Glueing leather to plastic

[Rlbuckers15]

I have never done this,  so quick question. A client asked to me to just glue some leather to  the round  top of the rope can. I assumed I could use regular barge contact cement. Any input would be very helpful.  Thanks in advance

[TonyRV2]

I'd see no problem in doing this.  You may want to rough up the surface of the plastic a bit to give it more adhesion.  I would think that 100 or 220 grit sandpaper would do the job.

[Northmount]

8 hours ago, Rlbuckers15 said:

I have never done this,  so quick question. A client asked to me to just glue some leather to  the round  top of the rope can. I assumed I could use regular barge contact cement. Any input would be very helpful.  Thanks in advance

Moved your post to "How do I do that".  Help wanted is like the newspaper classified ads, people looking for work, or looking to hire.

To glue leather to a plastic surface, the shiny plastic needs to be abraded to give the glue/cement a "tooth" to hang on to.  Good grades of contact cement do well when properly applied.  Follow the directions, don't stick together while wet.

There are a number of threads about proper use of contact cement.  Also a couple threads about building rope cans.  Try a search for more information.

Tom

 

 

[zuludog]

Well, I've never heard of a 'rope can' before; I had to Google it. You learn something every day

We don't have rodeos in Britain!

 

[TinkerTailor]

1 hour ago, northmount said:

Moved your post to "How do I do that".  Help wanted is like the newspaper classified ads, people looking for work, or looking to hire.

To glue leather to a plastic surface, the shiny plastic needs to be abraded to give the glue/cement a "tooth" to hang on to.  Good grades of contact cement do well when properly applied.  Follow the directions, don't stick together while wet.

There are a number of threads about proper use of contact cement.  Also a couple threads about building rope cans.  Try a search for more information.

Tom

 

 

This is a bit of a loaded question because it depends greatly on the formulation of the plastic. If it is fairly new, there should be material type and recycling info molded or stamped right into it somewhere. Like a number in a triangle with some letters beside it.  This will tell you the family of plastics it is from and from that you can find out and which glues are applicable.

With ANY glue up, cleaning scuffing the surface is crucial for a strong bond. Due to plastics inherent difficulty gluing, you want as much texture and mechanical bond as you can get.  Also test your particular plastic beforehand. Some types of plastic absolutely do not stick to contact cement. How do I know? I found these plastic pallet knives at a dollar store, and nothing sticks to them but crazy glue or epoxy.  I use them as glue spreaders, and after i finish glue ups I just leave them all goopy on the bench. 2 hours/2 days or 2 weeks later I can just peel the old glue off with my fingers and start with a clean tool.

That being said, There ARE glues and adhesion promoters for this type of difficult glue-up involving plastics. Renia makes specialty contact cements and adhesion promoters for shoe makers that will adhere difficult to glue plastics. http://www.renia.com/englisch/start.html

Now while not a standard leather glue because it is too stiff, epoxy will stick the plastic. It can be a pain in the butt to use due to mixing as well. While not flexible, and can be messy, Perhaps for glueing leather to a rigid plastic box, it may be ideal. Keep it thick so it does not bleed through the face side.

 

Best thing to do is test. And wait a few days for glue to dry. I have had glue ups that seemed stuck that day but released 2 days later due to some chemical thing happening while it attempts to cure.

One thing to add: wash the plastic thoroughly. It may have a mold release agent applied to it during manufacture that keeps it from sticking to the machines and molds. This will also keep your glue from sticking even if the plastic is glue compatible. Frequently mold releases are are wax based.