Heard a master bookbinder say PVA glue is killing our spines at the Philly meetup last Sunday

I was at the monthly bookbinder meetup at that old library on Market Street. One of the retired guys who used to work at the bindery near UPenn was going off about how modern PVA glues dry way too stiff compared to the old animal glues. He said he's seen 30 year old books with PVA spines crack like dry leaves. I use PVA for everything because it's cheap and dries fast. Now I'm worried about all the journals I've made for people. Anyone else have thoughts on switching to a glue mix that has more flex?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettywilson3d agoTop Commenter

Switching to animal glue just because some old timer says so is ridiculous. PVA has been the standard for decades in every commercial bindery I've seen, and none of them are going back to boiling up hide scraps. Those 30 year old books he's talking about probably cracked because of cheap paper and poor handling, not the glue. Keep using your PVA and save yourself the hassle of mixing up a batch of glue that smells like a barn and takes forever to set.

the_blair3d ago

My PVA spines are holding up fine so far but then again most of my books haven't survived past my toddler getting hold of them.