National Clothesline

Most suede and leather garments are put together with varying amounts of glue, cements and adhesives.

Garment manufacturers use these adhesive materials in hemlines, cuffs, seams, inner facings, collars, pocket flaps, lapels, button holes, waist bands and many other parts of garments. The purpose of using these adhesives is to bond the skins together. So far, so good.

The problem with this extensive use of glue by manufacturers is two fold. First, the adhesives used in manufacturing in many instances have a tendency to bleed through to the surface of the skin and leave dark stains that are difficult to remove because the adhesives have soaked deep into the skin.

Second, most of the cements and adhesives used by the manufacturers are soluble in drycleaning fluid and to a lesser degree in wetcleaning fluid and will dissolve when the garment is cleaned by the leather cleaning process.

When the glue dissolves in cleaning, it tends to bleed through the skin to the surface of the skin. This glue bleed is especially evident in lapels, pockets and collar areas that have double stitching. This leaves stains on the skin surface that are difficult to remove. In addition, hems, cuffs and inner facings which were glued will come loose and must be reglued to restore the garment to its original condition.

The regluing of the garment requires two decisions:

• What type of glue to use to replace the original solvent soluble glue that dissolved and bled through the skin and stained it.

• How to go about trying to remove the glue bleed stains.

The question of what type of glue to replace the original glue that dissolved would be answered by the use of a bleed resistant glue like the Royaltone Perma-Hold glue which will eliminate the problem of glue bleeding through the skin and staining.

So knowing now the problems associated with soluble glue, let us examine the alternatives. On the other hand, the hems, cuffs, etc., could be reglued with the same old soluble glue that dissolved and came loose, bled and stained the skin in the first place.

This will be your choice if you are determined to be a glutton for punishment and enjoy working on glue bleed stains and regluing hems, cuffs, etc. whenever the garment comes back for recleaning as well as having dissolved glue in your cleaning fluid to redeposit on the other articles you clean.

However, if you wish to end this mindless and costly repetitive process, you would choose a bleed-resistant glue that will not bleed through and stain the skin, that will not allow hemlines, cuffs, etc., to come loose every time the garment is cleaned and that could be loosened in the event the cuffs or hemline must be shortened any time after they have been glued.

The desirability of a bleed resistant glue for regluing cuffs and hems and for repairing rips and tears in suede and leather is based on the following considerations:

1. A permanent glue that will not dissolve and come loose in the cleaning process thereby eliminating the expense and trouble of regluing cuffs and hems or replacing patches every time the article is cleaned.

2. A permanently glued hem that can be safely loosened by following the procedures recommended by the manufacturer of the glue if the hem has to be shortened or lengthened.

3. A permanent glue that will not bleed through and stain the skin.

4. A permanent glue that does not contain solvents that are toxic or flammable.

5. A permanent glue that does not dissolve in the cleaning fluid and contaminate the cleaning system with unwanted non-volatile residues that redeposit on other items being cleaned and that clogs filters and raises filter pressure.

To further substantiate the position in favor of the use of a permanent bleed resistant glue, let’s examine the characteristics of soluble glues that tend to make their use far less desirable and more costly and dangerous. Keep in mind that the problems associated with a soluble glue are eliminated by the use of a permanent bleed resistant glue or adhesive.

First of all, with soluble glues, hems and cuffs come loose and must be reglued every time the garment is cleaned. This represents a significant and unnecessary cost to the leather cleaner for labor and materials needed to repeatedly reglue hems and cuffs every time the garment is cleaned.

This is especially true when linings are sewn to the skin. This unnecessary cost of regluing by far exceeds the cost of a bleed resistant permanent glue.

For example, by using a permanent glue you can save thousands of dollars in labor and glue used to reglue hems and cuffs every time a garment is cleaned. Use the permanent glue once and pocket the savings in glue and labor after the first gluing.

Second, soluble glue tends to bleed through the skin during cleaning and drying or during regluing if applied too heavily.

This leaves dark stains that are difficult or impossible to remove. The bleed resistant permanent glue would not dissolve or stain the skin or require spot removal and rerun procedures which are costly in labor, utilities, chemicals and machine operating costs — especially in high-volume leather cleaning operations.

Third, soluble glues by their nature contain solvents which may be hazardous to the health of the operator doing the gluing.

If inhaled, ingested and, in some cases, possibly absorbed through the skin, these soluble glues and adhesives may be injurious to the health of the person doing the regluing.

This can result in workers’ compensation claims and problems with OSHA and other governmental regulatory agencies.

Fourth, some soluble glues and adhesives contain solvents that may be highly flammable as well as toxic.

These soluble glues pose a fire hazard to both the the operator and the cleaning plant. Their use will result in higher fire insurance rates and present an ever present danger of fire, explosion and possible loss of plant, equipment, income and even life itself.

Fifth, soluble glues, by their nature, dissolve when immersed in cleaning fluid and become part of the non-volatile residue in the cleaning system. A build-up of dissolved glue can be even worse. Think of the effect of this dissolved blue as it builds up on paper cartridge filters or on filter powders. It clogs them, causing pressure and shorter filter life.

Think of the effect of all this dissolved glue as it redeposits on the surface of suedes, naked leather and on the cloth portions of leather and on fur items. Again, costly and undesirable!

Sixth, patches are glued to the underside of suede and leather to mend rips, tears, cuts and also to glue tops on buttons. These patches on the underside of suedes will fall off when cleaned if they were glued with a soluble glue.

Sometimes manufacturers will patch skins they use in this way. The patch will fall off when the garment is cleaned. If reglued with soluble glue, the patch will fall off and perhaps be lost every time the garment is cleaned.

In many cases, it will be loose somewhere inside a sewn-in lining and will have to be located. Then the lining will have to be cut open, the patch reglued and the lining resewn. Wouldn't a permanent glue be great to use so the patch would never again come loose in cleaning?

The bottom line then when using soluble glues is poorer quality work, glue bleed, fire danger, health hazard, PLUS higher costs for reruns, finishing, more frequent filter cartridge changes and for more frequent distillation of the cleaning fluid.

Now that you have the facts, it shouldn’t be difficult to decide which glue to use. It boils down to a choice between the safer, simpler, less costly bleed-resistant permanent glue or the more hazardous, more troublesome, more costly soluble glue. The choice is clear. The stakes are high. You choose. We all have to live with the consequences of our choices.

Your local supply distributor or product manufacturer can provide you with technical data sheets and material safety data sheets on the glue or adhesive they sell. These will provide the information on proper use of the products and its hazardous ingredients and dangers.