Gluing Plastic To Leather?

[thekid77]

hey friends, recently I made a phone case for a friend, where I contact cemented a plastic snap back phone cover to the flesh side of some vegtan.

At first, the contact cement bond seemed to be normal (like a pack of elephants couldn't tear the plastic from the leather). That was a couple months ago. Yesterday, my friend told me that the glue bond had broken completely.

How do you guys bond plastic to leather and get the bond to stay? Two part epoxy? Any suggestions would be appreciated greatly. Thank you!!!

[electrathon]

Renia glue in the green can. Cobblers glue soles to shoes and it doesn't let go. You have discovered the main issue of using home improvement store glue instead of leather glue. Using the proper glue will not only hold, it will last.

[thekid77]

Renia glue in the green can. Cobblers glue soles to shoes and it doesn't let go. You have discovered the main issue of using home improvement store glue instead of leather glue. Using the proper glue will not only hold, it will last.

Thank you for sharing. Renia does not seem to be available where I'm at.....is there a chance that any two part epoxys would work?

[electrathon]

Thank you for sharing. Renia does not seem to be available where I'm at.....is there a chance that any two part epoxys would work?

I would think epoxy would fail fast. It is usually not good with flexing. You need high end contact cement. Try Masters. Where are you located? In the US?

[thekid77]

I would think epoxy would fail fast. It is usually not good with flexing. You need high end contact cement. Try Masters. Where are you located? In the US?

Thank you, I'm in California....the wonderful state that bans anything that works LOL...it looks like the only thing available around here is gorilla glue :/

[Northmount]

Also make sure you rough up the plastic so you can get a good bond. Most glues don't adhere well to smooth plastic.

Tom

[gmace99]

I was a shoe repairer about 30 years ago. We used a glue that I can not remember the name. We used the glue and let it dry completely . Then we put it under heat lamps to reactivate it we then pressed the two items together you could not pull them apart

[electrathon]

I was a shoe repairer about 30 years ago. We used a glue that I can not remember the name. We used the glue and let it dry completely . Then we put it under heat lamps to reactivate it we then pressed the two items together you could not pull them apart

that sounds like Barge. More specifically, the old formulation of Barge before they made it more safe.

[Art]

Most all contact cements are made with real rubber, or neoprene. The rubber undergoes strain crystallization which makes the rubber impervious to ripping apart. This is opposed to rubber cement which is made usually with latex, which stays latex and can be pulled apart. Hitting the leather with a mallet or hammer on a hard surface will insure strain crystallization (for contact cement). So, if you can hit the leather (hopefully hot so hard as to break the plastic) it should aid in this crystallization.

It never hurts to experiment before the real thing.

Art

[thekid77]

thanks everybody for the advice

I took a chance and bought the gorilla glue gel.....scuffed up the leather and the plastic real good, and made sure both surfaces were clean and free of any leather debris, dirt, and wiped the plastic with some rubbing alcohol to clean it.......i applied the glue around the perimeter of the plastic case, made an "x" of glue in the middle, then spread it around with a Q-tip.......when I stuck the plastic to the leather it was already beginning to set.....looks like this solved the issue, but i suppose only time will tell..

[johnv474]

If this comes up again, look for the contact cement that is made for vinyl. Many of the all-purpose cements will stick about anything to leather except for vinyl. Renia works, as well Masters Vinyl Bond, Colle de Cologne, or Masters Multi-Purpose (but not All-Purpose, oddly enough). Don't bother with super glues, as they are brittle and will crack.

[jdb92126]

Thank you, I'm in California....the wonderful state that bans anything that works LOL...it looks like the only thing available around here is gorilla glue :/

I'm also in SoCal. From Amazon I bought Barge Contact Cement, and thinner. Barge was specifically recommended by Springfield Leather in a helpful tutorial video