I was sure that using a regular wood glue for spine lining was a bad idea, but after trying it on a repair for a 1950s cookbook last week, the flexibility is actually perfect.

Has anyone else switched from traditional flexible glue for a specific type of project?

3 comments

3 Comments

Wait, you used wood glue on a book from the 1950s? That feels like a huge risk. I've always been told it gets brittle and can crack the spine over time. My heart would be pounding the whole time I was doing that repair.

lisaf3828d ago

Oh man, I saw a whole thing online about how modern wood glue is way different than the old stuff. They said some types stay flexible for decades now. Still seems scary to try on an old book though.

diana201mo ago

Titebond III was my go-to for a batch of 1970s paperback rebinds about five years back. The key is a super thin, even layer, almost like sizing. It stays flexible enough for those cheap, pulpy pages that older PVA glues would have made stiff as a board. You just have to accept it's a permanent choice, not a reversible one like paste. For a working cookbook that gets handled, the trade-off for durability makes sense.