I was wrong about using PVA glue for everything

For years I stuck with the same thick PVA for every binding, thinking it was the safe choice. The tip off was a restoration job on a 1902 family bible from Boston, where the old leather spine just would not flex properly. I watched a video from a binder in Italy who used a specific wheat paste mix for flexible spines, and it clicked. Has anyone else switched from PVA for certain jobs and found it works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_miles4d ago

I used to swear by PVA for all my book repairs too. That changed after a 1910 hymnal project where the pages stayed stiff as a board. Now I keep a jar of rice starch paste for anything that needs to bend.

sarah_patel254d ago

That's the exact reason I switched too. PVA just doesn't work for old paper, it's like trying to glue plastic. The stiffness is unreal. Rice starch paste is a total game changer for anything with a spine that needs to flex. Learned that lesson the hard way on a repair that felt like a brick afterwards. Never went back to the white glue for books.

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casey6824d ago

Totally feel that pain. Ruined a few spines before I figured it out. Now my rice paste jar is always on the work table.