Tried PVA glue on a reback instead of wheat paste for the first time last week

I've always used wheat paste for spine repairs because that's what my teacher showed me. But I had a cheap paperback that was falling apart and figured I'd test some PVA on it just to see. The PVA dried way faster, like 30 minutes versus overnight, and the spine opened flatter. The wheat paste felt more forgiving if I messed up positioning though. Has anyone else switched glues for certain jobs and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephmartin12d ago

Read that PVA can cause reversible damage to some papers over time.

faith_king12d ago

Pretty sure you're mixing PVA up with something else, it's actually pretty stable on paper as long as it's not the cheap craft stuff. The real issue is with things like rubber cement or acidic tapes, those cause the yellowing and damage over time. Most archival folks agree that a good quality PVA is actually one of the safer adhesives for paper.

hugo_robinson2512d ago

Josephmartin, that idea that PVA causes reversible damage to paper over time isn't really backed up by current conservation research. Good quality PVA like Jade or Lineco is actually considered safe for most paper repairs, it's the cheap craft stuff with additives that can be a problem later. Wheat paste is still better for some things like delicate paper where you want extra working time, but PVA isn't automatically damaging just because it dries faster.