Old bookbinder at the shop yesterday made me question my glue

I was complaining about how my spines keep cracking on bigger books, and this guy who's been binding since the 70s just goes 'what adhesive are you using?' Told him PVA, and he shook his head and said that's for paperbacks, not for anything with a real text block. He showed me his mix of wheat paste and PVA in a 60/40 ratio and honestly I've been fighting with my bindings for like 2 years now. Has anyone else switched away from straight PVA and noticed a huge difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

terrymitchell2mo ago

Hang on, did he mention anything about HOW you're applying the mix? I've tried switching to a wheat paste blend before but it dried so fast on me I was getting bubbles under the hinge. Maybe I had the ratios wrong but the cracking problem went away, then I got a new problem with the cover boards warping. Was his method about going heavier on the spine or something specific to the grain direction?

lisar142mo agoTop Commenter

Nah @terrymitchell, wheat paste needs slower drying, not heavier application.

coleman.jade1mo ago

Ah man, I gotta push back on the wheat paste thing a little. Ngl, I've had way better luck with a PVA mix that lets you control the moisture better - that fast drying issue you hit is a sign the paste was way too hot or you didn't let it sit long enough. For the warping, I found it's less about the spine and more about getting an even layer across the whole board and pressing it flat under weight for a full 24 hours. Cracking went away for me once I stopped skimping on the adhesive right at the hinge joint itself.