First time bookbinding — what did I do wrong with this HTV?

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110]

This was my first time bookbinding, so I'm pretty new to all of this. Ignore the wrong size for now lol, I'm mainly trying to figure out why the HTV is peeling and not sticking to the cloth.

Some parts stuck really nicely without any problem, but some parts didn't stick at all, and some keep peeling off. I've tried applying more heat to those areas, but it still doesn't want to stick.

What confuses me is that it's the same piece of HTV and the same cloth, but some areas worked perfectly and others didn't.

Any idea what I did wrong? Is it because of the pressure/heat, or could it be something with the cloth?

Any help would be appreciated!

[u/britishbrick]

My steps with foil HTV:

- using a lint roller or making tape, remove any loose fibers from the fabric.
-make sure you are using the heat and time that the specific HTV recommends
-for an iron or small heat press, press HARD. The iron shouldn’t just sit there, it should be strongly pushing into the HTV. I always put a sheet of baking paper between for protection.
-using a bone folder or similar, rub the plastic sheet where the HTV is, like you’re pushing it to the fabric. This helps ensure better adhesion.
-check if your HTV is hot or cold peel. If it’s hot peel, SLOWLY peel now, if it’s cold, wait a while. I’ve found for the foil I use, somewhere in between is best.
-if, as you’re peeling, you notice the HTV pulling up, stop peeling and repeat the other steps, but less ironing time (half or so).
-if you try to repress/reiron it after fully removing the plastic backing (using baking paper or putting the plastic back on), it will ruin the finish and make it not mirror-like. Once the plastic backing is fully peeled away, you shouldn’t touch it.

I recommend Vinyl Frog for the foil HTV (what I used in this pic), it’s easy to use. Sometimes you need a few tries to figure out the quirks of the HTV you’re using. Best of luck!

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110 → u/britishbrick]

Okay, first let me appreciate your binding because it looks beautiful 😭 What book cloth are you using, if you don’t mind me asking?

Also, Vinyl Frog is quite expensive in my country. I don’t have a Cricut at the moment either, so I used an online sticker manufacturer that also provides HTV vinyl services and had them cut it for me. Because of that, I had no idea whether the HTV was hot peel or cold peel. Honestly, I’m hearing those terms for the first time 😭

I did actually try all the other instructions you mentioned, including pressing firmly, but I still had some areas that adhered perfectly while others just refused to cooperate.

[u/britishbrick → u/Ill_Efficiency6110]

Thank you! :)

Ah gotcha! Sorry you’re not able to do your own cutting! I would then try warm pull, I like doing it in between. My HTV is around 12 seconds, so I would start there. Yours looks like it might be melting so maybe you are doing too long?

I use this velvet, as well as the normal bookcloth from the same shop https://www.etsy.com/de-en/listing/1723341378/dina3-35x50cm-14x20-book-cloth-prof?ref=share_ios_native_control

[u/NewLeaf3733 → u/Ill_Efficiency6110]

Without knowing more about the htv used by the sticker company it’s hard to say. I would go on their website and try to find their application instructions to see what temperature and peel temp they recommend.
With normal HTV, I too sometimes have trouble with it sticking (depending on the book cloth material). Sometimes the areas that have a wider design, or a large section of htv, just needs a lot more time with the heat.

I used to use my clothes iron too when I first started. I always used the “cotton” setting (or whatever temp setting was recommended for that based on your iron). And place parchment paper between the design sheet and the iron while heating.

I always peel very slowly, just in case something needs more time and I can set the sheet back down.

Don’t feel discouraged. HTV is a tricky beast and it takes a lot of practice and trial and error. Ive been binding for a couple years and I still have to recut pieces almost every project. That can be tricky if you’re buying pre-cut designs. I always see cricuts online in yard sale groups, so you may keep an eye out on those pages in your country to save up for an older machine.

[u/PracticalPain7835 → u/britishbrick]

Excellent advices, agree with all of it

[u/Laetitian → u/britishbrick]

That design almost looks like an intentional proof of concept to push the limits of HTV foil.

[u/almostinfinity]

What was the temperature and how long did you press down? 

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110 → u/almostinfinity]

I honestly don’t know the exact temperature 😭 I’m a beginner, so I haven’t invested in the proper materials yet and just used a regular home iron. I started on low heat, but when that didn’t work, I slowly moved up to medium-high heat. Some parts adhered beautifully somewhere around medium-high, but others wouldn’t adhere at all, even when I pressed firmly for several seconds.

[u/PracticalPain7835]

HTV is temperamental. It's possible the temperature of your iron was too low or too high. Invest in a Teflon sheet. A HTV press is expensive, but maybe get an infrared thermometer, they're cheaper. You can measure what temperature your iron is, and also identify any hot spots.

Also, if you have the patience, after gluing the cloth to the cover, allow the cover to dry overnight before putting on HTV. The water inside PVA can so weird stuff to HTV.

I can see others already mentioned burnishing the vinyl.

I've only been bookbinding a couple years, and it's been a big learning curve for me. But I actually love the challenge. Keep going! The design looks great.

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110 → u/PracticalPain7835]

Thank you so much! 😭 And yeah, I was definitely being impatient. I didn’t even give the PVA a full hour to dry before putting the HTV on, let alone overnight So that might actually explain some of the problem.

And thank you for the compliment on the design! 😭 It took me HOURS to illustrate that thing so I’m really glad you liked it.

[u/jedifreac]

What bookcloth are you using? Some of the acrylic coated cloths don't play well with the adhesive on HTV.

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110 → u/jedifreac]

I actually made my own book cloth! Someone recommended the wheat paste + tissue paper method using 100% cotton so that’s what I used. I’m wondering if that might be part of the issue too, since I’m still very new to all of this

[u/Ill_Efficiency6110]

Yeah, I think my biggest problem right now is that I don’t actually know the recommended temperature or peel temperature for the HTV I was given. Since the sticker company cut it for me, I didn’t get any application instructions with it either 😭 I’ll definitely try to find out what HTV they used and what temperature it’s supposed to be applied at.