My PVA glue went bad and ruined a whole project

I was finishing a leather-bound journal yesterday and the adhesive just wouldn't set right, stayed tacky for hours. Turns out the bottle was over a year old and had started to break down. Anyone know a good way to check if your glue is still good before you start?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily_gonzalez682mo ago

My cousin tried to fix a ceramic mug with old glue last Christmas. It looked fine for a day, then the handle just slid right off into her coffee. She had to fish it out with a spoon. We still give her a hard time about it. Now I always squeeze a tiny dot on some scrap paper first to see if it dries clear and hard.

parker9112mo ago

That scrap paper test is smart but honestly, if the glue is old I just toss it. Had a picture frame fall apart weeks after I fixed it with crusty glue. Not worth the risk.

robin7771mo ago

Ever notice how old glue sometimes gets that weird rubbery texture that never fully hardens? I had a bottle of wood glue that passed the paper test but still peeled right off like a sticker after 24 hours. Now I check the date on the bottle and just replace anything over a year old.