Anyone who’s attended a bookmaking workshop with me will know we use PVA glue to cover boards in class. That’s because it is quick drying. But when I make books at home I prefer paste. Why? To start with, paste is cheaper. A 500 gm packet of home brand wheaten cornflour costs a few dollars and will keep you in paste for ages. Paste is also more forgiving than glue. It is slower drying, which means you have more working time and if you get it in the wrong place it is easy to wipe off and doesn’t leave a shiny mark like glue does. The slow drying is also the down side. It can take several days for boards covered with paste to fully dry out.
If you’d like to try making your own paste, here’s a little tutorial.
Combine 3-4 teaspoons wheaten cornflour and 250mls water in a small saucepan and stir until no lumps of cornflour remain.
Bring to the boil, stirring continually. The mixture will gradually become translucent and begin to thicken. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Remove from the heat and cover the mixture with a piece of cling film. This stops a skin from forming on the surface. Allow to cool.
An optional step is to push the cooled paste through a fine nylon sieve. This makes sure there are no lumps and also seems to make the mixture stickier. The paste is now ready to use.
The paste will keep in the fridge for a weeks. If, over time, it starts to separate, just drain off the liquid. When the paste becomes smelly or mouldy I add it to the compost bin and make a fresh batch.