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BINDING & STITCHING

Bookbinding Glue

PVA for strength, starch paste for reversibility, and the mix that does both.

4Binding stage Rank 15 of 28
Line drawing of a bookbinding glue
Line drawing
Specification
PVAPolyvinyl acetate emulsion, 45–50 per cent solids
Starch pasteWheat or rice starch, cooked
Mix ratio60 parts paste to 40 parts PVA by volume
PVA open time3–8 minutes
Paste open time20–40 minutes
PVA pH4.5–6.5, slightly acidic
Paste pH6.5–7.5, neutral
ReversibilityPVA no, paste yes, mix partly
Working parameters
PVA dry time20–40 minutes under weight
Paste dry time1–2 hours under weight
Mix ratio60:40 paste to PVA
Suitable stockAll papers, board, cloth, leather
ProcessesCase making, pasting down, lining, repair
Compatible materialsPaper, board, cloth, leather, mull
Shelf lifePVA 12 months sealed; paste 3 days refrigerated
ArchivalPaste yes; PVA only if labelled acid-free and reversible
Overview

Two adhesives cover almost all book work. PVA is a synthetic emulsion: strong, flexible, fast-setting and permanent. Wheat starch paste is a cooked vegetable paste: slow, weak, and completely reversible with water. Most good binding uses both, often mixed.

The 60:40 paste-to-PVA mix is the workhorse. It has enough grab to hold a cover and enough paste to stay reversible, and it does not cockle paper the way neat PVA does. Mix it fresh; a mix left overnight grows mould.

4Binding: Folding, sewing, gluing and casing in.

Safety

Before you use itPVA is a skin sensitiser over long exposure and it is not water-soluble once cured. Wear gloves for long sessions and wash hands before the glue dries.
Before you use itStarch paste grows mould and bacteria within days. Mix what you need, refrigerate the rest, and throw it away after three days.
Before you use itNever wash adhesive off your hands with solvent. Soap and warm water, or a pumice hand cleaner made for the purpose.

Using it well

  • Paste both sides of anything you glue. A board or a cover pasted on one side only will cup as the moisture differential works through it.
  • Let a pasted joint rest for a minute before you rub it down. The paper relaxes, and the paste grabs better on the second pass.
  • Keep a pot of thin paste and a pot of thick paste. Thin for pasting down, thick for the spine. One consistency cannot do both.

What it works with

Papers and substrates

  • All papers, board, cloth, leather

Type and fonts

  • Not applicable

Processes

  • Case making
  • Pasting down
  • Lining the spine
  • Tipping
  • Repair
Note. Specifications are conventional working ranges for this class of tool, not a measurement of any particular machine. Follow the instructions that came with your own equipment, and treat every figure here as a starting point to check rather than a limit to trust. Nothing on this page is for sale and no manufacturer had any input into it.
Related

Tools that go with the bookbinding glue

Line drawing of a book press
BindingBind

Book Press

A screw press that holds a text block flat under pressure while the glue dries.

Binding stage
Line drawing of a endpapers
PaperBind

Endpapers

The folded sheet that joins the text block to the cover, and hides the join.

Binding stage
Line drawing of a book board
PaperBind

Book Board

Laminated grey board, 1.5 to 3 mm thick, cut to make the covers of a hardback.

Binding stage