Spent $35 on a fancy bone folder from a specialty shop last year. It chipped after 3 months. Picked up a $5 plastic one at a craft store and it's still going strong after 8 months of daily use. Anyone else find that basic tools hold up better for routine folding?
Used to think PVA was fine for attaching leather hinges to my journal spines. Then six months ago I tried actual leather glue on a commission and those hinges are still holding up perfectly while the old ones are peeling off after a few months. Anyone else stubbornly stick with the wrong adhesive way too long?
I used to think those expensive glue pots with the temperature controls and built-in brushes were just a gimmick. For years I just used a cheap double boiler setup with a mason jar and it worked fine. But last month I picked up one of the nicer ones, around $100 at a local shop. The difference in how evenly the glue stays heated, especially for PVA, is nuts. No more scorching on the bottom or cold spots. Plus the brush holder keeps everything cleaner on my bench. Has anyone else made the switch from a DIY setup to a proper pot? Was it worth it for you?
I used to just use scissors on book cloth, cutting it roughly and hoping it didn't fray. About 6 months ago, I started using a sharp rotary cutter against a metal ruler instead, and the difference is night and day. The edges come out clean with no threads sticking out, and my corners line up way better now. Has anyone else found a tool that changed how they prep materials?
I switched from PVA to wheat paste for my spine linings and the books feel way more flexible now, but I've heard some binders say PVA lasts longer. Has anyone else noticed a big change in durability over a year or two of shelf life?
Been using a plastic bone folder for years, figured the $35 Teflon one I bought last week would be way better. But my old $3 one from a craft store actually folds smoother on the spine. Anyone else stick with the cheap stuff for certain steps?
Was trying to finish a small journal for a client's birthday and got in a hurry with the PVA. Ended up gluing my thumb to my index finger and had to sit there for 10 minutes peeling them apart like an idiot. The book turned out fine but the spine shifted about 2mm to the left and now it bugs me every time I look at it. Has anyone else done something dumb when they were rushing and had to figure out how to fix a tiny alignment issue after the fact?
I was at the Harrison County library last Saturday looking at their special collections. Walked into the rare book room and felt it right away - air was way too damp. I mentioned it to the guy working there and he just shrugged. Said the dehumidifier has been broken for 2 months and they're waiting on funding. I checked the hygrometer on the shelf and it read 68% humidity. That's way too high for old paper and leather bindings. Has anyone else spotted bad storage conditions in library collections around town?
I was finishing a small leather-bound journal cover last Wednesday and used a new batch of wheat paste on the hinge. By Thursday morning the spine had curled up almost a quarter inch at the top. Anyone dealt with warping from handmade adhesives and found a fix that doesn't require starting over?
I had been using regular white PVA glue for all my bookbinding projects for like 3 years... thought it was working fine. Then last month at a workshop in Portland, the instructor watched me brush it on and asked why my cloth was wrinkling so bad. She pointed out the glue was way too thick and drying before I could even get the cloth down. I switched to a pH-neutral, thinner bookbinding glue the next day and the difference was night and day. No more puckering or bubbling on the spine edges. Has anyone else dealt with the wrong glue ruining a project?
I finally noticed the difference between using a standard press and a finishing press on my book spines. For about two years I was just using the same old book press for everything, including gluing up spines and casing in. I thought a finishing press was some fancy tool that only the old-timey guys used. Then I borrowed one from a buddy at a bindery workshop in Cincinnati last spring. The difference was night and day. My spines came out way more crisp and the joints didn't have that weird puffiness I kept fighting. It's honestly the glue-up stage that changed the most, because the finishing press holds the book just tight enough without squishing the signatures. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in quality after swapping their gear, or am I just easily impressed?
I was trying to glue up a text block for a customer's restoration job and my PVA bottle exploded all over my workbench, ruined a 1940s novel I was repairing. Has anyone else had a bottle just give out on them like that?
I spent six months thinking my sewing machine was just finicky with thread tension on leather bindings. Then last Tuesday I was watching a tutorial by a bookbinder in Portland and she mentioned something about using a walking foot for thick materials. I had been using a regular presser foot the whole time! Switched to a walking foot and suddenly my stitches came out even on the first try. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple tool swap fixed everything?
