Question about using wheat paste versus PVA for spine lining

I just finished two copies of the same book, a collection of local poetry. For the first, I used a modern PVA glue for the spine lining, and for the second, I mixed up a batch of traditional wheat paste. The difference was clear after a week. The PVA copy has a stiffer, less flexible spine, while the wheat paste one opens beautifully and feels more supple. It seems like the older method actually gives a better result for this kind of text block. Has anyone else found this, or am I just mixing my PVA wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotab9318d ago

Yeah, heard PVA can get brittle over time.

lily16717d ago

Had the same worry with my last project. Mixed in a bit of glycerin like ninar12 suggested once, kept things flexible.

ninar1218d ago

Where'd you hear that?