tool holder – Peachey Conservation

Someone — not me! — converted a standard WWII M-1937 Canvas Field Cooking Outfit Bag into an apron. When not used as an apron, the tools store in the appropriately labeled pockets. Although I can’t condone altering historical artifacts, this is a pretty cool idea.

Someone should make a Bookbinder’s Apron/ Tool Roll. What are the essential bookbinding tools?

Currently my most used tools are: two 1″ Princeton Brush Co. Gesso brushes, two #8 Princeton Brush Co. flat hog bristle brushes, a Delrin Hera, a large Jim Croft elk bone folder, a Green River Shop knife, a Japanese water brush, a 5″ Mundial scissors, Dumont and Sons #2a and #5 tweezers, a M2 Paring knife, a Pentel .7mm mechanical pencil, a thick steelcraft 12″ tempered ruler, an NT A-300GR snap-off knife, a Caselli Micro-spatula, a Delrin folder, and a 6″ Stevens dividers.

Add an adjustable neck, side-ties long enough to knot in front, and you have your first sale right here!

I always use a tool holder when I’m working, which I wrote about in a previous post. Ken Gilbert designed and sells these cool knife boxes to transport and hold a variety of knives while you are working. Boxes like these have an advantage over tool rolls, in that they have a smaller footprint on your bench. The trays flip up so you can see what tool you are looking for, and they are protected from banging around in transport. Additionally, it may encourage binders to purchase more than a paring knife and lifting knife set, which I enthusiastically endorse!

Ken Gilbert is a bookbinder at Willow Bindery in Shrewsbury, Mass. and a member of the New England Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers. Contact Ken directly if you are interested having one made for your knives.