Just found out cheap PVA glue can ruin your bookcloth in under a year

I was looking up why some of my early bindings started getting weird spots on the covers. Dug into a forum post from a book conservator at the University of Iowa. Turns out cheap PVA glue has acids that migrate through the cloth over 8-12 months. The glue I was buying at the craft store for $3 a bottle is basically eating my work from the inside. Has anyone else seen their covers discolor or get brittle after a while?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex8204d ago

Save yourself the headache and switch to industrial PVA. That cheap craft stuff is poison for bookbinding.

emma_jones4d agoMost Upvoted

Got a friend who learned this the hard way - used cheap craft PVA on a leather journal and the whole thing started flaking apart after a month. She switched to Lineco after that and hasn't looked back. Industrial stuff really does make a difference.

luna2614d ago

Wait, what exactly happened with the cheap PVA? Did the flaking start because it wasn't acid-free or because it just didn't bond right to the leather? I'm curious if the glue itself turned brittle or if it just never really stuck in the first place. Your friend doing any prep work on the leather before she glued it? Sometimes cheap glues react weird with oils and finishes on the hide.