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Watched a guy at the Asheville book fair fix a cracked spine with a hair dryer and I've been doing it wrong for 6 years
He warmed the hinge just enough to peel the old glue off in one strip instead of chipping at it with a dull knife. I tried it on a 1920s hymnal when I got home and the whole cover came off clean in about 4 minutes. Does anyone else warm their spines or am I late to this party?
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robinwalker4d ago
How hot is too hot though? I've been using a hair dryer on low for years but always worried about cooking the leather or cracking the old paste. The trick is you gotta keep it moving and don't hold it in one spot too long or the whole thing warps. Also works great for peeling off old book tape that's gone all gummy. Been doing the heat thing since a bookbinder showed me at a flea market, so yeah, welcome to the party.
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