My hand-sewn spine vs a glued spine on a repair job last weekend | Bookbinders - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

Olivia Rivera · 2026-07-27T19:40:03.801103+00:00

I tried glue on a 1920s journal and it cracked within two hours... switched to sewing it back and the thing feels solid as a rock. Has anyone else had glue fail on older paper like that?

dianawilson1mo ago

Try pre-wetting the spine first @robin896, lets the glue bite into brittle old paper.

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robin8961mo ago

Did you try any kind of prep on the paper before the glue?

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the_felix1mo ago

Wait, you said the glue cracked within TWO HOURS? That's insane lol. I've had older paper suck up PVA like a sponge before but never had it fail that fast. Those old 1920s pages are probably so brittle the glue just sits on top instead of soaking in right. I bet the sewing holds up way better long term cause you're not fighting the paper's natural stiffness.

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