Leather Cement

[dar]

Hello, I am nearing the end of my first leather project which is a long wallet split into 2 sides: coin purse/billfold & cardholder. I am going to connect the 2 sides by one long back cut of leather and the 2 sides will fold onto each other. There was some poor planning on my part so that in order to stitch the sides I will need to stitch through existing stitches. I am wondering if I could use Eco-Flo Leather Cement to attach the sides to the back rather than stitching over. How durable will it be?

Thanks!

[Rawhide]

Hello, I am nearing the end of my first leather project which is a long wallet split into 2 sides: coin purse/billfold & cardholder. I am going to connect the 2 sides by one long back cut of leather and the 2 sides will fold onto each other. There was some poor planning on my part so that in order to stitch the sides I will need to stitch through existing stitches. I am wondering if I could use Eco-Flo Leather Cement to attach the sides to the back rather than stitching over. How durable will it be?

Thanks!

I haven't used the eco-flo version, but the Fiebings leather cement is pretty strong and flexible. Plus it dries clear, so you won't notice much. Try to cement two pieces of scrap of the same two types of leather you're planning to glue, let dry overnight, and try to pull them apart, this will give you an idea of how strong the glue is and you can estimate how long you think it'll last.

[dar]

Thanks, I'll test that.

[Dwight]

A couple of years ago, I made a holster for a Bersa Thunder .380, . . . an IWB style with loops on each side of the weapon to attach to the belt.

I glued the sides together with Tandy's contact cement, . . . edged and finished it, . . . and it looked so nice without the stitches, . . . I just did not sew it.

I wore the thing until one day a friend was talking about needing one for his gun, . . . I gave it to him and told him to let me know if it ever came apart.

Haven't heard from him about the holster, . . . although we see each other regularly for other things.

Glue it!!

May God bless,

Dwight

[yaklady]

Eco-Flo contact cement works very well, maybe even better than the old version, and the smell isn't over-whelming. However, IT'S EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE! I can't afford it! Go to Walmart to the paint department and you will find Weldwood contact cement. A quart is $5.95. Can't beat that price. There is no brush in the can, but there are cheap brushes right there. Put the brush in a jar of paint thinner and keep it there with the lid on. Wipe off the excess paint thinner before you use the brush. Or you can go to a large hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes and get either the Gel Formula or the Non-Flamable variety. It costs a bit more there, like $8. Still not a bad price. The Gel Formula can be applied with a cerdit card. You can get a thin, smooth coat that way. It smells just as bad as the regular formula. Keep your windows open no matter how cold it is. The non-flamable is runny and takes much longer to set, but it's not over-whelming. Weldwood holds as well as Tandy's.

I used Tandy's concact cement when I made my first saddle as a kid, 100 years ago. I was lazy and didn't sew the end of the rear cinch billet, I just glued it. To this day, it's still not sewn, and it still holds, even after going through lakes and rivers. Good stuff!

Kathy

[DarkDreamsLeather]

Barge Cement is the best, but it is a contact cement so you have to be careful because if you dont line it up right its a pain and you have to clean and re-glue if you have to pull it apart, just be sure to do all your dying, staining and sealing before you glue as it will block absorbtion of those. Also you may need a resale ID to get in Calif is a VOC. I think they have a new blend for calif but not sure.