Caught my glue joints failing after 3 years of bindings

I was showing off a stack of my finished books at a guild meetup in Portland last month and one guy just picked one up and snapped the spine open. The whole text block came loose right in his hands. He pointed out I was using way too much PVA and not letting it tack up before assembly. I had been drowning my spines in wet glue for YEARS and never realized it was weakening the bond over time. Has anyone else had a similar wakeup call about their adhesive technique?

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2 Comments

anthonykim1mo ago

Whoa wait, the guy just snapped your book open like that? That's brutal. I mean, I get that it's a learning moment but having someone just break your work in front of you seems harsh. I've been there though with the glue thing. I used to slather on PVA like it was going out of style until I noticed my older books had this weird stiffness and some pages were pulling apart at the hinge. It's crazy how such a simple thing like letting the glue tack up can make or break the whole structure. Once I started waiting for that initial set before assembling, my books felt way more solid and flexible.

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jason731mo ago

Did you also notice how much easier it is to line up the pages when the glue isn't sliding everywhere? I started using a brush instead of just squeezing it straight from the bottle, and that tiny change made a huge difference in how even my coats are now. It's wild how one little trick like waiting for tack can save you from so many headaches later on.

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