Leather on wood

[Mark Payne]

Greetings Sawmill Community. I am restoring a game cabinet that has leather applied to the top playing surface, parts of a backsplash and some front decorations. This piece has been exposed to moisture and the leather has buckled and started to delaminate. The main playing surface is going to need new leather which I have a source for. I would like suggestions on contact cement. I'm familiar with Duro and Weldwood solvent adhesives. It would be nice to find superior grip in a cement that has a somewhat longer drying time that would allow some flow time to create a smooth result. I'd prefer to roll or brush on as opposed to spraying. Masking would be intricate and time consuming. The leather piece is 22" x 23" over particle board. The particle board is going to get some prep before applying leather. I may switch to plywood and need to consider the extra tooling required for numerous cut outs. Thank you for any and all feedback.

[Ted Phillips]

I use leather on the bottom (and occasionally the insides) of jewelry boxes and other small pieces. I've always used regular PVA wood glue when attaching leather to wood - and I've never had any failures. Personally, I would be nervous about attaching leather to particle board - that stuff is notorious for self-destructing. Other than that, just make sure you use enough glue to bond the leather and wood (both surfaces are porous, remember). Then make sure you weight the leather to ensure that it remains in full contact with the wood as the glue cures.

Good luck!
TedP

[David Helm]

Barge Cement is a good choice. It is a contact type glue and is made for things like leather etc.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Hide glue?

[Mark Payne]

Thank you for your suggestion.