Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about using PVA for everything

I always glued my text blocks with straight PVA, but a repair job on a 1900s family bible in Savannah made me switch. The old paper was so brittle the PVA just made it worse, so I tried a wheat starch paste mix instead and the difference was huge. Anyone have a good ratio for a hybrid paste for modern paper projects?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_flores793d ago

I get why you switched for that old bible, but saying PVA made it worse? That stuff is my go-to for a reason. I've used it on tons of modern paperbacks and they hold up fine for years. Maybe the problem was the paper itself being too far gone.

angela_wilson783d ago

Wait, didn't I read somewhere that PVA can actually make old, acidic paper more brittle over time? Like it seals in the acids that are already eating the paper. Maybe that's the difference with modern paperbacks, the paper isn't already breaking down when you apply it. So it works great on newer stuff but can be a real problem on old books that are already fragile.