c/bookbinders

Old-school glue vs modern PVA, which holds up better long term?

last weekend at a shop in Portland, I saw a guy restore a 1920s book with hide glue, swearing it's more reversible than PVA. A friend across the table argued PVA lasts way longer without cracking. Has anyone here tested both on a project over 5 years?

That master bookbinder in Seattle told me I was wasting time with PVA glue

I went to a workshop at the Seattle Book Arts Center last fall, and the instructor, a guy who's been binding for 40 years, watched me use PVA on a text block. He said I was making my books too stiff and hard to open flat. He had me switch to a wheat paste mix for that project, and I have to admit, the finished book felt way more natural in the hand. Anyone else find wheat paste works better for certain bindings than PVA?

Old timer at the local print shop showed me a trick with bone folders

Was dropping off some endpapers at Johnson Print Co. downtown and the guy there, must've been 70, saw my bone folder. He said I was using it wrong, that you should pull it toward you not push. I'd been pushing for 3 years. Tried it his way on a test sheet and the crease was way cleaner with less effort. Anyone else ever get a basic technique turned around on them after doing it the same way for years?

Just realized a cheap wallpaper seam roller works great for pressing down book cloth corners

I was struggling with getting the corners of my book cloth to lay flat on a 6x9 hardcover last week. Tried my bone folder, tried my fingers, nothing worked clean. Then I grabbed my $4 roller from the hardware store (meant for wallpaper seams) and it pressed everything down perfect with no creases. Has anyone else used odd tools like this for bookbinding?

A retired bookbinder told me my spines were too tight, and he was right

I had been pulling my covers so snug they barely moved, but after he showed me a 1950s reference book with a much looser joint, I tried it on my last rebinding of a family Bible. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit they picked up from YouTube tutorials?

Had to pick between linen thread and polyester for my first restoration project

Went with linen because the old book originally used it, but man that stuff snaps way easier than polyester when you're sewing a tight spine.

Why I finally gave up on using PVA for all my repairs

I used to think PVA glue was the only way to go for book repairs. Dries clear, strong bond, easy to use. But I kept having issues with my spine repairs cracking after a year or two. Last month I tried a wheat paste mix on an old 1920s textbook I was fixing. The difference was night and day. The wheat paste soaked into the paper instead of sitting on top, and the spine flexed way better. I still use PVA for some jobs, but that textbook opened my eyes. Has anyone else had better luck with paste over glue on older books?

Hit 200 perfect spines on a single press run and it caught me off guard

I was cranking out some library rebinds last month and suddenly realized I had done 200 books in a row without a single wrinkle or warp in the spine. That number surprised me because I usually screw up at least one every 30 or so when I rush the glue drying time. Anyone else ever hit a crazy clean streak like that without realizing it until after the fact?

That librarian who taught me how to make a French groove stitch saved my first rebind

Back in 2019 I tried rebinding a worn out copy of The Hobbit for my nephew and after three failed attempts with a regular saddle stitch I finally got the spine to lie flat using her method, has anyone else found a specific stitch that just works better for older paperbacks?

Still annoyed about people using the wrong grain direction on book boards

I was at a local guild meetup last Tuesday and saw three different people showing off their bindings where the grain on the boards ran perpendicular to the spine hinge. Within six months those covers are gonna warp bad, especially if theyre storing books upright. How do you gently tell a new binder they're setting themselves up for failure without sounding like a know-it-all?

Just hit 200 leather spines this month and I used to hate working with leather

Picked handmade paper over store bought for my latest rebind

I was rebinding a beat up copy of The Old Man and the Sea and had to choose between a nice kozo sheet I made last month or some commercial lokta from a shop. I went with the handmade stuff even though it had a few rough edges. The deckle edge actually matched the book's worn feel pretty well after I trimmed it. Anyone here use their own paper for projects much, or do you mostly buy it?

That old binder in Seattle who showed me how to pare leather thin

Met this guy at a shop off Pike Street who was trimming bookcloth like butter. He told me to wet my leather more and use a lighter hand on the paring knife. I had been fighting with thick edges for 2 years and his trick fixed it in 10 minutes. Anyone else run into an old timer who made you rethink your whole setup?

