You feel the curb appeal was worth the extra cost? Hardie holds up way better in southern humidity for sure.

PVA is fine if you're using the right kind. Sounds like you grabbed some off the shelf instead of the archival stuff. I've got books from 15 years back with PVA hinges that are still holding strong. Wheat paste attracts bugs and molds in humid climates. One bad season and you're redoing the whole job. Bob was lucky, that's all.

Man that brings back memories. Had a similar issue with an old HP board where a cap bulged so bad it actually lifted the solder pad off the board. Tried to fix it with a jumper wire but just made it worse. Ended up tossing it in the bin and grabbing a working one off eBay for 20 bucks.

Old frame guy told me once that lugs are like fingerprints. Each one tells a story.

I saved a whole box of leather scraps from a batch of six commissions I did last spring and turned them into these really cool patchwork endpapers. The colors didn't match but it gave each journal a unique look that customers actually LOVED more than the plain stuff. It's such a MASSIVE money saver when you're already dropping cash on the good materials.