Switched from cheap PVA glue to proper bookbinding adhesive and wow

For like 3 years I was just using whatever PVA glue I could grab at the craft store for my bindings. Cost me like $4 a bottle and I thought hey glue is glue right? But then last fall I had a journal I made for a friend completely fall apart at the spine after like 2 months. Felt terrible. So I finally drove out to a specialty shop in Portland and dropped $22 on a proper pH neutral bookbinding glue. The difference is insane. It stays flexible without cracking, dries way clearer, and the pages actually stay put even after heavy use. I also started doing a double fan binding method with it instead of just slapping glue on the spine. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in how long their books hold up?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan_patel9d ago

Yeah even my cheap journals started falling apart too after a few months.

troy9969d ago

Man, that's the worst. Cheap journals always do that. The spine cracks after like a week and pages just fall out on their own. I had one where the cover literally peeled off after two months. Such a waste of money.