Adhesive for camera leather

[Terrence Brennan]

After a repair, I need to re-attach the leather on the face of my Rolleiflex. Which adhesive or adhesives are recommended, or work the best?

 

[Helios 1984]

Hi Terry,

If there’s a Dollarama nearby, you buy Adhaero contact cement in the orange tube. That’s what I’ve been using for a few years now. It is sticky but you’ll be able to peel off the leatherette, next time you need to perform repairs.

 

[ic-racer]

I might have to try that. I know the contact cement I currently have is pretty strong and may not peel up easy.

In fact I was just struggling with some old contact cement the other day, cursing the last person to work on this camera. It seemed like it took me more time to carefully peel away the leather than it did to do the whole repair.

 

[cmacd123]

I have heard several old time repair folks recommend Pliobond. I believe they use Alcohol to remove the residue when taking off the old leather.

 

[4season]

My go-to camera adhesive is Cemedine Super-X

https://www.cemedine.co.jp/global/en/technology/elastic/superx/index.html

Not a solvent based rubber contact cement, it has little odor, and you may need to clamp assembles together overnight for the adhesive to cure. Excess can be readily cleaned away with cigarette lighter fluid. Doesn't seem to dry out and become brittle with age. May need to source small tubes from Japanese sellers on eBay.

Solvent-based rubber cements (Pliobond, Durabond, Walther's Goo et al) develop high strength adhesion much faster, but can be a stringy mess to deal with, and if you apply generously on both surfaces as directed, the next technician will curse your lack of foresight.

 

[bdial]

The pliobond instructions state that methyl ethyl ketone is needed to remove it.

https://www.handlaidtrack.com/assets/downloads/pliobond-datasheet.pdf

I bought some, but after reading the package, I decided it was too aggressive to use for a camera.

 

[Helios 1984]

I might have to try that. I know the contact cement I currently have is pretty strong and may not peel up easy.

In fact I was just struggling with some old contact cement the other day, cursing the last person to work on this camera. It seemed like it took me more time to carefully peel away the leather than it did to do the whole repair.

Holy emulsion! The glue crept under the front plate : /

 

[Dan Daniel]

After a repair, I need to re-attach the leather on the face of my Rolleiflex. Which adhesive or adhesives are recommended, or work the best?

Rolleiflex used shellac to attach leather skins. Alcohol is the solvent for shellac. I think they went to a contact cement on later models, BUT apply contact cement like Pliobond to only one surface, not both as in traditional contact cement permanent installations. It's this application to both surfaces that leads to the horrific experience of skin that will simply not come up.

Elmer's glue is also fine... I can hear the abuse about to heaped on me now. Look, it isn't 1953 any more. As with lubrication, adhesives have changed and often improved over the years.

 

[John Koehrer]

pliobond was used for years.. For camera leatherette apply to one surface and ONLY one.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Rubber cement or contact cement has been good enough for my repairs. I go with the weakest cement that holds the leather on but will let me remove the cement later and usually the choice is rubber cement.

 

[4season]

Rolleiflex used shellac to attach leather skins. Alcohol is the solvent for shellac.

An intriguing possibility since it can be readily dissolved even decades later (and in fact I recently encountered it still holding the shutter curtains of an old FED camera in place). Permatex still sells shellac-based adhesives for use on automobile gaskets.

 

[Murrayatuptown]

I injected alcohol via a syringe needle into bubbles on some old Kodak 3A skins, having heard the shellac history.

But I use whatever stinky brown contact cement I have access to elsewhere.

 

[Radost]

Rubber cement or contact cement has been good enough for my repairs. I go with the weakest cement that holds the leather on but will let me remove the cement later and usually the choice is rubber cement.

Any recommended brand model for rubber cement?

 

[Hunter_Compton]

I've always used DAP Weldwood contact cement. It dries pretty quickly but you will notice a solvent odor for a couple of days. I've never had issues when I've had to remove it later on either, it cleans up pretty well with naptha.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Any recommended brand model for rubber cement?

Any rubber cement will do, but Pliobond 5 is even better.

 

[Radost]

I've always used DAP Weldwood contact cement. It dries pretty quickly but you will notice a solvent odor for a couple of days. I've never had issues when I've had to remove it later on either, it cleans up pretty well with naptha.

Thanks. Among other things I want to drop on a rangefinder adjustment screws torpevent them from going out of alignment,

 

[Hunter_Compton]

Thanks. Among other things I want to drop on a rangefinder adjustment screws to prevent them from going out of alignment,

I've always used either shellac or lacquer for that. Lacquer dries faster but needs acetone to be removed, where shellac dries slower but will dissolve in alcohol.

 

[Dave Ludwig]

There are many adhesives. I have always used Pliobond 25. Cleaning surfaces either MEK or IPA. You can use IPA as a thinner for the Pliobond.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Any rubber cement will do, but Pliobond 5 is even better.

Revised

Any rubber cement will do, but Pliobond 5 25 is even better.