Leather glue

[Samalan]

9 hours ago, kgg said:

I use good fashion contact cement. I don't think the brand name really matters much. What I have found that bests works for me and gives me the best holding is to apply one coat on the flesh (fuzzy) side of the pieces, let dry then add a second coat until dry (about 10 -15 minutes), mate the two pieces, use a roller to evenly press the pieces together, clamp or weight down the pieces and let sit for 12-24 hours.

My theory is the first coat of contact cement sinks into the fibres and binds them together. The second coat holds both surfaces permanently together. I have found sometimes with only one coat of contact cement the two pieces can be pulled apart. 

kgg

I do that as well, but one thing I do differently is that I keep two jars of contact cement, one of which is slightly thinner than the other. The thinner is for the first coat. I also work in  a good tooth on the leather. The first coat must be dry; then apply the second coat. then I press and hammer together. The only contact cement I use is Bardge cement and thinner. I have never had a separation. Bardge contact is as strong as it gets.

[TomE]

I've been using a heat gun to "activate" contact cement - just a brief warming of the glued pieces before assembly.  Bonds well with less cement so I have fewer problems with the glue interfering with burnishing edges.  For some shaped pieces I case the leather lightly and shape the leather before applying the glue, and the heat gun treatment results in a better bond when the leather is damp.  I'm using Barge cement but will probably switch to Weldwood in the future.

 

Edited 1 hour ago by TomE