How to remove the hot melt adhesive used for binding books? Don’t step on these 5 common misconceptions anymore

On bound bookshot melt adhesiveTo remove it, the correct approach isFirst, control the temperature to soften, then mechanically separate, and finally clean the residual glueUsing a mild heat source of 60-80 ℃ to soften the adhesive layer and peel it off as a whole is more secure than any forced tearing or chemical pesticides. Unfortunately, in practical operation, most people fall into these pitfalls as soon as they come up.

Misconception 1: Directly forcefully tearing

The cohesive strength of hot melt adhesive at room temperature is often higher than that of paper, and the result of hard tearing is that the paper is torn apart and the adhesive remains on top. Especially for old books, the paper has become brittle and the corners are missing when torn. The correct approach is to first heat and soften the adhesive to make it “stretchable” before slowly separating it.

Misconception 2: Using a high-temperature air gun to blow fiercely

The temperature of the air gun can easily exceed 300 ℃, causing the paper to become burnt, yellow, curled, and ink to bubble and transfer. Suggest using a low-grade hair dryer or iron to cushion the leather paper, controlling it at 60-80 ℃, and tentatively lifting it while heating.

Misconception 3: Rubbing Banana Water and Tianna Water indiscriminately

Strong solvents have limited effect on EVA hot melt adhesives, but they can easily dissolve ink and film, causing the cover to be scrapped and posing a risk of irritating volatile compounds. If chemical assistance is necessary, a small area test should be conducted in an inconspicuous location on the back of the spine first.

Misconception 4: Treating freezing as a universal solution

Low temperature brittleness can indeed cause some adhesive layers to break easily, but it has a negative effect on the flexibility of book and magazine type adhesive particles, and the paper will wrinkle when it gets damp after freezing. The freezing method is only suitable for small areas of adhesive residue and is not suitable for the entire spine of a book.

Misconception 5: Simply reapply glue without processing after cleaning

The residual adhesive layer has poor compatibility with the new adhesive layer, which can form a sandwich layer and almost inevitably cause secondary cracking. After milling or scraping off, the spine of the book should be polished with fresh fibers and then coated with new glue.

The correct approach to segmenting scenarios

• Whole book repairAfter heating and softening, remove the old adhesive layer as a whole, and then use a glue binding machine to mill the back 1-1.5 millimeters.
• Dropping glue on desktops and devicesAfter it has completely cooled and hardened, use a plastic scraper to pry it up along the edge to avoid scratching the tabletop.
• Clothing adhesiveAfter freezing and hardening, break it into pieces and gently wipe the residue with a small amount of alcohol.

Instead of struggling with how to go, it’s better to get it right once

The root cause of a large number of repairs is usually a mismatch in the first use of adhesive – insufficient opening time, high softening point selection, or excessive adhesive layer. Sunlife hot melt adhesive from Guangzhou Sunlife Trading is supplied in separate lines for books, packaging, and graphic printing, and provides recommended parameters for adhesive quantity and temperature to help customers use “repair rate” instead of “unit price” as the accounting standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can hot water soak books to remove glue?
Answer: Not recommended. Paper deformation is irreversible when it comes into contact with water, and the benefits outweigh the losses.

Q: Can the removed old glue be recycled?
Answer: There are many residual adhesive impurities mixed with paper fibers and ink, and it is not recommended to return them to the furnace for production.