What Glue

[Dave Richardson]

Hello,

I have been using a few drops of super glue to hold two pieces of leather together before stitching. I know super glue hardens with time, is there a better choice of glue ?

Dave

[Sovran81]

Contact cement is what a lot of us use. Now I have a question about glue and since you started the thread I will just put it here. What is a good glue for oil tanned leather?

[Harpo84]

I'll second contact cement.

I'm using EvoStik which I believe is the same thing. It's much much stronger than it needs to be, is usually easy to clean off when a little gets somewhere it's not wanted and it dries flexible.

If you find it a pain to line up pieces (EvoStik bonds fairly well the second the two pieces touch) then you can even use it on one piece only and still get a decent bond.

If you're only wanting the glue to hold things together while you stitch then run of the mill PVA / wood glue is fine too as you only need something strong enough to hold together as the awl passes through.

[Chef niloc]

1331742326[/url]' post='239333']

Contact cement is what a lot of us use. Now I have a question about glue and since you started the thread I will just put it here. What is a good glue for oil tanned leather?

I played around with this a lot then one day after many failed attempts my wife gave me some stuff she uses at work (pathologist) to fuse skin. So what it comes down to is a formaldehyde based glue works best. My guess is the formaldehyde cuts the oil/wax and let's the glue go to work?. So since then i have found that resorcinol glue like DAP Weldwood, the two part purple stuff( NOT the spray adhesives or contact cement) works the best. It holds up under a good deal of load (200lb of my weight) is completely water proof and is stable under heat as well. I made a "power strop" belt for a belt sander with it, worked great. however it is not "very" flexible I.E. don't bend it in half and it does dry a dark purple. The next best thing I found was Unibond 800, Cascamite, Extramite (UF or urea-formaldehyde) glue. Mind you both of these glues are very toxic...more so then the lovely fumes of barge contact cement (the good stuff when it was still yellow). Best "over the counter" non toxic stuff I found was Gorilla (polyurethane) glue. Works better if you scrub down the joint with acetone then wet it with water. It holds fine just don't heat it up at all or pull on it to much, will were out quick if its worked back and forth to much. Note: all three glues require clamping force for there cure time.Hope this helps some people?

[Dave Richardson]

I have made a few knife sheaths as beginner projects and tried the weldbond contact cement as I have good luck with this stuff on other projects but not so good results with the leather. I live close to a large amish community and the leather shop offers plenty of " scrap leather" at 3.00 a pound. I get what they refer to as harness leather. Im not sure what the tanning process is but I really like the stuff. I'm gluing unfinished side to unfinished side and the contact cement seems to soak in before in dries glossy so little if any adhesive. And if you put the pieces together before the cement dries its a gooey mess. Either way the needle will push the joint apart while stitching.

Dave

[Sovran81]

I played around with this a lot then one day after many failed attempts my wife gave me some stuff she uses at work (pathologist) to fuse skin. So what it comes down to is a formaldehyde based glue works best. My guess is the formaldehyde cuts the oil/wax and let's the glue go to work?. So since then i have found that resorcinol glue like DAP Weldwood, the two part purple stuff( NOT the spray adhesives or contact cement) works the best. It holds up under a good deal of load (200lb of my weight) is completely water proof and is stable under heat as well. I made a "power strop" belt for a belt sander with it, worked great. however it is not "very" flexible I.E. don't bend it in half and it does dry a dark purple. The next best thing I found was Unibond 800, Cascamite, Extramite (UF or urea-formaldehyde) glue. Mind you both of these glues are very toxic...more so then the lovely fumes of barge contact cement (the good stuff when it was still yellow). Best "over the counter" non toxic stuff I found was Gorilla (polyurethane) glue. Works better if you scrub down the joint with acetone then wet it with water. It holds fine just don't heat it up at all or pull on it to much, will were out quick if its worked back and forth to much. Note: all three glues require clamping force for there cure time.Hope this helps some people?

Thanks Chef, I googled the DAP and really couldnt find a source. Where do you get it from?

