Talking to a librarian made me miss the old glue pots

She said they just send everything out for mass rebinding now, and the new books feel stiff. I still have my dad's old double boiler for paste, and it just works better. Anyone still mix their own paste from scratch?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopherw3420d ago

Read an article a while back about how modern bookbinding paste has more synthetic stuff in it, which is why new bindings feel so rigid and can crack. Your double boiler method probably keeps the paste at a more even heat, so it stays smooth and flexible. That old-school approach just seems to give books a nicer, more durable spine. I love that you're keeping that tradition alive.

maxf3320d ago

But doesn't that new stiffness just make a new book feel more solid?

diana_kim6619d ago

Wait, modern paste has synthetic stuff in it? That explains why my new cookbook split right down the middle. I guess the old ways really are better.