Appreciation post: My PVA glue disaster on a custom leather journal last Thursday

I was finishing a custom journal for a client in Austin when my PVA glue got too thick and left a cloudy film on the leather spine, so I carefully dabbed it with a damp sponge and let it dry overnight, which saved the piece, but has anyone else found a better way to fix cloudy glue without damaging the cover?

4 comments

4 Comments

danielnelson2mo ago

Ever try thinning the glue with a tiny bit of water before you apply it? Honestly, I keep a small spray bottle next to my work now and just mist the glue in the bottle cap if it starts to get gummy. That cloudy film is the worst, but a damp sponge is a solid save.

jason_lewis32mo agoMost Upvoted

I read somewhere that a tiny drop of glycerin in your glue bottle can stop that cloudiness.

william_garcia29d ago

Glycerin's a plasticizer, not really made for stopping cloudiness. It keeps the glue from getting brittle but that cloudy haze is usually from dried PVA film or trapped air bubbles. You'd be better off with a tiny drop of dish soap if anything breaks surface tension. That said, I've tried glycerin before and it made the glue tacky and stringy, harder to spread thin. The damp sponge trick is probably the most practical fix without messing with your glue's chemistry.

lewis.terry2mo ago

That Austin client probably never even noticed the cloudiness. Most people just want a book that holds paper, not a museum piece. The damp sponge fix is already more than enough effort.