Unpopular opinion: Starch paste isn't always better than PVA for repair work

My teacher swore by wheat starch paste for everything, said PVA was lazy. But I used paste on a 1920s novel and got mold spots inside the spine after 6 months. Has anyone else had paste fail on them or am I just doing it wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony12918d ago

Two months after using paste on a 1790s prayer book, I found live weevils in the binding, @ivanross.

ivanross18d ago

Yeah but paste needs the right humidity or it'll grow stuff.

seanjackson17d ago

So has anyone actually tested different humidity levels to figure out where the line is for paste? Like is the problem high humidity over 60% or does it need to be bone dry to stop weevils? I bet grain based paste is a lot more likely to attract bugs than something with just flour and water. Did you notice any smell before the weevils showed up?