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?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rowan2mo ago

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

laura_black312mo 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?

kevin_dixon1mo ago

Wait, did you let the glue dry for 10 minutes or just until it was tacky? Because those are two different things, and if you wait too long the glue gets too hard to cut through cleanly. I saw a video where a guy let his dry for an hour and it was a disaster, totally gummed up his blade. I've been using a similar trick but I use undiluted PVA and cut while it's still a little wet, maybe like 5 minutes after applying. The glue sort of seals the weave as you slice through. But hey, your way sounds like it worked great so maybe I'm overcomplicating it.