Valdibrana Conceria, Tarano, Italian Vachetta Leather....Impossible to glue a lining to the flesh side.

[BDAZ]

I make cases for wind instruments. I use Wicket and Craig drum dyed veg tan for all my products. A current client has ordered 10 highly customized cases for export and one had to be red. I purchased a 1x2 panel of:

Valdibrana Conceria, Tarano, Italian Vachetta Leather from the Buckle Guy:  

https://www.buckleguy.com/valdibrana-concerie-tarano-italian-vachetta-leather-panel-candy-apple-red/

I use HTV vinyl for some decoration on the grain side of the flap and the flap is laminated with a custom dye sublimation print on polyester fabric using a thermal adhesive sheet.

I do something similar on all my Wickett and Craig products with no issue and have been doing so for years.  The heat transfer worked perfectly on the grain side of the Valdibrana but after completing the case I folded the flap and there was absolutely NO adhesion on the flesh side, held in place only by the stitching.  I had to disassemble the case and there was no trace of the adhesive on the flesh side of leather, it had completely adhered to the fabric. I realized there was probably some form of wax on the flesh side .

I did some tests on scrap and used acetone to remove the wax. I tested lamination on scraps with the heat activated adhesive, Tandy Eco Flo, which I have found to be exceptional for demanding projects, and a few solvent based craft adhesives as well as Tanner's Bond. All seemed to adhere well to the acetone treated leather. I gave it 24 hours to cure and adhesion was good. I reassembled the case, laminated a new graphic (170 lbs @ 270F for 30 seconds) and adhesion seemed excellent. A few days later I returned to mount the hard ware and when I folded the flap it was clear that the adhesive had failed. I easily pulled up the fabric and injected a solvent based adhesive underneath and used a roller to spread the adhesive across the entire fabric covered area. I covered with a piece of flat granite with 10 lbs of additional weight and left for 24 hours to cure. The I left it uncovered for a few hours to allow the solvent to evaporate. The adhesion was minimal and immediately produce a failure at the fold. 

 

Does anyone have a suggestion of a flexible, bullet proof adhesive? Clearly the leather is loaded with waxes, especially the flesh side. I am willing to try any kind of adhesive, including construction adhesive. Plan C is to make another case and dye it red, but quite frankly, the finish of this Italian leather is fantastic..would not be out of place on a Gucci bag:

https://poshmark.com/listing/Gucci-Soho-Red-Cellarius-GG-Logo-Leather-Chain-Tote-665df009d4b237570c0de87b?srsltid=AfmBOopRltHNRbM-wYsUmdGbLFBTBmDy9cWbp4lhx-eQ63TaTtKj24krs18&gQT=1#utm_source=gdm_unpaid

Thanks!

Bob

 

Edited April 11 by BDAZ

[Ferg]

From my experience I think you are barking up the wrong tree. lol If the leather is wax impregnated I do not know of any adhesive I have ever used that will adhere to the wax surface you speak of. Not knowing what your project looks like my only suggestion would be to make a rolled edge and stitch. If you keep the leather tight on both sides it may work for you. If the adhesive you are using holds for several hours you could stitch with rolled edge while it is "stuck". Think I would try it anyway.

[Johanna]

Can you rough up the back with sandpaper enough for the adhesive to stick?

[BDAZ]

The flap is around 6 inches wide and that's essentially what I had after the first failure. The heat activated adhesive holds until the leather is bent.  Maybe I can find a sealer that would penetrate enough, after an acetone wash, that would block any additional incursion by the waxes. 

 

Bob

2 minutes ago, Johanna said:

Can you rough up the back with sandpaper enough for the adhesive to stick?

It's the flesh side so it's not the texture, it's that the waxes impregnating the leather seem to return after a few days and break the bond. 

Thanks,

Bob

[BDAZ]

I was able to successfully laminate the graphic to the vachetta. I skived the flap down around 50% using a belt sander and then washed the surface a few times with acetone and allowed it to dry before using thermal adhesive to to bond the fabric to the leather.
 

I would never buy this leather again. Great for making Gucci bag clones..

Bob