Opinions on wood:leather bonding

[Pabs]

I wanted to line the jaws of the new bench's vise with leather rather than cork which I've found less durable

What would the best surface prep and bonding agent to use? (I realise clamping pressure isn't an issue here or the use of clamps at all for that matter)

Thanks! Happy Friday!

 

[ajs]

Personally I wouldn't be tempted to overthink it. Never done it for vices but always used generic PVA for mounting strops, never had any issue. If I was lining vice jaws I may be tempted to pre-line the jaws with e.g. hardboard panel pinned in place, simply so that if/when the leather needs replacing I can prise that off instead of facing an old glue barrier to deal with.

 

[Pabs]

Thanks @ajs that make sense. I have some psa backed abrasive I could use, the leather will bond nicely to the substrate.

 

[Andy's Shed]

I used contact adhesive to bond the leather on my old record vice.

 

[Ollie78]

I have used liquid hide glue to line drawers with leather, worked well.
A great substance for vice jaws is Crubber, a cork rubber mixture, it can be bought in various sizes and thicknesses often sold as gasket material for classic cars by the meter.

Ollie

 

[Fitzroy]

I used contact adhesive to bond the leather on my old record vice.

Contact adhesive for me also, mainly as it’s quick to set.

 

[Orraloon]

I gave both the leather and the wooden jaws a wipe over with acetone to remove any oils then used PVA glue. Clamp the vice shut. Next day trim the edges of the leather.

Ten years on and still ok.
Regards
John

 

[pe2dave]

My view. The leather will wear out / need replacing. On the near jaw, trap the leather between vice and wood insert.
I left the rear face wood. Yes, gets in the way once in a while, but works.

 

[XTiffy]

In antique furniture restoration we always glued desk top leathers with wallpaper paste.

 

[Just4Fun]

I glued some leather to wood for a strop using generic white wood glue. It wasn't a great success so I can't recommend that.

 

[BearTricks]

Contact adhesive is the traditional glue for leather and does a good job of bonding all the leather/plastic/rubber/wood/metal/cork elements of modern shoes.

I got in to leather working and shoemaking in a moment of cabin fever during covid lockdowns and bought a massive tub.

You can get away with PVA for most applications though. It would be more than adequate for this.

 

[thetyreman]

I have used liquid hide glue to line drawers with leather, worked well.
A great substance for vice jaws is Crubber, a cork rubber mixture, it can be bought in various sizes and thicknesses often sold as gasket material for classic cars by the meter.

Ollie

+1 I'd go with liquid hide glue, perfect for the job, and also reversible.

 

[Pabs]

Thanks all. Great help.

i'll maybe do some testing with hide glue, wallpaper paste, contact adhesive, and pva I think. I have them all someplace
I'll post back here with results

Just wondering too about the fitment, would it be best to trim an exact fit or have it slightly short of the edges?

Wondering because the cork I had previously became deformed by clamping pressure and would ruck up along the top edge of the vise jaws

 

[imageel]

Given that the leather is going to be subjected to pressure I'd have thought that over time the leather will if anything compress and hence 'squidge' out somewhat, so I'd have thought that even a clean cut edge will become somewhat ragged over time. I guess a lot will depend on your individual use-case since there are so many variables at play, however given that I presume the reason you want soft-faced jaws is because you don't want to mar the object being clamped that the grip you require will be minimal and only enough to suit your use-case

 

[kinverkid]

If you're fitting sacrificial plywood to the vice then I would go with PVA, Contact Adhesive or Hide Glue and not in any particular order, they will all work. If sticking it directly to the jaws you want to keep I would go with the hide glue as you can just use a heat gun to remove it. You can do the same with PVA too but it can still be messy. I use a water-based contact adhesive for my leatherwork before stitching and that will come apart quite cleanly with heat.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'd think Copydex would be the choice. I've never seen the need to line vice jaws, though.

 

[Richard_C]

Copydex should work, funny stuff though, it allows some 'give' and surplus rubs off the edges easily. Hide glue, leather liners, you won't find many vegans rushing to use your workshop