Tools and Equipment

Bone Folder

Also Known As Folding Bone

Citation Formats

General Reference

Home, Crafts and Hobbies Atlas. "Bone Folder." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-home.interactiveatlas.org/tools/bone-folder.

APA Style

Home, Crafts and Hobbies Atlas. (n.d.). Bone Folder. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-home.interactiveatlas.org/tools/bone-folder

BibTeX

@misc{home,craftsandhobbiesatlas-bone-folder,
  author = {Home, Crafts and Hobbies Atlas},
  title = {Bone Folder},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-home.interactiveatlas.org/tools/bone-folder},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A dull, smooth-edged blade of bone, ivory or plastic, drawn along a fold to press it into a sharp, permanent crease without cutting or scoring the paper or card. Bookbinders, cardmakers and paper folders all reach for the same blunt tool, because an edge with no cutting bite cannot tear what it creases.

Facts

Origin

Traditionally cut from the leg bone of a cow or deer, or from ivory; a genuine bone tool is prized for being less likely to leave a shiny burnish or residue on the paper than a plastic one. Japanese binders and paper folders commonly use a bamboo tool of the same idea, or a fabric-marking tool called a hera. 1

Open Questions

Introduced When (Circa)

Not established by the sources consulted

The tool's simple bone-and-blade form leaves no clear first-use date in the sources consulted, only its long-standing role in bookbinding and paper crafts.

Cross-Tradition Connections