Hot take: PVA glue is better than wheat paste for most book repairs

I know everyone raves about wheat paste being reversible and traditional, but after fixing 30 books last year with both, PVA holds up way better in humid climates. The wheat paste I used on a 1920s novel last spring got tacky again in July and the spine literally slipped.

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2 Comments

eric_ramirez673mo ago

Honestly, that "spine literally slipped" part got me. I had a similar thing happen with a 1950s pulp sci-fi book I was trying to fix last summer. Used wheat paste because everyone said it was the "proper" way, and three weeks later the whole back cover just peeled off in one clean sheet. Ngl, I got so mad I just switched to PVA for everything since, even for my vintage paperbacks. The reversibility thing sounds great in theory but I've never actually needed to undo a repair anyway.

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alexlewis3mo ago

PVA's too permanent for stuff that actually matters long term.

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