Living with Bookbinders

One of the advantages of living with a bookbinder, I've discovered, is that you can nick her stuff. Marysa's cast iron book press is excellent for small bits of veneering and marquetry. Today I was using it to make components for a box, using hot hide glue with heated aluminium plates to keep the glue from gelling prematurely. In the old days they used zinc plates, but aluminum is cheap and easy to get hold of, and seems to work well enough. 

Other things that seem to make the trip between workshops on a regular basis are leather-paring knives, newsprint, and scissors. I had a habit of losing my scissors but now there are always some to hand. Not sure what the bookbinder thinks about all this though...