Always thought archival glue was just glue...

Was fixing a old 1920s ledger last weekend and actually looked up the pH levels in my PVA versus wheat paste... turns out most standard PVA can go acidic over time and eat through the paper. I always just grabbed whatever was cheapest at the craft store. Do you all really test pH on your adhesives before using them on older books?

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xena_rivera633mo ago

Honestly the whole archival materials thing is like hidden knowledge that nobody talks about until a project falls apart. I learned the hard way with a stack of vintage magazines that the cheap glue I used was basically rotting them from the inside out. Feels like every hobby has these secret rules that only the people who've already messed up know about.

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maxb463mo ago

Nah, I kinda disagree. Trial and error is how you learn best in any hobby, and the "secret rules" are really just common sense once you start paying attention. Materials have labels and manufacturers publish specs for a reason - the knowledge is out there, you just have to look for it (like checking that glue is pH neutral before slathering it on 80 year old paper). Plus, half the fun of collecting or restoring stuff is figuring out what works through your own mistakes, not having everything handed to you on a silver platter.

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