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

I've been bookbinding for about two years now, mostly doing rebinds on old hardcovers, and the cloth edges always frayed when I trimmed them. Last week I tried something I saw on a forum from a vintage bookbinder - I painted a thin layer of PVA glue mixed with a little water right along the cut line before trimming. Let it dry for maybe 10 minutes until it was tacky, then cut through the glue line with a fresh blade. No fraying at all! I was shocked because I usually have to use a ton of patience and sharp scissors. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you have another method that works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan23d ago

Wait, you mean I didn't have to sharpen my scissors six times a day for this?

laura_black3123d ago

Huh. Wait, what exactly did you think was gonna happen? Did someone tell you that constant sharpening was the secret or something? Cause I've seen people ruin their blades by overdoing it. Way more damage that way. So what made you stick with that routine for so long?