Switched from PVA to wheat paste for my rebinds and I'm not going back

I was dead set on using PVA for everything after my first few projects fell apart, but then I watched a guy at a Guild of Book Workers demo show how wheat paste handles old leather bindings way better. It's trickier to mix and has a shelf life, but the way it releases when you need to adjust a corner is night and day. Anyone else made the switch and regretted it or stuck with it?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorshah1mo ago

Yeah, I used to be strictly PVA only too. Saw a couple posts online about wheat paste and rolled my eyes honestly. But after trying it on a tricky repair job I totally get it now.

parkerbrown1mo ago

Three out of four of my past wheat paste experiments ended up peeling off within a month. I just don't trust it for anything that sees moisture or handling. It works great for some people on certain materials, but I've had way better luck with a good PVA mix that stays flexible after drying. I think wheat paste has its place for antique stuff where you don't want to risk chemicals, but for everyday repairs it's too fussy and unpredictable for me. I'd rather take the extra 30 seconds to mix PVA than redo a wheat paste job later.

oscarc121mo ago

Oh man, that demo at the Guild event sounds like it was a game changer. I had the exact same thing happen actually. I was strictly PVA for years but had this one old book where the spine was just too fragile and the PVA was making it worse. Switched to wheat paste for that one job and it was like a lightbulb went off. The ability to reposition things without tearing the paper is huge, and I found it actually holds up better than PVA in the long run if you let it cure slow enough. I still use PVA for stuff that gets handled a lot, but wheat paste is in my regular rotation now for anything delicate.