So I watched a guy try to glue a book spine with hot glue from a craft store

I was at a library sale last month in Denver and this older gent was trying to rebind a falling-apart hardcover. He pulled out a craft hot glue gun, slathered the spine with it, and just mashed the pages back in. I had to bite my tongue for a solid minute before I politely mentioned that hot glue gets brittle over time and will crack the paper. He looked at me like I was speaking a different language. Anyone else run into folks who think any sticky stuff will work for book repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo504d ago

Did you tell him about wood glue? That's what I use on mine.

nelson.finley4d ago

Slathered the spine with it, and just mashed the pages back in" - that's brutal. Reminds me of this guy at a flea market in Austin who was trying to fix a vintage cookbook with superglue. He said the pages were "staying put just fine" and handed it to me to show off. Half the pages were stuck together in a solid block and the spine was basically a hard plastic shell. I didn't have the heart to tell him he just made a very expensive paperweight.