I finally changed my mind about using PVA glue for bookbinding

For years I was a pure hide glue guy, thought PVA was just for kids and cheap notebooks. Took a class at the bindery in Chicago last month and saw a restoration project that had held up 15 years with PVA. The pages laid flat and the spine was still flexible, no cracking at all. Now I'm splitting my projects based on use, PVA for journals and hide glue for hard use books. Anyone else find themselves switching adhesives after seeing a demo or old project hold up?

3 comments

3 Comments

paigem4518d ago

My grandmothers copy of The Secret Garden from 1935 still has its original hide glue binding and the spine is basically perfect after all these years. I tried PVA on a repair once and it got brittle within five years, the pages started falling out. Maybe that Chicago restoration was done with some special archival PVA that costs three times as much, but for everyday work I still think hide glue is the safer bet long term.

jones.anna18d ago

That 1935 copy is the exception, not the rule though, @paigem45. I've seen plenty of old hide glue bindings from the 1800s that turned into dust from just dry air or a little heat. My buddy who restores old encyclopedias swears by PVA for anything that's gonna get handled regularly. He had a set of 1950s World Books where the hide glue failed completely after a few years in a heated basement, and the PVA fix he did in 2020 is still holding up like new. The key is getting the right stuff and not over-applying it so it doesn't get brittle.

daniel59315d ago

Man yeah I went through the same thing last year. I had a bunch of old hide glue that just kept getting worse in the heat of my workshop so I tried PVA on a personal notebook and was shocked how flat it laid after a year of use. @paigem45 you might have gotten a bad batch or maybe the glue was old before you used it? Ive seen that happen with some of the cheap student grade PVAs they sell at craft stores. The trick is to get a neutral pH PVA meant for bookbinding, not just any old white glue from the hardware aisle. I use a brand called Lineco mostly and Ive never had it go brittle on me even on stuff Ive had for 6 or 7 years now. Also dont go too heavy with it, thin coats work way better than trying to drown the spine. That Chicago class you mentioned was probably using something like that, the good stuff is like 15 bucks a bottle but it lasts forever if you keep the lid clean.