Why does nobody talk about how bookbinding glue dries differently in winter vs summer

I bound the same journal in July and again last week in December, and the first one's spine cracked after 3 months while the second one is still flexing fine, just from switching to a slower drying PVA when the humidity dropped, anyone else notice seasonal glue drama?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamienguyen19d ago

Oh man, yes. I thought I was going crazy when my summer bindings all started acting stiff and weird. I switched to a slower drying mix too and it made a huge difference with the cold weather. The humidity change really messes with everything.

verafoster19d ago

Oh man, "summer bindings all started acting stiff and weird" is exactly what happened to me last August. I did a batch of sketchbooks and by October the spines were all crackly and horrible, like the glue just gave up. Then I did a batch right before Thanksgiving with a slower mix and they're still soft and flexible even with the dry air. It's wild how much the season changes things, I never thought about humidity until I ruined like six journals in a row...