Contact Adhesive

[Nev Hallam]

This question isn't woodworking related but thought you guys might have a good knowledge of different adhesives suitable for this job.

I have a fair amount of crushed leather hide, its quite posh. Anyways I'm currently converting my 84 VW transporter into a day/camper van and I'm going to cover my door cards with the leather, I figured I have enough to also cover my dashboard, as its looking a little worse for wears. Its made from a thin metal and has a slight texture to it. I was thinking of a contact adhesive to stick the leather to the dash.
The stuff I use at work is in a pressurised can and applied using a spray gun, you know the kind, looks like spider web, it works great for laminating etc, however it seems no good on metal as its not porous.
I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a suitable adhesive for this task? Its worth mentioning that temperature might well be a factor, come summer the dash will be exposed to direct sunlight through the windscreen, and when left in a car park might get pretty heated.

 

[jimi43]

Evostik Contact would be perfect.

I use it for Tolex on valve guitar amps and they get bleedin' hot!

The one that you have to get from "behind the counter" at B&Q and the like....to stop kids sniffing it.

Spread it thinly on both surfaces...no lumps...let it dry for 15 minutes and then starting at one end SLOWLY lay it down...smoothing as you go. Always cut quite a bit of overhang...you will be surprised how a tiny misalignment will amplify over the length of a dash...

This is a VOX amp I did...

Came out fine...

Jim

 

[Paul Chapman]

Unlike Jim, I would be wary of using contact adhesive for anything permanent. I've used lots of it from the 1970s when stuff like Formica was all the rage, as well as for other things such as mounting photographs.

In my experience, the problem with it is that over a period of years it completely dries out and the glue joint fails. In fact I'm so disappointed with contact adhesive that I wouldn't use it for anything. It may last for a while but eventually it will fail.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[beech1948]

I have to agree with Paul. I find that over time (quite short periods really) contact adhesive just hardens and dries out so that the glued joint collapses or you start to see air pockets bulging.

I don't know what else will work. Maybe call 3M and ask.

regards
Alan

 

[ondablade]

Must say that i've always done well with good old Evo Stik on resilient materials - i used a lot of it to upholster motorcycle seats over quite a few years. It's not very waterproof though, so it shouldn't be let get saturated, and you need the right thickness of coating on both surfaces and to catch it at the right dryness to get a good bond across the full area.

I wouldn't be surprised if its mostly longer term bonds on more rigid materials that cause it problems - i've seen it start to let go occasionally on parquet type flooring for example. Spreading it on hard surfaces with a toothed scraper probably means too that it ends up bonding properly only on the tops of the ridges.

That said there are purpose made upholstery adhesives - i've not used them, but guys like these should be able to advise. http://www.sba.co.uk/adhes.asp

Data sheets are probably your best bet on applicability - companies doing these sorts of low value adhesives tend not to get involved on individual applications unless you are buying tons of the stuff.

The differing types may not be that very different. The upholstery professionals seem to spray it on. It'd be a pity to waste some nice leather with the wrong goop though...

 

[jimi43]

Well I did that AC30 about 7 years ago and it is still fine.

I guess it is what it is used for, how it is applied etc...

There is only one problem that I have with it...you can't get it apart! :wink:

It doesn't work very well for non-laminates and it will react to anything plastic that has not got a barrier.

The spray stuff is rubbish by comparison.

I have not used 3M glue products but if it is anything like their abrasives I would think it was pretty good stuff.

Jim

 

[jimi43]

I never use a serrated spreader...only a smooth one. It has to be a thin coat...and as you say....the right dryness.

I wouldn't use it on parquet flooring.

I would use it on cloth backed vinyl flooring....

Jim

 

[ondablade]

I was brushing it on wet Jim. Aerosol sprays seem to struggle to put enough of a coating on, plus the (too?) fine droplets are probably skinned over by the time they hit the surface. The guns used by the upholstery guys i've seen fairly lay it on by comparison...

 

[axe]

................

 

[zeppfly]

nev i just spoke to my pal who is a vw enthusiast and also, coincidently, a leather worker. he suggested evo stick but added, make sure the leather is paper thin because it may interfere with movement of moving parts, window winders, vents etc
hope this helps
graeme

 

[dickm]

Son in law fitted out a Type 25 as a camper some 8 years ago, and did all the sticking down with bog-standard Evostick. Everything was still attached when they sold the van 5 years later (after many miles and some hairy experiences in Eastern Europe!). He's now fitting out a T5 in the same way, and it looks good.

 

[head clansman]

hi

I used gallon of the stuff back in the old dockyard on flat surface 8'*4' sheeting, plywood and edges for formica tops on cabinet that was fitted aboard ship ,(with no extraction either ( man talk about high as kites) wow ,(please vent the space your going to use it very well ), never had any troubles with it at all, evenly spread on both surfaces leave for about ten mins or so just so it touch dry without leaving any on your fingers and then bond both surfaces togeather , but and this is the but, get the two surface lined up correctly first, the moment the two surface contact each other (use stick spacers ) they had better be in the right position ,no second chances , as someone mention for joint, never every , only flat surfaces, joints was always casamite or upa glue , it was used even more so in our upholstery section as well. hc :wink:

 

[Nev Hallam]

nev i just spoke to my pal who is a vw enthusiast and also, coincidently, a leather worker. he suggested evo stick but added, make sure the leather is paper thin because it may interfere with movement of moving parts, window winders, vents etc
hope this helps
graeme

The leather is pretty thin as it's the same leather used in new Jags, however I was thinking about this same issue especially as the door cards meet the side of the dash when closed, however I plan to overcome the issue using thinner door cards to compensate for the thickness of materials. Thanks for all the feedback I'll research a little more maybe call 3m as someone said. Might try a sample of evo contact adhesive on my old dashboard. Its difficult as the metal hasn't a flat surface area (textured) and isn't porous. I'll let you know what I find out anyways. Cheers

 

[shipbadger]

The topic of adhesives is a regular one one the Self Build Motor Caravan Club forum <http> If you go to the archive section toward the bottom of the page you'll find the first section is on adhesives and paint. The general advice is that you'll need an adhesive designed to resist high temperatures, especially things like dash panels and roofs. I've used the high temp spray from this firm <http> without problem and have carpet inside the front roof dome of my van where it can get pretty warm.

Tony Comber