Replies

1. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Mar 02, 2004 11:40pm | #1

   Glue 40 years ago, likely to be PVA or rubber.  Just rip off the leather and scrape it.  Any white or yellow glue will work fine.  Unless by some odd chance you find a ready-made top with the border or somebody who can emboss it, you may have a hard time.  Tandy Leather will have the raw leather.  Thin tooling leather (6 ounce or so) works well.  Lots of choices for other types.  Morocco is nice.  The leather should be in a recess to hide the edge.  Cut to size first.  Coat recess with glue.  Adhere the edges first then work to the middle.  It will get a bit stretchy with the glue on it.  If you do center-out, it might end up bigger then it was before.  Glue up with an exact size MDF or plywood batten and wax paper underneath.  Clamp and unclamp.  Make sure no creases.  Clamp a couple hours.  If the leather needs dye, do that before cutting.  Alcohol in the dye can shrink the leather a bit.  You'll need leather dressing or shellac on the leather surface.  Otherwise it will soak up stains & etc. like a sponge.

2. 
   jazzdogg | Mar 03, 2004 06:13am | #2

   I've encountered older pieces with the leather attached with hide glue. Moist heat will loosen the bond enough to remove with common scraping tools.

   Hot hide glue can work well to adhere leather to a substrate (come to think of it, they're cousins, aren't they?). Of the two leather jobs I've completed (both resorations using new leather), I left the leather oversize, trimming it to achieve an exact fit after gluing-up.

   Good luck,

   -Jazzdogg-

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

1. 
   UncleDunc | Mar 03, 2004 06:57am | #3

   There was an article about leather writing surfaces in FWW quite a few years back that recommended white flour paste with glycerine in it for flexibility and something to deter insects. Maybe wintergreen oil?

1. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Mar 03, 2004 12:46pm | #5

   That's a traditional bookbinding paste formula.  Not necessary when attaching to wood.  Won't stick as well to the wood.  I never had a problem with regular yellow glue.  Contact cement works fine.  Also rubber cement, but not the office-supply type.  There's a version specifically for leather.  No need to get too involved with it; just use whatever glue you usually use for wood.

   Unless the table was a pretty expensive one, the leather they used is likely to be "bonded" leather.  The leather equivalent of OSB.  Tears easy and does not take dye well.  Much cheaper stuff.  Already has a fairly durable surface coating.  Easy to cut.  Costs maybe $1 per square foot rather than $6 or $10.  Looks reasonably like leather.  Cow or calf is pretty soft.  I use morocco (goat) or pigskin.  Pigskin has pores.  Sometimes a problem with the glue striking through the pores.  Possibly not the best choice for a first-time project.  I use full-grain leather.  Expensive.  Grained leather is split and embossed.  Cheaper.  Bonded is made from a slurry of fibers.  Cheapest.  Don't use suede, obviously.  Unless you want a furry table top.

1. 
   UncleDunc | Mar 03, 2004 07:08pm | #6

   >> That's a traditional bookbinding paste formula. ... Won't stick as well to the wood.

   Well dang! Does that mean I can't believe everything I read in FWW? :)

1. 
   OneofmanyBobs | Mar 03, 2004 08:56pm | #7

   Nope.  The flour/water stuff is basically library paste or wallpaper paste.  Brittle and bugs like it.  You add wintergreen or camphor or even peppermint as a preservative.  Add sugar or corn syrup or molasses or glycerine to make it flexible and more sticky.  But, then it never really dries.  I wouldn't think it the best stuff to use for woodworking.  Pretty similar to artificial coffee creamer actually.

3. 
   Steinmetz | Mar 03, 2004 07:00am | #4

   rlats, I,m not expert in restoration, but I've covered a few tabletops with new leather.

   First I make a paperboard  template to snuggly fit in the old space. Then, I cut the leather over sized (x 2-3"all around.) Next, attach with thumb tacks, a large piece of paper board (4" over sized) to a flat work top of soft wood.

   Have many plastic pushpins ready, then coat the attached paper board with rubber cement beyond an outline made by the original template, (A) and pin it to the board (With thumb tacks)

   Next, apply rubber cement to the 'Hairy' side of the leather and, while cement is still wet, place a pushpin through the leather and paper board to the twelve o clock position. tug at the 6 oclock area and smooth and pin to board.

    Repeat at 3 oclock ,9 o clock etc etc when snug and smooth and flat . let it dry over night

   When ready, remove from work top, and trace out the BACK of the insert, with template (A) and cut from the back with a good pair of scissors .

   This can be cemented to the table with one coat of rubber cement and weighted down 'till it drys .

    Shellac,  or spray lacquer (Clear) 

   Try it first on some scrap leather. I buy thin pigskin at Tandy in natural color.

    Stein

   
   

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   Edited 3/2/2004 11:05:38 PM ET by steinmetz