For Those of You Who Line Your Vise Faces with Leather...

[Bibliophile 13]

How do you keep this from happening?  I've glued this leather onto my vise chop probably three different times now.  I've tried different glues, and every time it's the same thing: the stuff starts peeling off after some use.  

The leather is from an old briefcase that I took apart, and I'm starting to wonder if it's the leather itself that's coming apart.  I've tried PVA glue, superglue, spray adhesive...  I think that's it.  

I also wonder if I should try to reverse it.  Do you guys glue it on with the rough side out or the smooth side out?  I've always applied the glue to the smooth side and left the rough side out.  

What have you guys found to be the best way to keep the leather adhered to your vise chops?

[Philip1231]

I applied the PVA glue to the rough side of the leather, and attached it to the chop. I put a piece of wax paper between the bench face and the leather and then close the vise. Give it 24 hours and you should be good. I used lots of glue as it gets absorbed into the leather fairly quickly. No leather on the opposing face,, which would be the bench itself.

[Strokes77]

My first time using leather, looked like that after about a year.  I removed it, planed it flush and with a new edge and tried again.  Glued it down with titebond, and double sided tape to position it.  clamped in the vise and left it.

After it dried, I took a plane and planed a bevel on the leading edge of the leather.  I feel like the first time, stuff would catch on the edge of the leather, even though it was planed flush... and once it opened up a bit, it just kept getting dust in there and eventually came off...  Now It's been going on 2 years and seems to be holding up well.

[Adnick]

Use Old Brown glue, put the leather on the chop side with wax paper over a board that was a little larger than the leather, then left it fo 24 hours.... still there after a year of use.

Also use Old Brown for soaking leather washers on chisel handles, it gets almost as hard as the wood after a couple of days.

The leather your using may still have oil or ? In it since it was a briefcase, might try a different type.

Regards,
Andy

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Have you ever considered using cork? I put a commercial grade cork on my dynamic jaw with epoxy and it's done very well over the past 10 years. I say commercial grade but I really don't know the differences when it comes to cork. I know the cork I have is almost rubbery or sponge like. It's very dense as well and much more difficult to tear. It's nothing like the cork you see on cheap cork boards sold at Wal-Mart and such. It grips excellent and doesn't damage work pieces.

[Tynyyn]

I visited a local shoe maker and got a couple of chunks of thick leather off-cuts from him. Five bucks for a 10"ish x 10"ish piece. Might want to go that route if you want quality leather for an inexpensive price.

[Derek Cohen]

Steve, I don't think it is the glue. It looks like the leather is bonding, and then an upper layer is peeling off. If so, replace the leather with some suede.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Hank Knight]

Steve, I had a similar problem with some oil tanned leather I tried to glue to a mallet face. I never could get it to adhere very well. I bought some vegetable tanned leather, glued it with contact cement and never had another problem. I used vegetable tanned leather on my vise chops and it has held up for years.

[bandsaw]

I see Benchcrafted has gone away from leather:

http://benchcrafted.blogspot.ca/2016/10/...ubber.html

[Mr Eddie]

I bought some leather at a Tandy store.  I put leather on both sides of the vice.  I used hide glue and left the smooth side of the leather facing out.  Put waxed paper between the leather and clamped it shut over night.  No problems so far.

Lonnie