Pro tip: Found out the hard way that leather bookbinding glue expires way faster than I thought

I was rebinding an old novel last Tuesday and halfway through the project my paste started getting all clumpy and weird. I figured it was just a bad batch or maybe I left the lid off too long. But then I checked the bottle and it had a date on it from like 9 months ago. I never even knew glue had an expiration date honestly. Turns out the PH changes over time and it can mess with the leather and the paper long term. I tossed it and grabbed a fresh bottle from a local craft shop downtown and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else run into this with their adhesive supplies?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_harris191mo ago

I wonder if temperature changes in storage affect the glue too.

barbara_baker571mo ago

Yeah that's actually a real thing. Glue formulas can get weird if they freeze or get too hot in storage. Most standard wood glues and super glues don't handle extreme temps well at all. The chemical bonds can break down if it goes through a lot of freeze-thaw cycles. So if you're keeping extra glue in a garage or shed that gets really cold in winter, that's probably why it doesn't work as well.

simon71726d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that epoxy can actually crystallize if it gets too cold, weird stuff.