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Vent: My PVA recipe from 2019 just doesn't hold up anymore
I was gluing up a text block last Wednesday for a rebind of my dad's old copy of Dune, used the same PVA and methylcellulose mix I've been using since I started binding 3 years ago. The spine just cracked open this morning, pages falling out clean. I remember Bill at the L.A. Book Arts Center swore by this exact ratio back in 2019, but I guess leather and modern book cloth just don't react the same anymore. Anyone else find their old adhesive formulas failing on newer materials?
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perry.jessica20d ago
my buddy sarah had the exact same thing happen with her go-to wheat paste mix from 2020, said the new coated papers just wouldn't stick anymore and she had to redo a whole sketchbook. turns out the manufacturer changed their sizing formula around that time and none of the old recipes work right on it. she ended up tweaking the ratio by adding a bit more methylcellulose and it finally held again.
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