Switched from wheat paste to methyl cellulose for my cloth bindings

I used to always use wheat paste for backing book cloth because that's what my mentor taught me back in 2013. But last month I tried methyl cellulose for a batch of 8 journals and it was way less fussy - no worrying about cooking it right or mold growing in the jar after a few days. The cloth lays flatter too, which is nice for those thin decorative papers. Has anyone else made this switch or found another adhesive that works better for cloth?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.abby11d ago

I've been using methyl cellulose for a couple years now and honestly it's been a game changer for me too. The whole "no worrying about cooking it right" part hit home because I once accidentally left a batch of wheat paste on the stove too long and it turned into this weird rubbery glue mess that ruined a whole roll of bookcloth.

max_cooper2111d ago

@carr.abby ugh that rubbery wheat paste sounds like a nightmare, sorry that happened.

abby_cooper11d ago

Methyl cellulose takes way longer to dry though, not worth it for me.