Not Using cyanoacrylate glue

[Laurence Finston]

Paper will ripple when it absorbs water. The fibers expand and they have to go somewhere. In addition, I find I get rippling when I paste or glue paper from the thickness of the paste or glue. I use ordinary paper paste in stick form and a water-based clear glue that would appear to contain some kind of acrylic resin.

The rippling tends to decrease once the paste or glue is fully dried. Where it's not too important, I just leave it, otherwise, for flat things, I use a press. For three dimensional shapes, you would need to leave the workpiece on the template (or last) and press it to it somehow. An exactly matching piece that accounts for the shape and thickness of the workpiece would be ideal, but not necessarily easy to make. In some cases, thick rubber bands might work, with or without something in between to protect the workpiece.

[Laurence Finston]

Originally Posted by Laurence Finston

For three dimensional shapes, you would need to leave the workpiece on the template (or last) and press it to it somehow. [...] In some cases, thick rubber bands might work, with or without something in between to protect the workpiece.

Jorgensen handscrew clamps are good for this purpose: Jorgensen Classic Adjustable Handscrew - Pony Jorgensen
Not common in Germany, unfortunately.

[Laurence Finston]

Originally Posted by ReynoldsSlumber

I've tried Elmer's white glue and Aleene's tacky glue without much luck, even after letting it dry overnight under books. Maybe I need to put thin cloth between the paper and the books to let more water wick out, or something. But my first thought is it might take an even thicker PVA glue.

How many books and how heavy are they? Maybe more weight would help. I always find that it takes a lot of weight to press something. I've been pressing things lately but I always let them dry first. Sometimes it's useful to press things that are wet, but in that case, I would use blotting paper rather than cloth.

The reason I let them dry is because I don't feel like drying the press and the blotting paper when I'm finished. The results are good enough for the purpose, otherwise I'd press them while wet.

If I was desperate, I might try pressing something with an irregular shape by putting it into a tub on a layer of sand and covering it with a lot more sand. I haven't had any reason to try this yet, however.