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?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_flores792mo 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_wilson782mo 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.

paul_burns21d ago

That 1984 bible had paper so thin you could read through three pages at once. PVA glue does seal in acids when the paper is already turning brown and brittle. I've seen it happen on a few old paperbacks where the spine cracked right down the middle after a year or two. Modern paperbacks don't have that problem since the paper is still fresh and alkaline. But old acidic paper with PVA on it? That's a ticking time bomb in my experience.