My whole view on using hot glue for repairs changed after a rainy Tuesday

I was fixing a 1908 family bible that got soaked, and the old animal glue had failed completely. I tried a new wheat paste recipe from a workshop in Chicago, and the flexibility it gave for the swollen pages was a total game changer. Has anyone else switched from modern adhesives back to traditional pastes for water damaged work?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_kelly2d ago

Honestly felt that same panic when my grandma's photo album got caught in a leak. Tried everything from bookbinding glue to that ph neutral stuff and it just made things worse. Switched to a simple rice paste last year and the difference is crazy, especially with old paper that needs to breathe. Really makes you respect how they used to do things.

shanewells2d ago

Ngl @leo_kelly, what's the exact rice to water ratio you use for that paste?