Got roasted by a master bookbinder over my glue consistency

I was at a workshop in Portland two months ago and this old guy with decades of experience watched me glue a spine. He said my PVA was way too thin like I was making a salad dressing. He made me mix a fresh batch right there with less water and it was a night and day difference. The hinge actually held tight without bubbling up. Anyone else get called out on something basic you thought you had dialed in?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_dixon188d ago

That thing about mixing a fresh batch right there hits different. I read somewhere that PVA has a real short working life once you add water, and letting it sit changes the chemistry more than people realize. Makes me wonder how many times I've used old glue that was basically useless and just blamed the materials. It's like a chef saying your mise en place is off, embarrassing but you learn quick

barbara_kim8d ago

Yeah but here's what I'm wondering - how short are we talking exactly? Like if I mix up a batch for a small repair and take a smoke break, is that ten minutes gonna kill it? Because I've definitely done that and thought the glue was just junk when it didn't hold. But maybe it was me all along. I'm not saying you gotta be a chemist to glue wood, but there's gotta be a sweet spot between "fresh out the bottle" and "left in the cup overnight." What do you figure is the cutoff before it's basically worthless for a joint?