Got called out for my glue brush technique at a workshop

I was at a bindery workshop in Portland last month, and the instructor watched me apply PVA. She said, 'You're just painting it on, you need to work it into the paper fibers.' I was using a 1-inch flat brush and making maybe two passes. She had me switch to a stippling motion, really pushing the glue in for a full minute per section. The difference in how flat the spine dried was huge, no more ripples. Has anyone else had to unlearn a basic step like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica3d ago

Remember getting corrected on my brush hold during a pottery class. I was gripping it like a pencil for slip trailing, but the teacher showed me a looser, palm-up grip for better control. It felt awkward for a week, but my lines got so much smoother.

anthony_jackson313d ago

Disagree with the loose grip advice. Tried that palm-up hold for slip trailing and my lines got shaky as hell. Found keeping my wrist locked and using finger control gave me way cleaner results than what the_jessica described. Some techniques just don't work for everyone's hands.

kellyr203d ago

Nah, I always found the pencil grip way more steady for slip work. That loose hold just made my hand cramp up.