I was using the wrong glue for my leather covers for years

I always used PVA because it was cheap and easy, but my spines kept cracking after a few months. My mentor in Chicago pointed out that flexible animal glue is the standard for a reason, it moves with the leather. Anyone else have a glue story that changed their work?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy_ross712mo ago

Read an article once about how bookbinders in the old days used to make their own glue from rabbit skin. Honestly, it made me realize how much the right material matters. Tbh I tried a modern flexible glue on a sketchbook cover last year and the difference was night and day. The leather just feels alive now, doesn't fight you when you open it. That old school knowledge really saves your work in the long run.

harris.eric2mo ago

Ever wonder if the old glues did more than just stick? Like, rabbit skin glue is basically protein. Over decades, it might let the leather and paper move together as they age, like they're breathing at the same rate. A modern plastic glue might just lock it all in place, so when the materials naturally change, they're fighting the glue. That's why the old cover feels alive, it's not being held hostage.

jones.blake7d ago

Harris said "not being held hostage" and that stuck with me. I had a buddy who restored old furniture for a living, and he swore by hide glue for the same reason. He told me about a client who brought in this antique writing desk that had been "repaired" with standard wood glue in the 70s. All the joints were fighting each other, warping the whole top. He had to steam the whole thing apart to fix it, said it was like undoing a bad surgery. The old glue lets things move, like your friend said.