DavePraties Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Hello All, I have embarked on replacing the chamois gasketing on a Lachenal duet. It was damaged in areas, and the bellows to end flat surfaces were completely compressed beyond any fluffing up. Would be interested to hear any advice from anyone who has done this, particularly the best glue to use - presumably one that does not soak into the chamois? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I usually use either a woodworking PVA or Titebond. You don't need much and both work OK Alex West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePraties Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 Excellent, thanks Alex. I have both to hand, so will get going with one or other of them. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I use fish glue because you can wash it off with water if it ever needs replacing again in the future. Liquid hide glue would work too. Try not to use a lot of it or it can make the chamois hard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 don't forget that the end wrap on the bellows frame laps over the the chamois on the bellows frame 'end' where it seals against the pad board. this is only by a mm or so, but cosmetically it makes one hell of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Łukasz Martynowicz Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I would either use Titebond or Zucchini extra chiaro. The latter is a solvent glue that does not penetrate materials and sticks best to itself, so can be completely removed by reactivating it with a fresh coat of itself and lifting it up with a stick covered with a dried coat of even more of the same glue. I use it for pads, bushings and valves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Modern synthetic adhesive is not a good idea in this application. There will be old glue adhering to the wood, probably hide glue, pva and the like don’t stick well to this, and at the same time are difficult to remove in future when it’s time for the next replacement. Mush better to use fish glue, liquid hide glue or even starch paste, all of which clean up with a damp cloth, even when dry, will stick well where traces of old glue remain, and are easily reversible. Remember you are doing antique restoration here, but just new building. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePraties Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 Many thanks All for such great advice. The fish glue/liquid hide makes much sense, with its reversible nature. Thanks also Dave for the tip about the overlap. I have tried to clean the leather overlap, and keep it undamaged to cope with just this problem. I have done this before a couple of times, but not for over 30 years, so I'm back to being a beginner! Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 If I'm removing old chamois to replace with new, I always clean off any old glue so that I'm glueing directly to wood. In some cases, this has meant re-fixing the triangular reed-pan support blocks so that the height matches. I've never had a problem cleaning up either the PVA or Titebond (which sets brittle and can chip off easily) but I'll happily give fish glue a try. I like animal glues in general, but I'll give Gorilla glue a miss... Alex West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprunghub Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Another vote for fish glue. Keep the dog/s away though if you have them, drives them mad. Worse than hot Rabbit glue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marien Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 On 1/13/2023 at 5:34 PM, Alex West said: If I'm removing old chamois to replace with new, I always clean off any old glue so that I'm glueing directly to wood. In some cases, this has meant re-fixing the triangular reed-pan support blocks so that the height matches. I've never had a problem cleaning up either the PVA or Titebond (which sets brittle and can chip off easily) but I'll happily give fish glue a try. I like animal glues in general, but I'll give Gorilla glue a miss... Alex West Hello Alex, I suppose you mean the "ordinary" white yellowish titebond which I use for building guitars and mandolins(?). Or did you mean the cold titeboond hide glue you once mentioned? Thanks, Marien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex West Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 Yes Marien, I meant Titebond Original which is an aliphatic resin Alex West Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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