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Showerthought: A workshop in Portland made me switch from PVA to wheat paste

I was at a bookbinding workshop in Portland last fall, and the instructor insisted we try wheat paste for a week. I'd always used PVA glue for everything, but after seeing how flexible the wheat paste made the spine on a test journal, I gave it a shot. The difference after letting a repair sit for 48 hours was huge, no more cracking. Now I use it for all my older text block repairs. Has anyone else made a permanent switch after a workshop like that?
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3 Comments
blake_owens
My impatience is why all my old books are held together with hope and tape now...
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thomas.eva
thomas.eva13d ago
Wheat paste sounds messy though, and PVA dries way faster. Are you really telling me you wait two full days for every repair to set? That seems like a lot of extra time for something that might not even matter on most projects.
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schmidt.iris
Right? My last repair fell apart in a week.
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