Went to the library in Spokane and saw something about old book repair

I was there last Tuesday picking up a book for my kid. Walked past their little history display in the lobby. They had this old repair log from the 1950s open under glass. It showed how they fixed a ripped map in an atlas. The binder used wheat paste and thin Japanese paper, but the notes said they had to wait a full day for it to dry before doing anything else. Made me think about how we rush things now with modern glues. That patience was built into the job back then. I've been guilty of moving too fast on a spine repair and messing it up. Do you guys ever slow down a project on purpose to let things set right?

3 comments

3 Comments

rose_clark817d ago

Totally get that. I started leaving my own glue-ups under a stack of books for a full 24 hours, no cheating. The wait is annoying but my hinges are way stronger now. It forces you to plan the whole job in stages instead of just rushing to finish.

emma_lee227d ago

My friend's rushed book repair totally fell apart last month.

wells.evan6d ago

Remember my buddy who tried to fix a cookbook with a hair dryer to speed up the glue? He was so proud of the fast dry time. Next time he opened it, the whole spine cracked right down the middle. All the pages just fell out in a clump. It was a total mess and way worse than before he started. That rush job cost him the whole book.