Made a call on using PVA vs wheat paste and now I'm second guessing everything

I was binding a run of 10 journals for a local shop in Portland and had to pick between PVA and wheat paste for the spines. Went with PVA because it dries faster and I was on a deadline, but now three of them have this weird stiffness where they won't lay flat. Has anyone else had PVA ruin the flexibility on a project like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_torres441mo ago

Ugh that stiffness issue is rough, I feel for you. PVA can totally lock things up if you lay it on too thick or don't give enough flex time.

nancyj111mo ago

Oh man tell me about it. I once used so much PVA on a project that the piece ended up stiffer than my grandpa after his morning coffee. Honest mistake I thought "more is better" but nope, I basically created a plastic shell. Tbh I've learned my lesson the hard way more times than I care to admit.

vera_lewis21mo ago

Did you catch that piece on Crafty Living about how PVA actually needs a certain humidity level to cure right? @max_torres44 made a good point about flex time, but I think that's part of why your project turned into a rock.