[chancey77]

For small stuff like sheaths I have used textile glue, it if flexible stays sticky and doesn't get hard.

The formaldehyde glues and made more for woods than leather.

There is a product called LEATHER WELD....that is what I used to use, but they don't have it here in Finland...so I am stuck with Spray Glue, Textile glue(available at any craft/ hardware shop), and standard contact cement.

Super Glue is for sure NO GOOD for leather.

[Art]

Standard practice with contact cement on porous leather (usually the flesh side) is to put a coat on and let it dry 5-10 min, if it is shiny, use it, if it is NOT shiny put another coat on let dry 5-10 min and if it is not shiny, put another coat on......

Unless you are getting really big pieces, $3 a pound is a little expensive especially if there is anything in there you can't use. Going rate seems to be $1/lb for scraps.

Art

I have made a few knife sheaths as beginner projects and tried the weldbond contact cement as I have good luck with this stuff on other projects but not so good results with the leather. I live close to a large amish community and the leather shop offers plenty of " scrap leather" at 3.00 a pound. I get what they refer to as harness leather. Im not sure what the tanning process is but I really like the stuff. I'm gluing unfinished side to unfinished side and the contact cement seems to soak in before in dries glossy so little if any adhesive. And if you put the pieces together before the cement dries its a gooey mess. Either way the needle will push the joint apart while stitching.

Dave

[Chef niloc]

Thanks Chef, I googled the DAP and really couldnt find a source. Where do you get it from?

This is the stuff.

http://www.goodboatgear.com/detail/7059/%20Waterproof%20Resorcinol%20Glue?sa=X&ei=zJ1iT7HgLcPh0QHO1tihCA&ved=0CF8QgwgwAA

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/glue-resorcinol-quart-waterproof-2-part-736504/4,44474.html?sa=X&ei=zJ1iT7HgLcPh0QHO1tihCA&ved=0CGgQgwgwAw

It's true that this stuff is marketed for wood, sad to be the best for oily woods like teak. I coins not find a formaldehyde glue marketed for leather but the liable on this reads very similar to the flesh binding glue my wife brought home from work. So I tryed it and it worked just as good if not better, only thing is the morgue stuff dryed fleshy pink color and this stuff drys purple.

[Justinicus]

Unless you are getting really big pieces, $3 a pound is a little expensive especially if there is anything in there you can't use. Going rate seems to be $1/lb for scraps.

Sorry to derail (though not sorry enough to not do it!), but I have to ask, where can one find scraps for $1/lb? Tandy sells "tooling leather remnants" at $10/lb, theleatherguy sells tooling scrap at $11/2lbs, and Springfield Leather has it at $8/2lbs. That's the cheapest I've ever seen!

[Dwight]

Dave, . . . Weldwood contact cement does not work as well on the harness leather as it does on veggie tanned leather.

Graduate over to veggie tanned, . . . most everyone finds it a better raw material because you can do so much more with it.

One thing you CAN DO WITH IT is use rubber cement, . . . the stuff kids in school use for glue. It is not permanent, . . . but it will hold two pieces together long enough to stitch them.

Oh, . . . and if you are using contact cement, . . . let me suggest you do not try to put them together until both sides are dry to the touch. I often use my 1100 watt heat gun to assist the cement to dry. And as mentioned earlier, . . . you DO WANT to see a bit of a shine where the glue is, . . . paraphrasing Charlie Chan, . . . "No shiney, . . . no stickeee".

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dave Richardson]

Dwight, you are right on with both comments. Although the harness leather was nice to work with, come to find out it contains alot of oils since it is used for harness rigging and used in rain , snow, fluid from the horse etc. and the adhesives just would not bond. I did aquire a large bundle of veggie tan and as you stated it was a "graduation" WOW what a difference, and the weldwood contact cement works just fine.

Justinicus, I gave up on finding anything at $1/lb, I just dont think its out there. I just got from my amish friend a little over 25 lb, Weaver Leather Co. veggie tan tooling in two square ft. + pieces for 45.00, Ill take that deal all day long LOL.

Dave