The day my spine glue gave out on a 1920s novel

Was rebacking an old poetry collection in my basement shop last Saturday and the PVA let go on me halfway through. Had to scramble and clamp it all over again, ended up with a tiny crease on the spine that I still can't unsee. Has anyone else had a glue failure mess up an older book like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.adam20d ago

Three bucks and a trip to the hardware store would fix that crease, you know. A little heat from a hair dryer and some gentle pressure can work wonders on PVA that let go early. I've had worse - one time the spine of a 1950s paperback delaminated while I was flipping through it, and I just glued it back with basic Elmer's. It's a book, not a Faberge egg. You'll be fine if you don't stare at it for too long.

williams.jenny20d ago

Honestly, nobody's mentioned that a hair dryer can warp the cover if you're not careful with the heat settings.

terryk2810d ago

PVA's water-based, so heat works but moisture's what really reactivates it.