Was dead set against using PVA for leather binding until a guy in Chicago showed me his 15 year old journal

2 comments

2 Comments

Wait, was that journal made with actual PVA glue or did he use a mix of PVA and something else? I've heard some people cut it with wheat paste or methyl cellulose to make it more reversible. Also, how did the spine hold up over 15 years? Did it crack or was it still flexible, because that's my biggest worry with PVA.

sethanderson1mo ago

...actually yeah that's the thing that's been bugging me too. I've been reading up on bookbinding forums and some people swear by straight PVA for journals but then others say it gets brittle over time. Did you see any signs of that with this one like maybe the pages were separating or the hinge was getting loose? Also were there any weird wrinkles or bubbles in the spine that showed up later on because that's my nightmare with glue jobs that look perfect at first.