leather adhesive UPDATE pg 2

Mudbug007 said:
I use Barge cement as well. What amazed me is when I went to buy a quart at the Tandy store, they wouldn't let me. But would let me buy the Tandy version of it in quart size. I respectfully declined and went home and ordered the quart size from Springfield Leather. Those are great folks to deal with!

Weldwood is good stuff. I use it on a lot of other non-leather stuff. It's just that I prefer Barge on leather. Weldwood is sold in the 32 oz size at our local Wal-Mart, so it's super easy to get. Might check in your area.
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Tandy's "Tanner's Bond" contact cement IS BARGE CONTACT CEMENT. Clearly states on label that it is Barge made for Tandy. I have a can of both and they look,smell,taste,and work exacty the same.
 
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jll346 said:
Tandy's "Tanner's Bond" contact cement IS BARGE CONTACT CEMENT. Clearly states on label that it is Barge made for Tandy. I have a can of both and they look,smell,taste,and work exacty the same.
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The stuff they tried to get me to buy was in the Tandy brand in the blue can. I think it was called 'rubber cement'. I wasn't aware this was the same as Barge.
 
Nick,
I picked up some MASTER by Petronio shoe products corp. at Oregon leather lots o toluene in the ingredients! I remember the lady suggesting this over the barge that they had in stock.
Greg
 
Weldwood contact cement -not the water base type. Xylene for the thinner, it used to
actually be printed on the can.
Ken.
 
This is the particular product I've been using.http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...rd=contact+cements&storeId=10051#.URNK8KUTtGw Its inexpensive, thins with water, available locally, works very well and no horsehair pantaloons! Rick ya crack me up buddy! When I thin it I've had no problems with it getting tacky or drying in time to be used. In fact I think it might dry quicker thinned. I got a jar at the dollar store with a snap on lid and I pour the glue into this jar and use it from there keeping the can sealed until I need more in the jar. I just use disposable foam brushes as an applicator. The only problem I have had with it is glueing the tape of a zipper down to very oily oil tan leather for chaps. It doesn't like sticking that zipper ribbon on that really oily leather although it will glue the leather together. Its good stuff.
 
I glue leather at my day job. I make and repair shoes.
Good glue is important but also using it right.
Glue doesn't adhere (well) to the outside/smooth side of leather. It does to the inside or flesh side.
If you want to glue to the smooth side, rough it up first. Scratch it open with a knife of use the grinder, gritt 24/36.
Leather absorbes glue, always apply glue twice!
Let it dry (wait a few minutes or longer, even a whole night is ok) Then apply a second coat.
Apply glue to both pieces!
Again let it dry.
Putting the pieces together to fast results in a poor result.
Heat reactivates the glue. We use paintstrippers or an oven where I work. (a hair drier is ok)
It doesn't need to be heated and you don't want to overheat it but applieing a bit of heat helps form a good bond between the two layers of glue on the two pieces of leather.
If you let the glue drie (to) long after aplieing it the 2nd time DO use heat.
Now press it down firmly and apply pressure.
I mostly use a hammer, but we also have a press.
A shoemakers hammer has a slightly convex face but common sence let's you improvice if you don't have one of those :)

This is how we glue new leather soles without stiching them. And they hold up.
 
Mudbug007 said:
The stuff they tried to get me to buy was in the Tandy brand in the blue can. I think it was called 'rubber cement'. I wasn't aware this was the same as Barge.
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They do have 2 different ones. One does have the blue label and is rubber. The other is red/brown and is barge cement with the Tandy name.
 
Hengelo_77 said:
Heat reactivates the glue. We use paintstrippers or an oven where I work. (a hair drier is ok)
It doesn't need to be heated and you don't want to overheat it but applieing a bit of heat helps form a good bond between the two layers of glue on the two pieces of leather.
If you let the glue drie (to) long after aplieing it the 2nd time DO use heat.
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Thank you for the tips!
 
Apply heat to the two parts before putting them together, or put the parts together then apply heat?
 
