PVA vs paste, I finally get why my spines kept cracking

After 14 months of binding at my kitchen table in Portland, I figured out that I was using library paste for everything, including the spines. Someone on another forum said it in passing, but it finally clicked when my last 3 journals all split down the hinge. PVA has that flex, you know, it moves with the paper when you open the book flat. Paste dries stiff and brittle, which is fine for some things but not for a spine that gets bent constantly. I switched to a 50/50 PVA and paste mix for my text blocks and the difference was immediate. Has anyone else had to unlearn a adhesive habit that messed up their early projects?

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terry_barnes1d ago

Paste for spines, that's like using glue to fix a broken shoelace.