Tried PVA on a family Bible at my shop in Dayton and it went bad, sticking with wheat paste
Had a customer bring in a 1912 family Bible, spine was shot, and I had to pick between my usual wheat paste or trying PVA because I was rushing the job before closing. I went with PVA and the hinge dried stiff as a board, no flex at all, and the customer noticed right away. Ended up pulling the whole spine and redoing it with wheat paste over two evenings, cost me $80 in extra time. Anyone else only keep PVA around for quick pamphlet work and nothing else, or am I being too stubborn about it?
PVA has its place but a 1912 Bible with a shot spine is not it, that hinge needs to move with the book and PVA just doesn't give. Plenty of guys swear by it for everything and then wonder why their repairs crack a year later when the pages can't flex. Sticking with wheat paste for real book work isn't stubborn, it's just knowing what the material actually does.