Spilled glue all over a first edition at a workshop in Chicago last month

I was at this bookbinding workshop at a tiny shop in Chicago and I knocked over a whole jar of PVA. It went right onto this 1920s first edition someone brought in for repair. The instructor had to show me how to do damage control with a bone folder and wax paper. Took like an hour to get most of it off but there's still a mark. Any of you ever messed up a client's book and had to fix it?

2 comments

2 Comments

james5331mo ago

Honestly I used to think book repairs were mostly just common sense until I tried something like this myself. That part about using a bone folder and wax paper sounds intense. I mean I always figured you could just wipe glue off if you caught it fast enough but apparently not with a fragile old book like that. Hearing how much work it took to get most of the glue off really opened my eyes. Maybe it's just me but I never realized how careful you have to be with the materials and tools.

the_jana1mo ago

Bone folders really are the way to go though... once you get the hang of it.