Changed my mind about using PVA glue for everything after a repair job fell apart

I used to think PVA was fine for all my book repairs, but a 1920s poetry book I fixed for a customer came back with the spine split again after just four months. The glue got brittle and cracked. My mentor in Chicago told me to use a flexible animal glue for older, stiff paper, and she was right. Has anyone else had to switch glues for specific types of paper or binding styles?

3 comments

3 Comments

fionamurphy14d ago

That's a tough lesson to learn on a customer's book. What specific animal glue did your mentor recommend, and do you have to mix it yourself or is it ready to use? I'm worried about getting the consistency wrong.

sanchez.ivan14d ago

Yeah, so my mentor swore by the high-strength hide glue from Old World Glue Company, @fionamurphy. You do have to mix the granules with water and heat it yourself in a double boiler. The trick is getting it to a thin, warm syrup consistency that barely coats a brush.

dakotag2613d ago

Honestly, that sounds like way too much work for glue. I just use the bottled stuff and it holds up fine.