That time I swore by cheap PVA glue for everything

I used to think spending $15 on a jar of wheat paste was a waste when the $3 school glue worked fine. Then I tried rebinding a 400-page novel last fall and watched the spine crack after two weeks because the PVA was too rigid - that's when I finally got it.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ryan8d ago

Wheat paste actually has way more give than PVA, so it's better for spines on thick books. The cheap stuff works fine for papercraft but anything with a thick spine needs the flex.

hugo507d ago

The cheap PVA glue strikes again. I had a paperback romance novel fall apart in my hands last year after using the budget stuff, felt like I was holding confetti instead of a book. Your 400-page novel gave up after two weeks? That's practically a record for the dollar store glue. The_ryan's right about wheat paste having more flex though, even if it smells like old bread while you're working with it. At least your spine cracked cleanly instead of turning into a sticky mess like mine did, so take the small victories where you can get them.