What Kind Of Glue To Use For A Horween Shell Cordovan?

[lyricsonwings]

Hi. Does anyone know what kind of glue to use for Horween Shell Cordovan leather? I was fortunate enough to get hold of this fine leather, but the problem is that none of the leather glues I use seem to be strong enough--both water and solvent based. After the glue dries, I pull it apart, and rest is history. Yes, I tried sanding the leather before applying glue, but it only helped a little. What do professionals use for Horween Shell Cordovan? I was told to use a wood glue but wouldn't that become brittle after a while? Please help. And thank you in advance!

[Art]

They use a lot of finishes and oils on those. You can rubber cement them, but they need to be stitched to hold.

Art

Hi. Does anyone know what kind of glue to use for Horween Shell Cordovan leather? I was fortunate enough to get hold of this fine leather, but the problem is that none of the leather glues I use seem to be strong enough--both water and solvent based. After the glue dries, I pull it apart, and rest is history. Yes, I tried sanding the leather before applying glue, but it only helped a little. What do professionals use for Horween Shell Cordovan? I was told to use a wood glue but wouldn't that become brittle after a while? Please help. And thank you in advance!

[azrider]

I just made a wallet out of this stuff. I used standard contact cement. Before I glued it, I went over every area the cement was going to be applied with a hairblade, just to give more surface area for the glue to bite. I wouldn't trust it not to come undone by itself, but it seemed to work well to hold for stitching.

[lyricsonwings]

Thank you for the replies above. I did use a rubber glue made for leathers--as suggested. It seems to work better than others. It took more than a day to dry. Wow! But it still seems weak as I can pull it apart with my finger strength--which tells me that in no way you can make a watch strap or shoes out of it as they will go though much bending throughout their use, especially considering I'm going to be adding another layer of cowhide beneath the original cordovan leather for extra cushion.

My question is--is there anyway to do without stitching? Especially for a watch strap, as do not want a cluttered looks of a stitching. A long time ago, I bought a Horween cordovan leather watch straps that is folded together in the corners, and simply stitched in four areas. They seem to hold together very well even after all these years of use. How did they make it do that? Did they use some special technique or machine? Do you think they use some special industrial glue that is not available to the public (someone told me this might be the case).

In either case, thank you for your replies--as I'm trying your suggestions and still learning how to work with Cordovan leather. I found that they are much harder to work with because of their rubber like durability.

Cheers!

I just made a wallet out of this stuff. I used standard contact cement. Before I glued it, I went over every area the cement was going to be applied with a hairblade, just to give more surface area for the glue to bite. I wouldn't trust it not to come undone by itself, but it seemed to work well to hold for stitching.