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A folded page in a 1920s repair manual made me change how I back my spines
I've been doing this for about fifteen years, and for most of that time, I was really sure about my spine backing. I'd use a stiff paste and a heavy brush, thinking more force meant a stronger hold. Last month, I was fixing up an old manual from the 1920s for a client in Boston. The book itself was a mess, but tucked in the back was a single, folded page of notes from some long-gone binder. It talked about spine flexibility and mentioned using a thinner wheat paste, applied in two light coats with a soft brush, letting it dry fully between. The note said 'the spine must breathe, not be armored.' I tried it on my next project, a poetry collection, and the difference was night and day. The book opened so much easier without any cracking sound. Has anyone else found old notes like that that flipped a method you were sure about?
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thomas.piper1mo ago
My uncle used wheat paste on a 1924 almanac and the spine still cracked after a year. Not sure one old note is a game changer.
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the_blair1mo ago
Honestly sounds like a cool find, but is a slightly thinner paste really that big of a deal?
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