A sticky situation

Triton

Triton

Gold Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
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Hello all a question for you. I've been using Super glue for gluing leather, but wondered if there is a better alternative in your opinion?
 
Barge cement has always been what I've seen recommended.
 
Barge was the standard and was what I used for many years. Many leather workers, including our outfit, have switched away. For the last 15 or so years I've used this:

www.homedepot.com

DAP Weldwood 32 fl. oz. Nonflammable Contact Cement 25332 - The Home Depot

DAP Weldwood 32 fl. oz. Nonflammable Contact Cement forms a permanent, water- and heat-resistant bond on a variety of surfaces. This cement is perfect for indoor or outdoor projects.
www.homedepot.com

I was turned onto it by a fellow professional leather worker at that time. Water based, it doesn't have all the bad stuff that Barge and others have that eat your brain and they do. Thins with water if needed and easy to use. Clean up with water too if needed. I keep it in a dollar store ketchup type squeeze bottle. If doing just a small area I will pour into a small dixie cup and dip my brush into that. Larger areas I will just pour directly from the squeeze bottle and then brush it out. I use cheap disposable foamy brushes. We get a large tub of them for like $9. Use one and toss it away. Not even worth cleaning.

At the start of our supply chain issues we had difficultly getting this glue from Depot. Thats leveled out and it is available again.

Dixie cup and disposable foamy brush for detailed application:

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Straight out of the ketchup squeeze bottle and a foamy brush for larger areas:

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It is a contact cement, so it is used on both sides of a project to be bonded. Many other glues dry hard and this does not. It remains flexible after bonding which is important in leatherwork. Glue lines clean up easily and the bond is terrific. As we work with very many types of leathers from dry to really oily we've found this glue to bond to dang near anything. The only thing that I've found in our leatherwork that it doesn't work on is the ribbon tape on a zipper. Use double sided tape for zippers these days so it's a non issue. This was a super oily boarhide leather for chaps and it even worked on that.

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Back when I was using Barge I came across many leathers that it din't work well on.

Give this stuff a try.
 
Wanted to add something here to my recommendation. It was a chilly 43 degrees in the shop yesterday. I was only gonna be out there a short time. I was only gonna glue up and sew three holsters. so I really didn't have the heat going. Even in that cold working environment the green Weldwood worked perfectly. Dried quickly and held well. Was sewing in just a few. This is not true of other glues as many are temp sensitive.
 
Tanner's Bond contact cement has been working well for me. After I run out of my glue I'll try the DAP.
 
I'm going to have to look into that weldwood.
I have a can of barge that I've been using, but that stuff stinks and is a real mess.
 
The weldwood that I use is the flammable type, haven't tried the non-flammable stuff myself but from all accounts it doesn't smell as bad and is less harmful, I will have to see if I can locate any of that to compare to what I'm using now.
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
That weldwood is also what I use, and I'll do one coat, wait until dry and apply a second coat so that you have a strong bond there, and recently I started smacking the two pieces together with a polished hammer head made for such things, seems to make it bond tighter, but could just be the satisfaction of hitting something ;)


G2
Click to expand...
I always smack all sew lines and all exterior edges. I don't have on of those special hammers although I want one. I use a ballpein that I polished the flat side on.
 
Horsewright said:
I always smack all sew lines and all exterior edges. I don't have on of those special hammers although I want one. I use a ballpein that I polished the flat side on.
Click to expand...
C.S .Osborne makes one I've been thinking about buying, but I'm only a very very amateurish DIY'ER who occasionally makes sheaths for myself and I'm not Sure I really need one.
I'm sure I'd use one if I bought it.
 
Hickory n steel said:
C.S .Osborne makes one I've been thinking about buying, but I'm only a very very amateurish DIY'ER who occasionally makes sheaths for myself and I'm not Sure I really need one.
I'm sure I'd use one if I bought it.
Click to expand...

I bought the C. S. Osborne 9 1/4" leatherworking hammer from Weaver. I love it. I was using a brand-new ball peen hammer before I bought the leatherworking hammer. Now I can use my ball peen for what it's made to be used for.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
That weldwood is also what I use, and I'll do one coat, wait until dry and apply a second coat so that you have a strong bond there, and recently I started smacking the two pieces together with a polished hammer head made for such things, seems to make it bond tighter, but could just be the satisfaction of hitting something ;)


G2
Click to expand...

It always feels good to hit stuff!
 
I can't find anywhere to buy the Weldwood in Canada so I've been using the water-based contact cement I find at Home Depot, Lepage Low Odour. It goes on white and dries clear like Dave showed the Weldwood does. I use a thin layer but find it leaves a visible glue line at the edges sometimes. I've started gluing not quite up to the edges but that can have its drawbacks too.
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/lepage-low-odour-contact-cement-237-ml/1000708661

I whack the glued pieces with a wide-faced autobody hammer I had sitting around.
 
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