Old bookbinder told me to use wheat paste instead of PVA for leather joints

I was regluing the spine on a 1910 encyclopedia last month and this guy in his 70s walks into my shop. He said I was ruining it with PVA glue. Told me to use wheat paste for the leather to board attachment so the leather can breathe. I thought he was full of it but tried it on a junker first. The leather lifted after three days. Stuck with PVA myself. Has anyone else had better luck with wheat paste on old leather?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonk985d ago

Old bookbinder energy is strong with this guy. "Let the leather breathe" - sounds like a nice way to say "watch it peel off in three days." PVA for life, right?

davis.olivia5d ago

PVA isn't reversible though, so old-school paste has its place for rebinding (just not on leather spines).

charlies375d ago

My copy of "Bookbinding and the Care of Books" from 1902 mentions wheat paste but also says to mix it with a little hide glue for strength. Did the old guy mention adding anything to the paste or was he just talking about straight flour and water? Because straight wheat paste alone on a leather hinge sounds like a recipe for mold and failure.