Hot take: PVA glue beats wheat paste for most binding jobs

Honestly, I see so many people in here swearing by wheat paste for its reversibility and historical accuracy. But after binding three notebooks last month with PVA and two with wheat paste, I can't go back. The PVA dried way faster, held the spine tighter, and I didn't have to worry about mold forming in the humid weather we've been having in Boston. Has anyone else ditched wheat paste for modern adhesives on everyday projects?

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parkerrodriguez10d ago

That PVA is basically cheating at this point. Wheat paste snobs will tell you it's not historically accurate but neither is the polyurethane glue I found in my garage from 2015 and that stuff held a broken chair leg together for three years. Mold in the binding sounds like a personal horror story waiting to happen. Maybe the medieval monks had a point about animal glue but I'll take my chances with the stuff that dries before my coffee gets cold.