Showerthought: Switching from paste to PVA glue for my spine rounding was a game changer

Spent 3 years using wheat paste and wondering why my spines kept cracking until an old timer at a shop in Denver handed me a jug of Lineco PVA. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a huge difference in flexibility?

2 comments

2 Comments

valgibson6d ago

Huh, I never thought about it that way but have you considered the humidity factor? Wheat paste is super sensitive to moisture, it swells and shrinks with the weather. PVA is more stable across seasons, so if you're in a place with big humidity swings like I am in the Midwest that might be why your spines were cracking. I had a batch of books look great in summer and then pucker up come winter. The PVA just stays put, no drama.

wyatt5136d ago

Heard this guy on a bookbinding podcast once talking about how PVA actually has a longer "open time" than people give it credit for, which lets you adjust the spine without that panicked rush while the paste dries crusty. He swore by mixing a tiny dab of wheat paste into his PVA for the "best of both worlds" but said pure PVA still beat paste alone for consistency across seasons. The humidity thing valgibson mentioned is REAL though. I had a batch of journals I did with wheat paste during a dry spell and they looked PERFECT until spring hit and the covers literally warped. Never going back after trying Lineco's own PVA on a cheap test batch of old paperbacks.