That conversation with a library conservator wrecked my glue setup

I was talking to this woman from the NYPL conservation lab last week, and she told me they never use PVA glue for any of their rebinding. She said it gets brittle after 15 to 20 years (which I never really thought about). It hit me hard because I've been using nothing but PVA for my personal projects since I started back in 2018. Has anyone else switched to something like wheat paste for their own books?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_ramirez8120d ago

Feels like a lot of drama over glue if you ask me.

stellam8920d ago

Ticking time bomb" is a bit dramatic for my glue shelf but fair.

evanb8720d ago

Yeah that PVA thing hit me too. I went all in on wheat paste a few years back after talking to a binder who restores old bibles for a living. He told me PVA is basically a ticking time bomb on anything you want to last. Wheat paste takes more patience because it dries slower and you gotta mix it fresh each time. But the way it stays reversible and doesn't get brittle over time is worth the hassle. I still use PVA for quick repairs on paperbacks I don't care about but wheat paste is my main go to now. Once you see what 50 year old PVA looks like it changes your whole perspective.