There are different types of glue for leather goods, including vinyl glues. Often called white glues because of their appearance, they are considered to be the benchmark in adhesives for wood and wood-based materials. It’s fair to say that this image “sticks” to it, as many people think that its use is limited exclusively to wood, whereas vinyl glue is also an adhesive for other flexible substrates. But is white glue also suitable for leather adhesive?
Vinyl glue, as the name suggests, is a water-based glue made from vinyl acetate, which acts as an adhesive and is mixed with water. The adhesive is white in liquid form and generally becomes transparent when dry, after the water has been absorbed and dissolved, leaving only the vinyl polymers.
Described as a wood glue, vinyl glue is used for assembling, laminating and veneering wood panels and laminates, but is mainly used for single gluing, as it spreads from one substrate to another. A woodworker’s ally, it’s the most widely used wood glue on the market.
Like neoprene glue, vinyl glue is also suitable for gluing wood-based materials such as cardboard and paper, and is increasingly used in craft and hobby activities. Its use is therefore far from limited to woodworking professionals.
While this type of water-based glue is also suitable for softer materials than wood, it can also be used for leatherwork. In fact, vinyl glue offers a number of advantages that make it a very practical adhesive solution for bonding flexible materials such as coated canvas, fabric and even leather. It is particularly used in thin layers to hold together pieces of imitation leather and double-glued leather.
In addition to containing no chemical substances, vinyl glue offers greater gluing comfort, especially when it comes to complex and difficult positioning between small leather surfaces, as is the case in small leather goods.
Using a water-based adhesive, which by its very nature is slow-setting (between 20 and 30 minutes), means you can adjust the position of the bond until you’re satisfied, since you can repeat the operation until the drying time is over. White adhesive is also easier to remove than polyurethane adhesive.
For example, in leather goods, vinyl glue, which is an adhesive used to hold the leather in place before stitching, is used as a double adhesive on the leather, allowing it to be repositioned until the adhesive sets.
The use of vinyl glue is therefore not exclusively reserved for wood, but can also be used for leatherwork. There are even special vinyl glues for leather and leather goods.
