Glue pot disaster during a commission for a local library

I was in my workshop last month, finishing a quarter-leather rebind of a 1920s atlas for the Springfield Public Library, when my electric glue pot overheated and boiled over. The hot hide glue dripped down the side and fused the book's spine cloth to my granite slab surface before I could stop it. Has anyone salvaged a project after a major adhesive mishap like this, or was that $200 in materials just a lost cause?

4 comments

4 Comments

cole5492mo ago

My last glue pot meltdown fused a first edition to my work pants, had to rock the distressed leather look for a week.

felix4141mo ago

What did the book look like after you unstuck it?

aaron_adams2mo ago

Remember my own glue disaster, cole549? Spent a whole day thinking I'd just grown a weird, shiny patch on my favorite jeans.

beth2762mo ago

Honestly I used to think those fancy book repair kits were overkill, but a mess like that would change anyone's mind. Now I keep my glue in a double boiler like it's a science project, no more surprise pants armor. That shiny patch aaron_adams mentioned is a badge of honor, but a whole first edition? That's next level.