Was using way too much glue on my book spines for like 2 years

I used to spread PVA all over the spine like it was going out of style. Then I watched a video from a bookbinder in Portland who only uses a thin line of glue down the center of each signature. Tried it on a rebind of a 400 page novel last month and it actually lays flatter and opens better. Has anyone else noticed a difference switching to less glue?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wyatt6d ago

400 pages with just a thin line of glue down each signature? That kinda blows my mind, I would've thought it'd fall apart after a few reads. I mean, I guess the stitching's doing the real work and the glue's just keeping things neat, but still. Maybe I've been overthinking this whole glue thing for way too long.

dakota_patel986d ago

Falling apart after a few reads" wait, really? That's wild to even consider!

alex3075d ago

Wait, have you actually tested this on a book you plan to actually read more than once? I rebuilt a beat-up copy of Dune last year with that thin line method and after the third read through two signatures started pulling away from the spine. The stitching does hold it, but without enough glue the paper tension shifts and eventually the sections start to gap. I get that less glue makes it feel more flexible, but long term I think the books end up looser than they should be. The Portland binder might have been using a different paper weight or thread tension that works with that approach, but for standard paperbacks I still think a solid application is safer.