My first full leather rebind looked like a mangy cat until I waited 3 days between coats

I was rushing through the final finish on an 1890s poetry book, slapping on layer after layer of dye without letting it cure (impatient, I know). After letting it sit for 72 hours instead of my usual 12, the color evened out perfectly and the leather actually felt supple again. Has anyone else had a project get ruined by rushing the drying time?

Found a stat that changed how I think about glue (and I'm still torn on it)

I was reading this old bookbinding forum archive (like from 2008 or something) and found a post where a guy tested 20 different glues on the same paper. The stat that got me was that PVA glue loses 40% of its bond strength after 3 years. But the main alternative, animal glue, can actually get stronger over time. Some people swore by the animal glue for durability, but others said it's way too risky with humidity changes. It made me wonder if we're all just using PVA because it's easier, not because it's better long-term. What do you folks think - should I try switching to animal glue for my next project or stick with what works?

Vent: I finally realized why my spine pieces were always off

For like 5 years I was cutting my spine pieces to match the book block height exactly. Turns out you need to account for the rounding and backing by adding about 2mm. A guy at the local Guild meeting in Portland pointed it out when I showed him one of my books. Has anyone else had a similar 'duh' moment with basic measurements?

Tried using PVA glue for a full leather binding instead of wheat paste

Everyone online swears by wheat paste for leather, but I used PVA on a small journal binding last month and the leather laid down perfectly with zero warping. Has anyone else had good results breaking the rules on adhesive choices?

Spent 4 hours trying to fix a loose thread on a leather spine and it was just the wrong needle

I was working on this nice leather-bound journal for a client in Portland and the thread kept pulling loose near the spine. I must have re-done that section 6 times, changing tension, thread type, everything. Took me until almost midnight to realize I was using a round needle instead of a diamond one. The diamond needles cut through leather way cleaner. Has anyone else had a dumb mistake eat up a whole afternoon like that?

My bone folder snapped clean in half mid-gluing yesterday

Was smoothing down the spine of a 400-page hardcover and my cheap bone folder just cracked at the handle. Had to finish the whole thing with the back of a metal spoon instead. Anyone have a favorite supplier for a decent bone folder that won't die on you after 3 months?

Was dead set against using PVA for leather binding until a guy in Chicago showed me his 15 year old journal

Spent $85 on a proper bone folder and it genuinely saved my wrists

I used to use one of those cheap plastic bone folders from the craft store, the kind that come in a three pack for like eight bucks. After about six months of binding five or six books a week, my right wrist started aching really bad. I figured it was just getting older or something. Then I went to a bookbinding meetup over in Portland and this old timer let me use his real cow bone folder. The weight and the smoothness were totally different. I came home and ordered a proper one from a leatherworking supplier for $85, and the pain in my wrist went away in like two weeks. The plastic ones just don't have the right heft to transfer pressure properly. Has anyone else noticed a big difference when they upgraded their basic tools or am I just getting picky in my old age?

Hit 500 hand-bound books this month and had to stop and check my math

I was cleaning up after finishing a batch of journals and added up my records for the year. Turns out I crossed the 500 mark somewhere in the past two weeks without even noticing. That number surprised me because I started this as a side thing in my garage. If you're keeping count, do you actually track how many books you've done or do you just lose track like I did?

Old bookbinder at the shop yesterday made me question my glue

I was complaining about how my spines keep cracking on bigger books, and this guy who's been binding since the 70s just goes 'what adhesive are you using?' Told him PVA, and he shook his head and said that's for paperbacks, not for anything with a real text block. He showed me his mix of wheat paste and PVA in a 60/40 ratio and honestly I've been fighting with my bindings for like 2 years now. Has anyone else switched away from straight PVA and noticed a huge difference?

Book press failure wrecked my repair job last night

I was regluing a 1920s novel for a client in Portland last night and my trusty book press just snapped. The threaded rod gave out about halfway through tightening, and the whole thing tilted sideways. I lost the alignment on the spine and had to start the glue up from scratch. Used some heavy text blocks and clamps as a temporary fix but it's not the same. Anyone else had a press fail on them mid-project?

Rant: everyone needs to stop using PVA glue for book hinges

I just had to tear apart three books last week because the hinges cracked after six months, and it was all from people using regular PVA instead of something like EVA or a proper flexible adhesive, so can we please agree on this before I lose more weekend time?