Switched from PVA to wheat paste for my spine linings and the difference is night and day

I've been using PVA for years on my bindings, mostly because it's what I learned on and it's easy to find. But last month I did a restoration job on an old 1890s hymnal for a client in Portland. The original lining was wheat paste and it was still flexible after all that time. So I tried making my own batch for a new binding I'm doing. The working time is way longer, I can adjust the tack, and it dries with a softer feel. Has anyone else gone back to traditional methods like this and stuck with it?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire8721mo agoMost Upvoted

Wheat paste is hands down the best thing for book spines, I swear.

alicemurphy1mo ago

Wheat paste is the real deal, @claire872. I started using it a few years back and it seriously fixed up some old falling-apart novels. Just gotta be patient with the drying time.

the_drew1mo ago

Yeah for real. Old school methods just hit different. Did a rebind on a beat up 1920s cookbook that had been resewn like three times. The spine was a mess. Wheat paste gave me time to really work the lining into all the cracks and folds. Couldn't have done that with PVA. Dried perfect and the book actually opens flat now. Totally converted.