For years I only used wheat paste on my leather book spines because I thought PVA would crack and peel over time. Then I took a workshop in Portland last spring where a binder with 30 years experience showed us her books from the 1990s still holding strong with PVA. She used a brand called Lineco in a specific ratio with water, and after testing it myself on a set of three journals six months ago, I'm sold. Has anyone else made the switch from traditional paste to PVA for certain materials?
Old Bob at the bindery told me last year that rounding the spine before adding the cover was just extra work that didn't help with durability. I followed his advice for about 6 projects (mostly cloth-bound journals and a few rebinds) but every single one of them ended up with a flat, saggy spine after a month. Now I'm back to rounding everything and it holds shape way better, but a buddy of mine says Bob was right and I'm just not using enough glue. Has anyone else had a mentor give them advice that seemed solid but just didn't pan out in practice?
I've been binding for about 2 years now and mostly used PVA for everything. Last month I needed to do a full rebind of a 1940s cookbook my grandma gave me, and I figured I'd try wheat paste on the spine since I heard it was more reversible. Man, what a difference. The wheat paste gave me way more working time to adjust the spine cloth, and it didn't cause that stiff cardboard feel like PVA does on older paper. Has anyone else found wheat paste works better for vintage books or is that just me?
I spent like 8 hours last Sunday trying to flatten a warped text block from a 1940s novel using humidity and weights. Half the forums say it takes 2 hours, others say 2 days. What's your real world experience with this?
Back in 2018 I was struggling with a perfect bound book that kept having pages fall out. I took it to this little binding shop off Broadway in Portland, run by a guy who had to be pushing 80. He didn't even look at the book, just asked me what glue I was using and how long I let it cure. I told him PVA for about an hour and he laughed and said "that's your problem, you're treating it like a fast food order." He pulled out a jar of some old animal hide glue he mixed himself, showed me how to brush it on thin and let it tack up for a full 8 hours. That one fix saved me from tossing a whole batch of journals I was making for a client. Has anyone else run into an old school trick that completely changed how you bind things?
Last week I was in a rush to finish a rebind for a client and thought blasting my PVA with a hair dryer on high would dry it in 5 minutes. Ended up with bubbles all over the spine and a melted cover board, has anyone else tried a cheap shortcut that backfired this hard?
I was at a guild meetup in Portland last spring and this old timer picked up one of my books and just laughed. He pointed out that my spine hinges were facing the wrong direction on every single rebind I had done. I thought the decorative part of the cloth went on the outside cover, but I had been flipping the whole thing inside out. The kicker is I learned from YouTube videos and never questioned my method. A whole shelf of books with the grain going opposite to the opening direction. Has anyone else discovered they were doing some basic step completely backwards before someone called it out?
I was pressing a book on Tuesday and the iron screw just snapped clean in half. It was an old press I got from a retiring binder back in 1999, never had trouble with it before. Had to finish the job with clamps and a piece of plywood, which worked okay but not the same. Anybody know a good source for replacement screws or should I just scrap it?
Was cruising through a 16th century folio repair, got the signatures all lined up perfect, then the crossbar just gave out and sent thread everywhere - has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible moment?
I always thought digital print on demand was the way forward for bookbinding. Then I went to the Museum of Printing in St. Louis last weekend and saw a guy hand-sewing a 200 year old ledger. He pointed at the glue on a digital book next to him and said that stuff cracks in ten years. I've been using that glue for the last three years. Anybody else run into old school methods that made you question your whole setup?
I was pressing a stack of signatures for a 400 page book when I heard this loud crack. Turns out the main casting on my old book press snapped right down the middle. I had to stop everything and scramble to find a welder who could do cast iron work same day. Cost me $150 and lost a whole afternoon of binding time. Anyone else had a press part fail on them in the middle of a run?
I was at a workshop in Portland last spring and this older binder watched me do a spine, then just goes "you know you're supposed to brush away from the grain, not with it right?" I felt so dumb lol. I'd been doing it the opposite way since I started in 2008. My spines always had this tiny ripple thing and I thought it was just the paper I was using. Anyone else have a basic technique they got backwards for way too long?