jamiesingh•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Saw the light on using PVA for book hinges after hating on it for years

I've been binding books for about 8 years now, always used wheat paste for my hinges because that's what the old guys taught me. Last month I had a project where the paper was super slick and the paste just wouldn't hold. Buddy of mine who does restoration work told me to try a 50/50 PVA and water mix instead. Figured I'd hate it but it grabbed that paper like crazy and the book opens flat. Anyone else switch from paste to PVA for certain jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_thomas1mo ago

Haven't tried it myself, you really think it holds up better than wheat paste long term?

ivan_fisher991mo ago

And that's the thing with slick paper, you gotta switch it up. I tried a 60/40 PVA to water mix on a old field guide last spring. The pages had some coating on em and wheat paste would have just peeled off. @faith_thomas I haven't seen any issues with it long term yet but its only been about a year and a half. Reminds me of the time I used hot hide glue for a spine and ended up with a mess on my hands.