Fabric Glue

Jewelry Discussion
1

I ordered some psuedo suede to recover some of my displays(whoa, not
cheap!). I’m looking for a tried and true glue. Fast setting and no
bleed would be the major requirements. I’ve found hot glue to be too
lumpy and spray glue too messy and inaccurate.

Any tips on how to nicely finish these, or add subtle
embellishments, would also be greatly appreciated.

2

Neil, Try “chicago tear mender” I get it at the local Ace hard ware
store. Works great on leather and denim. Is a latex.

3

Are you covering wood ? Have you tried plain old Elmer’s ? With
fabric to wood it should work just fine, and you can spread it as
smooth as you want. It’s been my standard glue for years when I deal
with wood. Another suggestion would be hide glue. OTOH, if the
pseudo-suede has a plasticized backing, you’re out of luck there.

Brian Corll
Vassar Jewelers

4

I have used double sided tape intended for easy hemming (fabric
store) with some success.

M’lou Brubaker
Minnesota, USA

5

You could try Heat n Bond Ultra Hold by Thermoweb. It’s an iron on.
Here is the spiel:

“For the strongest “No-Sew” bond. Low temp. Use with fabric, foil,
lame, denium, felt, suede, leather, wood and cardboard. Machine
washable. Paper backed.”

They should have it at any Joann’s, or fabric store.

Bill, Deborah, Michele & Sarah
Reactive Metals Studio, Inc
928-634-3434, 800-876-3434, 928-634-6734fx

6

My local upholstery said to use regular contact cement applied with
a brush. They recommend a thin layer of foam (I think they said close
cell) to soften the look of the surface.

Daniel Culver

7

Just go to any craft or fabric store. There are glues made that meet
that very description.

8

I like Aleene’s Tacky Glue for this kind of stuff. It’s kind of a
liquid paste. The trick is to hold it in place really well until
fully set (overnight is best)

Barb Baur

9 
I ordered some psuedo suede to recover some of my displays (whoa,
not cheap!). I'm looking for a tried and true glue. Fast setting and
no bleed would be the major requirements.

I had a fight with the glue gun the first and last time I ever used
it. The glue gun won! But now it’s collecting dust in a storage box.

He who laughs last…

I use an amazing glue called: FABRI-TAC Permanent Adhesive, it’s
from Beacon Adhesives. It’s a little pricey $6-$7 for a 4 oz bottle,
but it’s the the best. I used it on that shantang silk and it didn’t
bleed through to the other side, every single other thing I tried
did. This stuff holds forever, you can not remove it, so be
prepared.

It doesn’t set instantly so you have a chance at first to rearrange
if it isn’t perfect. It seems to dry fairly fast.

I got it a my local fabric store. I bought so much at once I think
she thought I had a “sniffing” problem!

Amery Carriere Designs
www.amerycarriere.com

10

Hi Neil,

Most of the time, plain ol’ white glue works fine for such an
application. If you want something stronger, my “art to wear” teacher
swears by E6000. You can, of course, go to the fabric store and get a
dedicated glue but I’ve never actually used one. Just don’t use
Gorilla Glue, unless you want a mess.

My current favorite embellishments are stencils used (subtly and in
layers) with fabric paint–very little paint, dry but very dense
sponge (e.g. foam rubber), and a light hand. Lots of fun! Here is my
teacher’s site, where she sells ready-cut stencils. I have “Bamboo
Garden” and it will keep me entertained for a long time. I recommend
Jacquard paints–the opalescent ones are extremely cool.

http://www.dianeericson.com/c/STENCILS/STENCILS.html

Have fun!

Lisa Orlando
Albion, CA, US

11

Neil,

The best glue to use on leathers and faux leather is Barge Cement. It
is a rubber based glue, like rubber cement. If you can not find Barge
Cement, use contact cement. Apply to both sides, let it dry
momentarily until the sheen is gone, then apply the leather to the
base.

Experiemnt with it on scraps before you put it on the display to
make certain you get the amount right.

Karen

Ron Ramsey

12

Uh, try fabric glue. Sobo Fabric Glue is an excellent brand.
Alene’s Tacky Glue would probably also work.

Or you could use iron on seam tape.

Elaine

Elaine Luther
Metalsmith, Certified PMC Instructor
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com ™
Hard to Find Tools for Metal Clay

13 
The best glue to use on leathers and faux leather is Barge Cement.
It is a rubber based glue, like rubber cement. If you can not find
Barge Cement, use contact cement. Apply to both sides, let it dry
momentarily until the sheen is gone, then apply the leather to the
base.

Wonderful stuff Barge cement…Industry loves it… Watch
ventilation…It’s a glue sniffer’s dream come true…

Gary W. Bourbonais
A.J.P. (GIA)

14

I used spray adhesive and glued the faux suede on to foam core
board. It’s in it’s third year now and still looks great.

15 
use contact cement. Apply to both sides, let it dry momentarily
until the sheen is gone, then apply the leather to

If you do this, you might find you get better results giving the
leather two coats - it will soak up the first…

16

for use on suede the best approach would be to use craftsmen’s
cement. it is a heavy duty rubber cement. apply to both sides, let
dry to tacky & stick it together. it may be available under another
name. it is yellower and thicker than regular rubber cement, and
more permanent.