immediate problem: sourcing the appropriate quality cover material.

Or... maybe not. Will update tomorrow.