Glue

[Rodw]

I can't really find any info on the difference between Rubber Cement and Contact Cement and when it is appropriate to use which. From what little I can gather Rubber Cement has a longer working time (i.e. you can lift and move the pieces) than Contact Cement, but surely Contact Cement does not have an instant bond, does it?

Thanks in advance!

[Chief31794]

I can't really find any info on the difference between Rubber Cement and Contact Cement and when it is appropriate to use which. From what little I can gather Rubber Cement has a longer working time (i.e. you can lift and move the pieces) than Contact Cement, but surely Contact Cement does not have an instant bond, does it?

Thanks in advance!

Contact Cement is PERMANENT and IMMEDIATE. You touch the two pieces together in the wrong place and there is no moving it.

Rubber Cement is Temporary.

Rubber Cement is normally used to temporarily hold pieces together to facilitate assembly (stitching, lacing, etc).

Contact Cement is a method of construction, used to permanently bond two pieces of leather or anything else to leather, it is used a lot to laminate leather flesh to flesh to provide a smooth surface on both sides (holsters, belts, etc)

I use contact cement but normally cut the backing piece slightly larger, glue them together and then trim the backing piece to match the front piece. Keeps me from having to drop the pieces together perfectly.

Hope this helps,

Ken

[Rodw]

1339897871[/url]' post='252876']

Contact Cement is PERMANENT and IMMEDIATE. You touch the two pieces together in the wrong place and there is no moving it.

Rubber Cement is Temporary.

Rubber Cement is normally used to temporarily hold pieces together to facilitate assembly (stitching, lacing, etc).

Contact Cement is a method of construction, used to permanently bond two pieces of leather or anything else to leather, it is used a lot to laminate leather flesh to flesh to provide a smooth surface on both sides (holsters, belts, etc)

I use contact cement but normally cut the backing piece slightly larger, glue them together and then trim the backing piece to match the front piece. Keeps me from having to drop the pieces together perfectly.

Hope this helps,

Ken

Thanks Ken. That's exactly the info I needed.

[bruce johnson]

A few tips and tricks.

Contact cement gives a mostly immediate permanent bond if both sides are tacked up. If they are lightly touching you can sometimes lift them apart and go back. Once you press them with a slicker or hand pressure. they are usually stuck for good.

You can reposition the pieces if one or both sides are wet with glue - not allowed to time to fully tack. Both sides wet give you more working time than one side wet/one side tacked. They need to be left alone for the bond to cure, but will sure stick. Rub them the next day and they are usually set for good.

If the glue gets past the point of tacky and fully dry, many contact cements are heat activated. You hit them with a little heat from a heat gun and they get sticky again.

If you need to peel apart something that was contact cemented, a heat gun works there to soften the bond sometimes - get a start, throw a little heat to it, peel back, throw some more heat, peel more.

Some contact cements will loosen or not bond well with oily leather, some will (or used to). Might need to use temporary tacks or clips and while sewing or lacing. Some will delaminate later if just glued.

If you need to mold something later you can put on a couple of thin coats of contact and let it dry good. Then dunk the piece and let it case up. Once you are ready to stick it, hit that glue with some heat to tack it up. Stick it down and go to molding - I do it for ground work on saddles and hear the boot and shoe guys do that for some sole applications.

The heat gun I use and see in most shops is a paint stripping gun.I just fan it over the area. I use mine on low usually. Hair dryers never got it for me, I lack patience at some things.

[Rodw]

Thanks Bruce.

[walkg]

One way to keep the two pices aligned I use wax paper between the pieces. Overlay the pieces, at some point and gradually slid the wax paper out . This way keeps the parts aligned. Also, if the parts are not aligned you can pop it up and adjust.

[Dwight]

There is no "science" to my way of doing it, . . . but when I am putting something together with contact cement, . . . I very lightly lay them together at first.

I then look real hard, . . . and very detail centered, . . . to be sure it is in the right place.

I have had excellent results taking the pieces apart this way if I inadvertently didn't get it right.

I then usually have some kind of rolling device, . . . rolling pin, . . . wallpaper seam roller, . . . palms of my hands, . . . that will smooth the two together.

Like already said, though, . . . once smooshed together, . . . it's done.

One caveat, . . . when gluing flesh side to hair side, . . . take a small brass or steel wire brush and scuff up the part on the hair side, . . . makes the bond ever so much better. Without the scuffing, . . . it can come apart.

May God bless,

Dwight