Watched a tutorial where they glued the spine with PVA before rounding and backing

I keep seeing this online and it drives me nuts. You glue the spine after rounding and backing, not before. If you glue it first, the fibers can't move properly during rounding and you'll get a weak, stiff hinge. I learned this the hard way on a commission 2 years ago and had to redo three books. The client's family bible deserved better. Has anyone else had to fix this mistake for a customer?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverg751mo ago

Locked in place" is exactly the problem, how did he even start rounding it?

river_scott1mo ago

My buddy did that on a cookbook repair last month. Had to tell him the spine was basically locked in place. He ended up having to soak the whole thing off and start over.