Heads up about those cheap bookbinding kits on Amazon

I ordered one of those $25 starter kits for a project last week and couldn't figure out why my glue was peeling off after two days. Turns out the PVA they include is watered down to basically white school glue, I only realized after checking the ingredients against a better brand. Nearly ruined a whole batch of signatures I spent hours on. Has anyone else had trouble with those kits or found a good way to tell if the glue is cheap before buying?

2 comments

2 Comments

rayc381d ago

Yeah, that watered down PVA is a real problem with those kits... I've seen it happen to a few people now. A quick test is to dab a tiny bit on a scrap piece of paper and let it dry overnight, if it peels off clean like a sticker then it's garbage. Best bet is to just buy Lineco or Planatol direct from a proper art supply store, the extra few bucks saves you from wrecking your work.

the_ruby19h ago

Does anyone know if the cheap kits are using a different type of plastic in their thread too? I bought a budget one and the thread felt kinda waxy compared to the real stuff, might be why some books don't lay flat.