The text block is placed in a finishing press, masked with waxed paper, and a coat of methyl cellulose is applied to the spine edge. Methyl cellulose dissolves hide glue and some modern adhesives. It is left on the spine for about 10-20 minutes, before removal (which amounts to careful scraping with a microspatula) is attempted. Sometimes a second application/scraping cycle is necessary.
If the adhesive used in binding the book looks like plastic, other means of removal will usually have to be employed. One method for removing plastic adhesives is to melt them off with a heated microspatula. This method requires adequate ventilation (a fume hood is ideal for this). Another method involves planing the adhesive off with a sharp chisel. However, using this latter method to clean the spines of stitched text blocks without damaging the stitching requires much practice, considerable skill, and great care.
