Spine glue disaster last Thursday, did I recover it right or should I have just tossed it?

I was in my basement workshop regluing a 1920s novel when the PVA bottle tipped over and soaked the spine and first 20 pages before I could grab it. I dabbed it off with a damp rag and clamped it tight, but now the pages feel stiff and crinkly - does anyone else have a trick for fixing a glue spill mid-project or should I just start over?

2 comments

2 Comments

karenlee1d ago

Did you try hitting it with a hair dryer on low to soften the glue before pressing?

cora_perez1d ago

Did you try pressing it between some wax paper with heavy books on top for a few days? I had a similar mess with a vintage paperback and the damp rag only made it worse. You might've pushed the glue deeper into the fibers instead of lifting it off. Honestly, for a 1920s novel I'd have dried it flat and accepted the crinkle, but if the pages are truly stuck together, you're probably looking at a new copy.