Leather Adhesive Help Needed

[HanTark]

Hi all,

I'm curious what the best leather adhesives/cements are. I make custom leather bags, accessories (belts, cuffs....) and some miscellaneous pieces like wall hangings and leather tile rugs. I'm curious which adhesives/cement people are using and for what. There are a ton to choose from.

Could I get some suggestions for what I might use for larger projects like leather tile rugs and wall hangings and what I should use for smaller stuff like leather cuffs and bags... Any advice on the best brands/suppliers would be so appreciated!!

[King's X]

I use Weldwood contact cement and purchase it for $6 at Walmart. Make sure you have good ventilation when using it. Good luck

[johnv474]

For smaller projects and less critical bonding, any PVA glue (like Fiebing's Leathercraft cement) will work. These look like Elmer's glue but, as I understand it, are latex glues. For pouches and craft items, this would likely be plenty.

For heavy-duty and critical adhesion, contact cement will be your friend. They are stinky and can be messy but they adhere most materials very well: wood, glass, rubber, Eva foam, leather, you name it. BUT most of them will _not_ work on vinyl--that requires a special contact cement. This is the stuff they use to hold the soles on work boots. The most common brands are Master and Barge, but there are others. A quart is under 20 bucks.

[HanTark]

Thank so much guys! All of this info is helpful. I've always just used Feibings Leather Cement, but the rug I'm making with leather tiles needed something stronger & more flexible. I'll give the contact cement a go! Thanks again.

[TinkerTailor]

My dirty secret is I use 3m super77 spray contact adhesive quite a bit. I just lay cardboard masks over the no spray areas and go to town. The brush clean up is a breeze. In another life i used it to cover speaker boxes with carpet or vinyl or leather. Got pets? Quick spritz of ole super77 on a newspaper and leave it for a few minutes. You now have a towel sized lint roller sheet.