Looking For New Contact Cement

[oldskool]

Hello all. I was buying some contact cement from Tandy that seemed a lot like a rubber cement in terms of consistency. It was waterproof and worked well for me. My supply ran out and when I went to reorder, it was discontinued. Now, the replacement BARGE contact cement is not to my liking at all. It is caustic, stinks to the point of needing to wear a face mask, and seems to harden way too fast, and not always create a long lasting, tight bond that I want. It feels a bit stiff at first and needs to be flexed to soften it up.

I need a contact cement that does not make me gag and stink up the leather with a chemical smell. I need it to be highly water resistant. I want it to be strong enough to resist being pulled apart without considerable force being applied. It needs to be flexible, not stiff when it dries.

As a note, I do rough up the surfaces of the leather to be bonded. I do apply to both sides and wait for it to get tacky before putting the leather together. I also clamp it down securely and let it sit for plenty of time. So, I don't think it is a user error situation.

This I liked: (but was discontinued)

TANDY LEATHER TANNERS BOND BARGE CONTACT CEMENT QT #2530-03

These I have tried and not liked:

Tanners Bond Water-Based Contact Cement Quart #2529-03

Tanners Bond Craftsman Contact Cement Quart #2525-03

I welcome your suggestions.

[TwinOaks]

Head to the local Walmart, hardware dept., and pick up a quart of Weldwood Contact Cement. If you're particularly VOC sensitive, Lowe's sells a low VOC version that uses some sort of latex as the primary bonding agent.

I use the red can Weldwood on my holsters, and once it's been applied, the leather starts peeling apart before the glue. It's possible to tear it up, but I've been really happy with it.

BTW, you can get a quart of the stuff for at or just a little more than a tube of the Barge. It's also available in a small (same size as Elmer's rubber cement) jar, that has a brush-in-the-bottle lid.

[oldskool]

Head to the local Walmart, hardware dept., and pick up a quart of Weldwood Contact Cement. If you're particularly VOC sensitive, Lowe's sells a low VOC version that uses some sort of latex as the primary bonding agent.

I use the red can Weldwood on my holsters, and once it's been applied, the leather starts peeling apart before the glue. It's possible to tear it up, but I've been really happy with it.

BTW, you can get a quart of the stuff for at or just a little more than a tube of the Barge. It's also available in a small (same size as Elmer's rubber cement) jar, that has a brush-in-the-bottle lid.

Any idea if either of those are "waterproof?"

[dbusarow]

Any idea if either of those are "waterproof?"

The label says water resistant. It is not water soluble, that is for sure. And it is cheap enough to experiment, a 16oz can is around $6 at my small town TruValue store.

Dan