Glue pot or PVA? Switched after 12 years and I'm not going back

I used to swear by my old glue pot, the one with the crusty hide glue that I'd heat up every morning. Took forever to get the right consistency and if you weren't careful, it'd get too thick and pull the paper right off the spine. Then about two years ago, a binder in Portland told me to try a mix of PVA and a little bit of wheat paste, and man, that changed everything for me. The open time is way longer, so I can adjust the book cloth without panicking, and it dries flatter, no more wavy pages on my endpapers. I still use the pot for certain restoration jobs where I need that reversible bond, but for everyday case bindings, I'm mixing 70/30 PVA to paste and never looking back. Anyone else made a similar switch and found their boards stopped warping?

2 comments

2 Comments

emeryfox1mo ago

Haha, took me 20 years to admit my glue pot was more of a hobby than a tool. The crusty skin on top used to look like a science experiment I forgot to clean up. Mixed PVA and wheat paste two months ago after a similar chat with a local guy, and yeah, boards stopped acting like they had a personal grudge. Still keep the pot around for the vintage feel, but it mostly sits there judging me now. The longer open time alone saved me from three near-meltdowns with book cloth this week.

allen.cole29d ago

The crusty skin thing hits too close to home. Mine had layers like a sad lasagna. Switched to PVA and wheat paste last month and the difference is night and day. Book cloth stopped curling like it was trying to escape. Now the old pot holds brushes and stares at me with disappointment. Worth it for the peace of mind, honestly.