> What is the best type of glue for reattaching a leather cover to a plastic
> saddle like this? Any little tricks of the procedure I should know?
I have been having fun with $20 Ti VeloJet saddles (eBay) for some asian project bikes that need colored saddles (vintage colored asian saddles are EXTREMELY rare.) Recovering plastic saddles with fresh leather has been eloquently discussed before on the CR list:
Here is how I will do mine NEXT TIME :
PREP
- buy a large scrap (10 sq. ft) of suede leather on ebay, in just about any color, for about $15 (shipped.)
- very sticky tubular tire glue works well (Vittoria Mastick-1 is what I use). Use a FLEXIBLE contact cement (special track glues would be BAD as they are too hard.) Do NOT use rigid glue such as super glue or many hardware-store contact cements as these cannot last long on a saddle.
- another much weaker type of flexible glue is Silicone I from Dow Corning (That's the slow-drying older stuff that gives of acetic acid / vinegar for maximum ashesion.) DON'T use 'washable' 'fast drying' Silicone II as its much inferior. These might be good for e.g. gluing down brooks saddle leather near a small rivet before installing larger rivets. BUT: it's not a contact cement and not very strong, so I don't recommend it for the entire saddle.
1. remove the old cover by
a. gently pulling it off. I was able to do this with my veloJet without losing any foam.
b. if necessary use a solvent like acetone - with breathing apparatus, or paint thinner for tubular glue - and gently soak the seam as you pull it back - which might take days.
c. study the old cover to understand its shape - you will need to reinstall the new cover using exactly this shape.
2. wash your hands thoroughly and practice a few times installing and stretching the leather atop the saddle. Cut out a generous piece of leather so that there will be at least a 1" extension on all sides vs. the original cover (or 2" vs. the saddle's edges.) when you get done.
3. spread contact cement smoothly on both the saddle and leather (cover a much larger area with the leather since during installation you may end up using an expected subset of the leather.) a plastic spackling paddle or wooden paint paddle would be helpful so that there are no lumps.
4. allow contact cemet to dry. This helps to assure that there are no lumps.
5. again, wash and thoroughly dry your hands. start at the very top and stretch the leather as you apply it. here is where you practice comes in handy.
6. trim and glue the undersides of the leather.
I'm not so great at step #6 and will defer to the other experts on the mailing list if they know how to do this step really well ??
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA