Appreciation post: That time an old bookbinder told me my glue was too thin

I was at a bookbinding meetup in St. Louis about two years ago, and I brought in this recipe book I had just finished. An older gentleman, must have been in his 70s, picked it up and just looked at the spine for a few seconds. He said "your glue is too thin, that's why the pages are stiff on the outside but loose near the gutter." I had been using a 3 to 1 mix of PVA and water for years because that's how I learned online. He showed me how to do a 5 to 1 ratio with a bit of methylcellulose added, and I could feel the difference right away when I brushed it on. Now my spines flex way better and the pages lay flatter. Has anyone else had a seasoned binder point out a small fix that completely changed their method?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellanelson10d ago

The methylcellulose thing is actually a bigger deal than people give it credit for. It's not just about thickness, it's about how the glue sets up. PVA alone dries like a plastic sheet, which is what gives you that stiff outer edge and loose inner page problem. The methylcellulose acts as a plasticizer but also slows down the drying time, which lets the glue soak into the fibers more evenly before it sets. I had a similar issue with paste paper once, where the glue was too fast and the paper just wrinkled. A drop of methylcellulose changed everything. Your mileage may vary with different papers and climates, but that slow dry trick is something I wish more online tutorials would mention instead of just saying "add water".

jake9867d ago

Oh man, I gotta push back just a tiny bit here... methylcellulose is actually more of a binder than a plasticizer in that mix. It's got those long chains that help the glue grab onto the paper fibers deeper. The slower dry time is definitely the real hero though, gives everything time to settle right.

hugo_robinson2510d ago

Yep, that slow dry thing is key. I add a tiny bit of methylcellulose to my PVA for every single book repair now.