Talked to a guy at a convention who changed my glue mix

I was at the Bookbinding Convention in Chicago last April and this older binder named Tom showed me his paste mix. He uses 3 parts wheat paste to 1 part PVA for hard covers, said it gives more flex without cracking. Tried it on my last batch of journals and he was right, the spines lay flatter than my old 50/50 mix. Anyone else mess with their glue ratios like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.piper1mo ago

My buddy Sarah went to that same convention and came back raving about a guy who uses 2 parts PVA to 1 part wheat paste for cloth spines. She said it makes the fabric stick way better without that stiff board feel. Tried it on her coptic stitch books and the covers bent nice and easy without any cracking. She's been using that ratio ever since and swears by it for any book with a fabric spine.

perez.barbara1mo ago

Right? There's something about those convention hallway convos that completely changes how you work. I love when a random tip from someone just clicks and makes everything better.