Best Glue For Leather To Leather, And Leather To Fabric

[Dwight]

If you are having trouble with Weldwood, . . . you are not doing something right.

Flesh side to flesh side adhesions, . . . once set (several hours after initial contact), . . . you will pull leather apart making them separate.

Hair side, . . . you have to take sand paper or a wire brush (better) and scuff up the hair side, . . . then the same will occur as above.

Flexible after cured, . . . yes, . . . but you have to remember that layers of leather are like layers of wood.  Instead of "plywood" you have "plyleather", . . . and it will be significantly less prone to bending and flexibility.  

Yes, . . . for all tense and purposes . . . . water proof.  If you have to have something solvent proof, . . . leather is the wrong product to use to begin with.  Oil should not bother it either, unless you soak it, . . . in which case you probably ruined the leather piece as well.  

Accidental and incidental spills of water, oil, and solvent should have been taken care of by the topcoat you put on the product.  

May God bless,

Dwight

[GeneH]

Part of my question was comparisons between Weldwood, Barge, and E6000, but I wasn't clear on that. Ooops.

Thanks Dwight. Yep, first piece I didn't do right, and now it's going to be up to the stitching. But there isn't much stress so should be fine - after that I tried scuffing the hair side and that worked.  I was a little surprised that it was "slick?" enough (is that the right word?) or impervious enough for the Weldwood to not adhere. Says a lot for leather - pretty good stuff.

I am just figuring out the "pleather" aspect of multiple layers - just learning how well it works. Glad you validated that. 

Regarding soaking and possibly oil - I'm thinking outdoors in the woods, dressing a game animal, rain, dunk in the lake (ooops) or spilling fuel or something on a sheath. Clumsy mistakes like that.

 

[Dwight]

Gene . . . . mistakes like that are the reason folks have been using leather for centuries.  

Like the old saying about Timex, . . . takes a licking and keeps on ticking, . . . leather is the same.  But we are talking sporadic, unintentional, mistakes, . . . a steady diet of dunking leather in gasoline or other materials like that will dry it out, . . . it'll crack like crazy, . . . ain't worth carrying home after a while.  

My saddle is nearing if not past the century mark, . . . and if I still rode, . . . it would be good for decades more use.  I'm sending it to a friend in Arizona just for that reason, . . . he can use it, . . . I'm done.

But seriously talking about glue, . . . I use Elmer's white glue if I need to move something around after I stick it the first time.  Other than that, . . . it's Weldwood.  I found using only a couple of products allows me to know what I'm going to get using it.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[GeneH]

Thanks Dwight!

[Handstitched]

Down under, we have ' Kwik Grip'  & ' Kwik Grip Gel' , but basically a good contact cement. 

HS 

[Outfitr]

I've been using Barge for some time but tried Weldwood recently and while it seems to work fine I don't think it's any stronger or better than Barge. 

[Rockoboy]

On ‎15‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 9:48 PM, Handstitched said:

we have ' Kwik Grip'  & ' Kwik Grip Gel'

While they are good products from Selleys, I use a Parfix product which is virtually identical, I think its called Gel Fix, but about half the price. 500ml can for ~$13.00 at Bunnings.

[Handstitched]

G'Day Rocko, 

I now  have both and both seem to work quite well. With ' Gel Grip' and Kwik Grip, they have different types, one for horizontal , vertical etc. ( for laminates) Same diff   I only buy the small 500ml tins, as a large tin will go off quicker than I can use it,  due to the constant opening and closing  of the tin. 

HS 

[NeilMott]

I was at a leather workshop at a Shoemaking school and they were using a white glue...  I'm assuming it was some sort of PVA and it was water soluble.  The instructor showed how it'd clean up easily by putting it on his hands, rubbing his hands together and then it just balled up and into the garbage.

For me, I'm just getting into leatherwork and somewhere I read Barge Cement was the best.  I have a small tube and part of it is turning opaque...  I'm not sure what that means.   I'm applying it with a small artist brush...  Because I'm new to this, I need a little set up time and because I'm making watch straps I need the glue to be flexible.  I was looking at Fiebings leather glue.  Anyone with use this?

Neil

Edited July 23, 2019 by NeilMott

[Hildebrand]

Montana Leather carriers a water base rubber cement and a water base contact cement. Bonus is the contact cement is odorless as well. I have tried both and they work as advertised. My holsters are made in the style of Catsass a member here. Short version is they are 2 layers of thinner leather contact cemented flesh to flesh leaving the smooth grain side out. The odorless version created a bond just as permanent as the barges. 

Todd