contact cement questions

[UncleGeorge]

For my little holsters I usually use wood glue to hold my raw leather pieces together while I stitch them. Was playing around with dyeing the parts (Fieblings USMC Black/alcohol) first and found that the wood glue didn't absorb into the leather as well. Got some contact cement from Home Depot and tried that. Seemed to stick good but was able to pull apart a little easier than I had anticipated. Was wondering does the contact cement cure over time and develop into a much stronger bond than is produced/experienced at the time of mating the two pieces?

Also is there a better contact cement that spreads easier and more even?

If you use an oil base dye does this affect contact cement adhesion?

[$$hobby]

if youre going to use any adhesive, read the instructions.

i use wood glues for wood work and they work fine as long as you leave some between/in the joints. some of those are water proof/resistant some not.

the contact cement for laminates could work better if you let the glue dry to a slight tackyness. then you need to press the parts togeather. Im not sure about using it for leather, but i dont see why it wont work. however, you will have to do some testing on your leather to find out if it will do the job. the contact cement i use are for laminates is more like syrup and although it may work, i prefer something a tad more viscous to apply to the leather.

i personally use BARGE cement. Its a contact cement like/similar to the contact cements. Im not sure if there are any differences other then viscosity, but when barge is used properly, it will hold even when the leather is submerged/soaked in water. You can get a thinner for Barge too. If when i get a new can of barge and i dont like its viscosity, i will thin it with the thinner, but not too thin either since it can affect the bonding.

one thing i will say tho, is which side are you glueing? if you are trying to glue the hair side of leahter, it will need to be roughed up to bond properly.

also, whats the purpose of the gluing/bonding? is it to just temporarily hold parts togeather while sewing/assembling? you may just want like a rubber cement or some sewing tape.

i use barge on my OIL DYES on the flesh side and have no problem with bonding as long as i use it properly. If i let the glue dry for overnight w/o attaching to the other part, the glue doesnt like to hold as well. so, again, read the instructions and use appropriately.

[Dwight]

I use DAP Weldwood contact cement for all my holsters and belts. In fact, . . . if I'm going to sew it, . . . I cement it first.

Buy the solvent base product, . . . the water base is not as good. Just be careful to use it in a well ventilated area, . . . and no smoking around it, . . . it is flammable with a capital F.

I built a leather flap "brush" with a small piece of leather (1 1/2 by 3/4 inches) held into a slot in the end of a dowel, . . . and it works wonders.

Lay on an even coat on both pieces, . . . don't puddle it, . . . make it pretty uniform throughout.

Most important part: let it dry, . . . again, . . . let it dry. You should be able to daub a cotton ball all over the cement and not lose one fiber of it to sticky glue when it is ready to go together.

I use a small hammer and scrap leather to "smoosh" the pieces together, . . . unless it is a double layer belt, . . . I use a rolling pin there.

Other glues will work, . . . do the job, . . . but for putting stuff together to stay, . . . this is THE product that holds it together. If applied correctly, . . . it can be pulled apart later, . . . but there will be a layer of leather come with the pulled off side, . . . it doesn't just "come apart at the seam" like most other glues will do.

And "No" this cement does not seem to be affected by any of the Tandy dyes I have used. Just be sure to first let them dry and buff off the surface real good before using the cement. And you may want to "rough up" the smooth side a little if when you buffed it, it comes out real good and shiney.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited August 2, 2009 by Dwight

[Leather Bum]

I built a leather flap "brush" with a small piece of leather (1 1/2 by 3/4 inches) held into a slot in the end of a dowel, . . . and it works wonders.

Thanks for that tip, Dwight. What weight leather did you use for the brush, and do you clean it in lacquer thinner after each use or. . .?

L'Bum

[UncleGeorge]

thanks for info. I think I see where I could have gotten a better stick. First I don't know if I had the dyed areas cleaned of the residue real good. Am gluing a rough side to a smooth side, reckon I need to scruff up the smooth side a bit. I am using the Dap Weldwood as you say and I did let it dry but now I don't think I let it dry enuff. Also when applied with a brush it was not a smooth even coat. Wonder if I thinned it a might with some xylene so it would smooth out better and still have it full adhesion power. Will give this another try.

Edited August 3, 2009 by UncleGeorge

[Dwight]

Hey, guys, . . . the leather "brush" I made was out of 5/6 or 6/7 leather, . . . and no, . . . I never clean it. After enough (read quite a few, . . . ) applications, . . . it may need replacing, . . . cut a piece of scrap, . . . replace, . . . done. I really don't mess with trying to clean the rascal. Besides that, . . . once I dip it again in the cement, . . . it kinda loosens up and flexes just the way I want it to do.

As far as application, . . . don't be too picky about how it looks, . . . but again, . . . no big "puddles" laying around like Lake Erie next to Phoenix.

I have never thinned the stuff, . . . just "slap" it on, . . . and if it is a bit thick, . . . that has never hurt, because no one ever sees the glue job any way, . . . they only see that the item stayed together BECAUSE of the glue.

The only times I mess around with roughing up a smooth piece of leather, . . . is if it is real shiny. Other than that, . . . it is rough to smooth sides for most everything I do, . . . and the Weldwood holds.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Leather Bum]

Thanks for the info, Dwight.

L'Bum

[UncleGeorge]

Thanks Dwight!