Tried using wheat paste instead of PVA for a rebind and my spine cracked after 3 months

2 comments

2 Comments

sethtorres4d agoMost Upvoted

Barnes is onto something here. Made the same mistake with a textbook rebind last year, mixed my own wheat paste and thought I was being clever by adding extra methyl cellulose for a longer open time. Felt fine for a few months, then one dry winter day that spine just gave up and cracked like an old paperback. Learned the hard way that homemade paste needs to be really specific with the ratios, especially if you're working in a dry climate like I am.

barnes.shane4d ago

You mentioned the spine cracked after 3 months, which feels like a delayed failure rather than an initial one. Were you mixing the wheat paste yourself from flour and water, or did you use a premade powder? I'm wondering if the ratio of paste to water or adding too much methyl cellulose could have caused it to dry brittle over time.