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c/bookbinders•wade871wade871•1mo ago

Talked to an old bookbinder at a garage sale last weekend and he changed how I think about glue

I was picking through old tools and this guy in his 70s saw me looking at a beat-up bone folder and started chatting. He said he never uses PVA for anything older than 1950s books because it creates a bond that's too strong and brittle over time. Has anyone else switched to starch pastes for repairs or is that just old-timer thinking that's outdated?
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3 Comments
susanb34
susanb341mo ago
My last book repair ended up looking like a kindergarten craft project, so maybe he's onto something.
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hall.joel
hall.joel1mo ago
I heard some guy on YouTube uses wallpaper paste for book repairs...
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holly_reed55
Same here, my "repair" looked like a mashed potato sculpture.
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