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.

I chose the wheat paste for a 19th-century ledger from Boston, and the spine moves like new leather now, so has anyone else found a specific job where a traditional adhesive just worked better?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_park81mo ago

Old recipes get it right sometimes.

terrybennett1mo ago

Gotta disagree, modern PVA is way more consistent. That old wheat paste can attract pests or go moldy in the wrong climate.

paul3461mo ago

Yeah, a bookbinder I know swears by hide glue for leather repairs, says it stays flexible for decades.