I was dead set against PVA glue for years until a project fell apart on me

For the longest time I swore by wheat paste for all my bookbinding, thought PVA was too fake and wouldn't hold up. Last month I was rebinding a 1920s poetry collection and the wheat paste just would not stick to that old leather spine. After 3 tries and a huge mess I finally grabbed a bottle of Lineco PVA and that thing held solid in 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a material that forced them to switch up their go-to adhesive?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairj5529d ago

Did you ever catch that episode of "The Book and the Spindle" podcast where they tested adhesives on different leathers? They found out wheat paste struggles with older, drier hides because it pulls moisture out too fast. I had to give up my stubbornness about PVA after that podcast proved it wasn't just my bad technique.

paige_ellis5929d ago

That podcast episode made me feel SO vindicated for all those times I blamed the leather instead of my glue. Guess my stubbornness just needed a fancy scientific excuse to finally admit defeat.