My first book bind job looked like a crime scene

I picked up bookbinding about 2 months ago as a hobby. My first project was a small journal, and I used way too much PVA glue. The pages were all wrinkled, the spine cracked after 3 days, and there was dried glue everywhere. I compared it to a book I made last week and the difference is insane. Now I use a bone folder to get tight creases and I measure my glue with a popsicle stick instead of just dumping it on. The covers actually stay flat and the pages turn right. Has anyone else had that moment where you look back at your first book and just cringe?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_martinez8d ago

That glue situation is rough. A butter knife fix is a classic move but you can avoid that by using wax paper under your work. I lay down a sheet of wax paper before I even open the glue bottle. Makes cleanup way easier and if any glue drips, it peels right off instead of bonding to your table. Also, a popsicle stick for measuring is smart but I found switching to a little squeeze bottle with a fine tip helped me control the flow way better. No more giant glue blobs that way.

angela_morgan9d ago

My buddy glued his first book to his kitchen table and had to cut it off with a butter knife.

phoenixk649d ago

lmao, your buddy angling his book to the table is the most relatable thing I've heard all week. My friend Dave tried bookbinding once and his first project looked like a zombie ate it and then threw it back up. He used hot glue instead of PVA and the whole thing just melted into a sticky mess on his desk. He was so mad he just threw it in the trash and swore off bookbinding forever. Now he just buys his journals at Target like a normal person.