Something I haven't seen before -- how to clean it up?

[llucas]

What I did was use a splinter tweezer (pointed on the end) to pull away the most obvious mini globs. I had a sample of the glue-up that I used to test the finish for the English bridle. I simply buffed the leather and then used Kiwi neutral wax shoe polish. I noticed that this sample -- which also had the pulled up glue problem since it was the cutoff from the belt -- looked much better after waxing and polishing. So I did the best I could with the tweezer; waxed it with neutral polish and brushed it out and polished it. Looked MUCH better and the client loved it. Problem solved (sort of). I have another belt done this way that I need to stitch and I will have the crepe rubber eraser from Tandy on hand at that point. If the same issue surfaces and is solved by the eraser I will post it here. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Edited April 23, 2016 by llucas

[Northmount]

Here is something that works with some contact cements.  Pour out some contact cement on wax paper or something you will be able to peel it off or and let it set.  Wad it up and press it repeatedly against the cement you want to pick up until it lifts it off.  As the surface gets dirty or less tacky, knead it some to bring new material to the surface and keep going.  Works similarly to using a wad of tape to remove sticky tape residue.

Tom

 

[llucas]

53 minutes ago, northmount said:

Here is something that works with some contact cements.  Pour out some contact cement on wax paper or something you will be able to peel it off or and let it set.  Wad it up and press it repeatedly against the cement you want to pick up until it lifts it off.  As the surface gets dirty or less tacky, knead it some to bring new material to the surface and keep going.  Works similarly to using a wad of tape to remove sticky tape residue.

Tom

 

Great idea! Thanks.

[llucas]

I sewed the second belt where there were two coats of Barge cement. Much better, since there were a few more days of dry time. A little cement was pulled up by the needle and stitches, but not much. The excess cement that was pulled up was easily cleaned off. Lesson? One coat of Barge on each surface.

Edited May 5, 2016 by llucas

[RockyAussie]

Toms answer does work pretty well but I always allow a day or two before I stitch my belts as the speed is often fast and the heat on the needle activates the contact and sticks to the needle which can even lead to missing stitches. As I mostly only work with expensive crocodile leather and if I am in a hurry I prefer to give the belts an initial polish which acts to lubricate the needle and stops the glue lifting and missing stitch problem as well. Hope that helps and better luck in the future.

Regards Brian

[MADMAX22]

Have you thought of using some super 77 instead of barge or similar? When I do belts since they are flat I will lay them out and spray both the liner and body at the same time, they go together in a few minutes after spraying and no issues with glue coming out anywhere. I still use weldwood for things that require precise glueing of portions of the work but use the spray where I can. 

[JMWendt]

I've found the best contact cement is Duall 88.  Great stuff.  Much less expensive than anything else as well.  And it can be thinned.  I've never had it delaminate.  It's easy to work with, pliable, dries very rapidly, and is clear, not yellow.  It can easily be removed from the outside of most leathers by rubbing.  The thinner removes it as well.

Check out http://www.jlsmithco.com/s.nl/sc.13/category./.f?search=duall for the cement itself and the thinner.

It comes with a brush in the can, which is great for most applications.  I also use artist spatulas to apply this glue (and other glues).  See http://www.amazon.com/Anself-Stainless-Palette-Scraper-Painting/dp/B014W9B6ES?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage for these.  They're extremely handy for spreading a micro-thin glue layer evenly across an large or long surface, and they clean up by wiping with a rag.

 

The Duall 88 is heady stuff.  Use adequate ventilation.

 

 

[machinehead]

You've received a lot of great advice here, and mine is just a variation on what's already been stated. When I was doing shoe repair, build ups, and foot orthotics we would keep a piece or two of the natural crepe rubber in our aprons for adhesive removal. If you have a shoe repair shop close by you might score a chunk. Tell them what you need it for and they will know what you are talking about. We also used the old style Teflon lined glue pots and you had to stay ahead of cleaning the glue off the outside. We would ball up some of this residue and use it for an " eraser".

  I also agree with everything JMWendt says about the Duall 88

[llucas]

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful. I switched to Barge based on reviews on this forum. I used Weldwood before, but the last time I used it a belt delaminated in a few places. So, I changed product. If I continue to have problems with Barge I will definitely try the Duall 88. Thanks everyone.

And I will be pouring a little of the Barge onto wax paper to form an "eraser". Thanks again.

Edited May 13, 2016 by llucas

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

When applying the glue, I try to keep it out of the stitch line area on projects where I anticipate this could be a problem. Also, as you have discovered, it takes less Barges to do the job than some other glues.