How To Glue Leather to Wood
Q:
I have a question about the scrapbook project in WOOD magazine issue 166, page 72. Do you have a recommendation for gluing leather to wood?
—Dudley Williams, Wichita, Kan.
A:
Any white or yellow wood glue will bond most raw leather to wood, Dudley. According to technical specialist Dale Zimmerman at Franklin International, that company's original Titebond glue once was used to connect the ends of leather drive belts for heavy machinery in factories.
A scrapbook binding, such as the one shown above, won't face the same stresses, but you'll need to take a few precautions. Some leather treatments or colorings reduce any glue's bonding ability, so test the bond by gluing a leather scrap to a wood scrap and giving it a light tug. Also, yellow glue won't discolor most leathers, but check for color transfer when gluing thin or light-colored leather. If there's a problem, switch to a clear-drying white glue.