I finally stopped gluing spines and started using a sewn structure

Everyone in my bookbinding group kept telling me that PVA glue on the spine was the only way to get a flat opening. I tried it for like 6 months on my journals and they all cracked or popped open after a few weeks. I switched to a link stitch with linen thread and no glue on the spine at all, and my last 3 books have laid totally flat with no damage. Has anyone else had better luck skipping the glue entirely?

3 comments

3 Comments

emmawood22d ago

Oh wait, did your journals actually crack open? My friend tried the no-glue thing on a sketchbook and it literally fell apart after a week because she didn't sew the signatures tight enough lol.

cameronf8821d ago

@emmawood lucky me, my journals crack open faster than my patience on a Monday morning. I tried sewing the signatures once and ended up with a tangled mess that looked like a cat had a seizure on my desk. Then I used glue from a hot glue gun that melted through the pages and fused them to the table. Now I just staple everything together and call it "rustic charm." Works great until the staples rust and the pages fall out in clumps.

john65021d ago

Yeah, this whole staple thing reminds me of how everything in life seems to be held together with the cheapest quick fix possible. @emmawood it's like how I fix a leaky pipe with duct tape or a loose cabinet door with a toothpick. Works for a week, then you're right back where you started. People always say they want something that lasts. But nobody actually takes the time to learn the real way to do it. Staple, duct tape, toothpick, we all just keep kicking the can down the road.