Switched from PVA to wheat paste for my cloth bindings 6 months ago and won't go back

I used to think PVA was the only way to go for bookcloth. But after 3 failed spine joints on a run of 12 journals, I got frustrated enough to try an old recipe my mentor passed along. Wheat paste gives me way more working time and the cloth doesn't bubble up near the boards. Anyone else find that PVA dries too fast for bigger projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly70919d ago

Three failed spine joints on my last batch of PVA bindings made me switch back.

baker.christopher5d ago

Miles_robinson20 you're totally right about the working time. I once had a batch of PVA start skimming over on me halfway through a run of 50 slipcases and had to toss the whole brush and mix a second batch just to finish. That's when I started keeping a damp rag over the paste pot. It's sort of like making bread dough, you just have to keep it from crusting. Speaking of bread, I tried a batch with a pinch of sugar in the paste once to see if it would help with adhesion, did not go well, got mold spots after a month.

miles_robinson2019d ago

Man, wheat paste is underrated. The working time alone makes it worth it for me.