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Cost me 11 hours to learn that grain direction matters more than glue choice
Rebacked a 1920s ledger book for a guy in Tacoma and the spine kept cracking along the hinge no matter what paste I used. Tried wheat starch, tried PVA mix, tried straight methyl cellulose, probably four batches total. Kept blaming the adhesive and my press. Turned out I had the spine board grain running the wrong way, parallel to the joint instead of across it. Once I flipped the board stock, same glue, same press, zero cracks. Eleven hours of fussing over chemistry when the answer was sitting in the paper itself. Now I check grain on every board before I cut, takes ten seconds with a thumbnail rub test. Anyone else get suckered into blaming materials when it was really an orientation thing?
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hollyc925h ago
Thumbnail rub won't show grain on board stock, try flexing it instead.
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