Serious question, did that old binder really know what he was talking about with wheat paste?

I met this retired bookbinder at a shop in Portland last fall who swore by using wheat paste for endpaper repairs instead of PVA. He said PVA would fail after 15 years and I'd regret it. So I tried his method on a 1920s novel I was working on, followed his recipe to the letter. Now 8 months later the pages are pulling away from the boards and the paste feels gummy. I'm wondering if I did something wrong or if his advice was just outdated. Has anyone else had luck with wheat paste on older books?

2 comments

2 Comments

janac5928d ago

Portland humidity wrecked your paste, same thing happened to me in Seattle.

skyler_mitchell29d ago

Portland humidity might be the real villain here, not the wheat paste itself. If that binder was used to working in a dry climate or a climate controlled shop, he probably never dealt with the moisture issues you get in coastal towns. I've seen wheat paste go south fast when the air is thick with water, no matter how perfect the recipe is. PVA might hold up better in those conditions just because it's more sealed. Might be worth testing his method on something less precious before you write it off completely.