B
12
c/bookbinders•milesbaileymilesbailey•2mo agoProlific Poster

Vent: PVA glue gets way too much love around here

I see everyone pushing PVA for everything but I tried it on a 1900s rebind last month and the spine cracked in 3 days. Good old wheat paste held that same book together for 50 years before. Anyone else find PVA too stiff for older paperbacks?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
adamk95
adamk952mo ago
Buddy of mine fixed a 1930s novel with PVA last year. Book fell apart flat on his desk inside a week. He switched back to wheat paste on the next one and it's been solid ever since.
8
hannah_perry
hannah_perry2mo ago
Wait, you mean quick fixes sometimes aren't the best fixes?
3
jasonf17
jasonf172mo agoTop Commenter
Notice how everyone wants the quick fix now even with bookbinding. PVA dries fast and works fine for modern paper but it's too rigid for old materials that need flexibility. Same reason people use super glue for everything instead of waiting for wood glue to do the job right.
2