Tried using wheat paste instead of PVA for a rebind and it warped the whole cover

I mixed it way too thin and the moisture curled the boards inward overnight, learned to test consistency on scrap first next time. Anyone else ever mess up a batch and have to start over from scratch?

3 comments

3 Comments

loganburns18d ago

Adding a bit of rice flour to the wheat paste helps thicken it up without making it too soupy, that saved my next attempt. I also spread the paste on both the board and the paper, then pressed it flat with a smooth weight for the first hour. Took a couple tries but that method stopped the warping dead.

lee73317d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl that's genius, glad you found something that works because warping drives me nuts.

wood.john7d ago

Stick with that method, it really does feel like the secret is in the prep work. I've noticed the same kind of thing with wood glue and sawdust, you just need to get the consistency right for whatever you're working on. @loganburns brought up a good point about pressure too, that's the part most folks skip and then wonder why things curl.