Best Glue For Leather On Leather?

[Dwight]

I'm going to have to go back and reiterate that you will not find anything that does a BETTER job than a contact cement like Weldwood.

Yeah, . . . if you poured a pint of it in a plastic bag, . . . and tied the bag over your head, . . . you probably should use a respirator.

I've used it as a carpenter, . . . furniture maker, . . . leatherworker, . . . for some 50 years now, . . . no, i don't have a third hand growing from my head, . . . nor do I have 3 legs. I use simple common sense things like not using it while sitting over an electric heater, . . . not using it in the furnace room, . . . and certainly not smoking (haven't done that since '85 or so) while using it.

Thinning it a tad with Acetone will make a light and easy to use product, . . . strong, . . . and if properly applied, . . . the leather will rip before it will let go.

For the last 6 or so years, . . . I have almost every time, . . . used an electric heat gun (glows red at the hot end) to hasten the drying process, . . . and I turn it on high. No problems.

Use a little common sense with it, . . . you will not find anything out there that is better.

May God bless,

Dwight

[barehandcustoms]

I switch between Weldwood and Fiebings Leather Cement from week to week. The Weldwood gives me a longer time period to work with the leather and Fiebings is easier to spread but dries very quick. I wonder if Fiebings Cement is just regular old Elmer's glue since they cost the same.

If I had to pick one then it would be Weldwood. You just get so much more product and the end result is the same.

[rawr66]

Dwight, would you happen to know how Weldwood affects the finish of chrome tanned leather? I've tried a different contact cement on chrome tanned leather and it melted the finish off.

[Dwight]

Dwight, would you happen to know how Weldwood affects the finish of chrome tanned leather? I've tried a different contact cement on chrome tanned leather and it melted the finish off.

Well, . . . I don't use much chrome tanned leather at all, . . . mostly just veggie and suede, . . . little pigskin now and then.

But what little I have done, . . . it worked just like it was veggie tan.

But then again, . . . I don't worry about where I put the glue, . . . because where I put it, . . . will be covered by another piece with Weldwood on it also. The glue surface will never be seen if I do it right.

Now I did mess up a piece some time ago, . . . glue went outside the line, . . . dye would not take in that area, . . . and the top of the leather looked funky, . . . but that is the worst.

The worst part of using it, . . . ya gotta scratch up the hair side of veggie tan with a wire brush a bit if you want a "real" hold. If I'm sewing it, . . . most of the time, I don't bother.

May God bless,

Dwight

[cgleathercraft]

not using it in the furnace room, .

Not sure if it's directed at me?

Since I was the one who mentioned furnace I would like to clarify that the furnace sits right outside the room I work in. I switched to the green label weldwood to keep the wife happy (she doesn't like the smell). I'll go back to the red label when I get proper ventilation set up.

If it wasn't then i'll go back to my corner and sit quietly

[mlapaglia]

As long as we are talking contact cement and the fact that once it touches the other piece of leather you can not move it, try this trick. Place sections of wax paper over one of the pieces and then put the other piece on and align it. Then pull out a piece or two of wax paper and press thoses sides together. Continue as you work along the edge. I have done this with a 60" belt made from 2 pieces of 8/9 cut to 1.5" and it aligned up perfectly since I could adjust as needed. Just a thought.

Michael

[greaser13]

Hello everyone. Did not want to start a new thread as I have a similar question. I am making a knife roll and would like to place suede to the inside of the roll where the knives sit. I would like to know what anyone recommends for glueing suede to stone oiled cowhide. It will be stitched in all the way around the outer edges but just don't want a big void in the center under the suede. Thought about sanding the leather because of the oil to get a nice surface but not sure what to use to keep the suede down. Any help would be appreciated.

[rawr66]

You can use just about anything to glue it together. For larger things I like to use 3M Super 77 adhesive spray. When gluing any suede, just make sure I'd doesn't get on the side you want to see because it won't rub off.

[greaser13]

Thank you for the fast response rawr66! Do you think there will be any problem with the glue sticking to oiled leather?

[StrigaMort]

Careful which kind of leather you use around knife blades, especially if they'll be left there long.

I just finished testing the Weldwood Gel formula. Absolutely excellent product. Not quite as strong as the Original formula, but still very good.

Tip of the day! Put your cement in one of those diner table condiment bottles. Someone recommended that to me the other day. Wish I had tried that from the beginning. Really. Go to the dollar store and try it.