Found out old bookbinding glue can actually damage leather over time

I was reading through a forum from 2004 and saw someone mention that the old rice paste recipes with vinegar can eat through leather bindings after about 30 years, totally changed how I mix my own adhesives now anyone else run into this?

4 comments

4 Comments

leo_johnson5d ago

Did you ever try just using straight wheat paste without any acid? I had the same problem with some early 2000s repairs I did on a set of old law books, the leather started going stiff and cracking around the hinges after about 15 years. Switched to a simple flour and water mix with a tiny bit of glycerin for flexibility, and it's held up way better. The glycerin keeps the leather from drying out too fast, and it's cheap enough that I don't feel bad experimenting on practice bindings before hitting the real projects.

quinn1615d ago

Oh man, that vinegar thing got me too. I had a set of old encyclopedias from the 70s that started getting these weird brown spots around the spines after about 20 years. Turned out the guy who rebound them used some kind of homemade paste with lemon juice in it. Real mess. I'm still working through those books one at a time, scraping off the old glue and reapplying with a modern pH-neutral mix. It's a slow process but beats watching them fall apart.

adam_baker8d ago

Switched over to wheat starch paste with a tiny bit of methyl cellulose instead of vinegar about five years ago after I noticed some old bindings I'd done starting to discolor. The stuff is way more reversible, too, so if I ever have second thoughts down the line I can just steam it apart without wrecking the leather. Made a huge difference for me, especially on older books where the hide is already kind of brittle.

murray.robert8d ago

Really? How long did it take you to notice that discoloration from the vinegar? I've been using it for years but never thought twice about it. That tip from @adam_baker about the methyl cellulose mix sounds like a smart move though, especially for those older books with fragile leather. I might have to give that a try myself on my next restoration project since I've got a few that are starting to feel a bit sketchy.