vals38•1mo ago

Update: glue pot vs. double boiler, I switched after 12 years

Last month I gave up my trusty double boiler for a proper glue pot with a thermostat. I'd sworn by the old method since I started binding in 2012, but after three failed spines on a batch of journals, I finally caved and dropped $60 on a used one off Craigslist down in Portland. The temperature holds steady at 145 instead of bouncing around, and my wheat paste comes out smoother too. It felt like cheating at first, like I was betraying a craft tradition, but the results speak for themselves. My hinges flex better and I haven't had a single crack since. Anyone else stick with gear out of sentiment and regret it? Or am I the only dinosaur who resisted for over a decade?