Almost ruined a rare 1800s binding with cheap PVA glue last month

I picked up a beautiful 1884 edition of Ivanhoe from an estate sale for $40. Thought I'd do a quick reback at home with some standard PVA I had lying around from a craft project. Three days later the spine was already cracking and the leather was pulling away from the boards. Took it to a proper conservator in Portland who told me I used the wrong pH glue completely. Repaired it right with a reversible starch paste that cost me $12 total and now I'm paranoid about every adhesive I buy. Has anyone else messed up a vintage book using the wrong glue?

2 comments

2 Comments

thompson.christopher23d ago

Oh man, that hurts to read! I did something similar with a 1920s copy of The Wind in the Willows - slapped on some cheap craft glue and the pages started wrinkling like an accordion overnight. My wife still brings it up every time I walk past a bookstore. The worst part is I had a jar of proper wheat paste sitting right there on my bench, I was just too lazy to mix it up.

eric_johnson23d ago

@thompson.christopher yeah, I feel your pain, I once used super glue on a library book and the pages turned into one solid block, still get side eyes from the librarian.