Nick, Ive been using Masters leather cement for a few years now since Barge changed there formula. I get it from Springfield leather. Also use there thinner. I have had great results.
 
first heat the pieces
(app. 10 seconds with a paintstripper per side. ) (move the jet of air around a bit an keep app. 10" from the workpiece)
then put the pieces together, then apply pressure

the 10sec. and 10" is just to give the idea, try out a bit :)
 
Hengelo_77 said:
first heat the pieces
(app. 10 seconds with a paintstripper per side. ) (move the jet of air around a bit an keep app. 10" from the workpiece)
then put the pieces together, then apply pressure

the 10sec. and 10" is just to give the idea, try out a bit :)
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I definitely will. I have an adjustable heat-gun I can do some experiments with. What you're saying makes a lot of sense, thanks again! :thumbup:
 
Robert Dark said:
I have been using the DAP Weldwood (Original) for about 9 years and haven't had one come apart on me yet.

Leather Master Sandy Morrissey put me on to it years ago.

Robert
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Hi Robert. I was at Sandy's house just a couple of weeks ago. He is still using this same stuff. I love visiting Sandy. He's over 90 and has more energy for life than I do. A master like him is a true resource. Imagine a 70 year career of craftsmanship. I turned 40 right before I visited. Sandy laughed and said, "I turned 40 over 50 years ago." We bent some leather and made a pattern together for a knife I brought along to show him.

One tip I have is to always buy the Weldwood in the small container pictured above. The one with the brush in the lid. They sell it in quarts, but it just dries up too quickly while opening and closing the can to make any sense.
 
Andy, Sandy is truly a master leather guy. We all need to spend more time with him while we can. A wealth of knowledge at this guy's house.

I use the 16 oz. can of Weldwood. I never get the full usage of the can as it gets all "boogery" down about the last 1/3rd of the can. I noticed that Ken, from KCCustom above said to thin it with Xylene.

I have tried all kinds of stuff, but never Xylene. Gonna have to give it a try.

Robert
 
DAP WELDWOOD can be thinned with toulene, but you have to stir it in. I rejuvenate a can maybe twice, then buy a new can.
 
Thanks for the information. I needed to make four knife sheaths today and what was left in the gallon of Barge Cement I have been using had gotten thick, stringey, etc. Thinning with Barge thinner helped, but using the glue was a pain.
I was at the store today and bought some Dap Weldwood contact cement. I made the four sheaths using the Dap Weldwood and it worked great. I think I'll throw away what's left in the Barge can.
I am really impressed with the Dap Weldwood. Thanks for the tip.
 
Thanks guys! :)

I actually have a can of DAP Weldwood out in the shop that I used on some formica. Rarely does such a nifty coincidence happen in my shop, LOL.

I need to go to Tandy to get a couple of things, so I'll probably grab some of their cement too, and see how it compares.

Thanks!!! :)
 
james terrio said:
I definitely will. I have an adjustable heat-gun I can do some experiments with. What you're saying makes a lot of sense, thanks again! :thumbup:
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Just have fun :)
Today at work I thought about what I've sayd. 10" is a bit far. try 2" up to 8" and move the hot air around :)
No rocket science
 
Update---

Wanted to let you guys know I went ahead and bought the Tandy Tanners Bond Cement, the Tandy EcoWeldr (water based), and had a can of DAP in the shop from a formica job.

I took a pile of scraps and cut them into somewhat matching pairs, then prepped the surfaces for glue-up as I normally do (on grain sides I use either a small sanding stick with 220X paper, or a small stainless wire brush).

I glued up pairs with all 3 adhesives---

flesh side to flesh side
flesh side to grain side
grain side to grain side

Most any contact cement says it has an instant bond after contact but full cure strength is usually something like 7 days. So after a week, I tried pulling them apart.

The only one that held all 3 different pairings and I simply couldn't separate were the ones done with the DAP.

The EcoWeldr stuff held the flesh to flesh pieces just as strong though.

All bonds were strong, but from what I tried, the DAP was definitely the strongest bond.
 
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