Hot take: I was wrong about using PVA glue for everything

For years I thought PVA was the only glue you needed for bookbinding. I used it for spines, covers, everything. Then last month I tried a project with a full leather binding and the PVA just wouldn't hold the leather to the boards properly, it kept peeling. My mentor in Tucson told me to switch to a wheat paste and animal glue mix for the leather, and wow, the difference is night and day. The leather lays flat, the bond is flexible, and it doesn't leave that shiny residue PVA can. I wasted like $40 in leather before I asked for help. Now I keep three different adhesives on my bench. Has anyone else had a glue fail that made you change your whole setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_spencer5d ago

Actually, that's interesting because my experience went the other way. I had nothing but trouble with wheat paste mixes for leather, they always got too brittle for me in dry weather. Switched to a flexible PVA made for bookbinding and it solved my peeling problem. Maybe it depends on the specific leather or even the humidity where you work. The key for me was thinning the PVA just right and using a lot of weight while it cures.

blair_davis505d ago

My buddy in Arizona swears by wheat paste because his PVA always fails in that dry heat.