![]() There is also an electric binding tool that uses special covers with pre-formed strips of hot-melt glue on the inside of the spine. Professional bookbinding machines use a heated glue pot that travels across the spine to deposit the glue evenly. You also need a pro-grade glue gun capable of laying down a lot of glue fast. ![]() This approach wastes a fair amount of glue and requires working at a brisk pace. Another person quickly laid down a fat line of glue over a book spine and then used a metal spreader tool to distribute the glue across the book spine and press it into the paper. He was able to make a lot of books fast, but there was a considerable amount of setup involved in the process. It may be possible to create some sort of heated glue pot that keeps the glue warm enough for you to brush it on before it hardens and then quickly fold the cover over (or later run a hot iron over the cover to re-melt the glue underneath and bond it to the cover.) I have seen a demonstration by one person who used a hot plate to melt a bunch of EVA glue in a pan and then dip the book spines into the glue. It’s not super wide, but it is better than the standard nozzle on most glue guns. The Surebonder PRO2-100 gun has interchangable nozzles that include a wide flat one. The drying time is faster, but I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get smooth even coverage (often resorting to using an iron to re-heat the glued book spines making the glue workable again.) I have seen people create wide flat custom nozzles for their glue guns that deposit the glue in a wider pattern, but don’t have the tools required to copy the idea. They are harder to work with and don’t offer any long term benefits over the cold glues I have mentioned. I have experimented with hot glues, but don’t recommend them for beginners. But, produce any more than that and the constant mixing will slow you down. If you occasionally make one or two books, epoxy works well. Mix too much and the excess hardens into a useless rock. ![]() Working with epoxy is a bit tedious because you you have to mix just enough adhesive for your spine each time. The resulting bond is extremely strong, but not very flexible. Epoxies come in two parts which are mixed together and cure through a chemical reaction. I have successfully bound books using 5-Minute epoxy. You apply it to both the spine and cover and then let the glue ’set-up’ for a minute before pressing the spine and cover together for drying (which only takes a few minutes.) 2-Part Epoxy It is a neoprene-based contact cement and is somewhat thicker than working with PVA glue, but you can still brush it on the spine. PowerPoxy is a brand name that comes up a lot in my research and I’ve used it before, but it is hard to find these days. Contact CementĪnother very common glue choice is contact cement. Adding another layer of glue to the book block later and attaching the cover works fine. You will need to keep the pages clamped together for a while as it dries. ![]() PVA glues are acid free and used in libraries to repair books. This is just a common white glue that is very flexible and can be easily brushed onto the spine of the book. I’ve had a chance to experiment with a few different types of glues for my books and the most versatile and forgiving one I have come across is PVA glue, which can be found in any art supply or craft store. I hope this helps you pick the best option for your next project. Here is what I have discovered and used in my bookbinding work. ![]() The glue must be strong, flexible, easy to apply, dry quickly (but not too quickly), and stand up to the abuses that paperback books are typically subjected to. Gluing the edges of a bunch of sheets of paper together is tricky. Figuring out which glue to use for my perfect bound book projects turned out to be one of the most challenging aspects of the bookbinding process. ![]()
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