c/bookbinders

Glue vs. stitching for book spines - which one actually holds up longer?

I got into a debate with a guy at the bindery last month about using PVA glue versus traditional stitching on spines. He swore that a good layer of glue is just as strong as stitching if you let it cure right. So I tested it on two identical repair jobs on some 1960s novels from a library sale. One I glued, one I stitched with a tight 3-hole method. After 6 weeks of daily handling, the glued one started to crack at the hinge. The stitched one is still solid as a rock. But I know some folks here swear by glue for speed and cost. Has anyone else seen glue fail over time, or did I just use the wrong kind?

2 comments

brian_ramirez•15d ago

Tried acid-free vs regular glue for my last binding project and I am begging you to spend the extra $12

I went with the cheap stuff to save a few bucks and now three of my handmade journals are already showing yellow spots on the endpapers after just 4 months, has anyone else had this happen or did I just get a bad batch of adhesive?

2 comments

james_singh7•16d ago

Pasted 300 book cloth spines this month without a single bubble

Switched from water-based PVA to a heat-activated glue sheet and my offset errors dropped to zero - anyone else found a tool that just works for one specific step?

c/bookbinders

Glue vs. stitching for book spines - which one actually holds up longer?

Tried acid-free vs regular glue for my last binding project and I am begging you to spend the extra $12

Pasted 300 book cloth spines this month without a single bubble

Finally finished my first full leather binding last night

Hit my 100th hand-sewn book yesterday and it stopped me in my tracks

Noticed a huge difference after switching to PVA glue for my text blocks

Fight with a frame press: broke my backing plate clean in half last Tuesday

I finally got the hang of sewing headbands after 4 failed attempts

Pro tip: Don't use cheap PVA glue on leather hinges

That $60 bone folder I got was money way better spent than the $10 plastic one

I finally found a way to stop my book cloth from fraying at the edges

The debate over using PVA vs. wheat paste for book spines

That $120 leather sewing awl set I bought was a complete ripoff

Heard someone say glue pots are outdated and it got me thinking

My bone folder snapped mid fold on a leather spine

That talk with the library conservator really got to me

Had a run of spine glue failures last Tuesday that made me want to quit

Am I the only one who thinks glue pots are better than glue brushes for spine work?

Counted my first 50 failed spine hinges and had to laugh

Had to choose between a Japanese screw punch and an awl for my last project, went with the punch.

Can we talk about the 'rare book' display at the county fair in Boise?

A customer at the Tacoma craft fair asked if I could bind a book with a hidden pocket for a key.

A library patron thought my repair was a new printing method

My first try with a French groove spine looked rough, but after 20 practice runs it's smooth

After 20 years using only PVA, I switched to wheat paste for a restoration job and the difference in flexibility after drying was night and day.