bonding sandpaper or leather to wheel

[xsailer]

I'm finishing up making an 1 1/2" wide x 8" diameter wheel for my 600 RPM sharpening system. I'm wondering what the best glue would be for bonding the leather and sandpaper to the wheel. Gosh I've heard everthing from carpet glue strips to wonder glue.

[AlArchie]

I'm a little partial to 5 minute epoxy for the leather part. I use those 3-M spray adhesives for bonding sandpaper and emory cloth to my sanding discs. Depending on the bond you want, you can spray only one surface for an easily removable bond, or both surfaces for a fairly permanent bond. Either one is removable with most volatile solvents (paint thinner, turps, xylol, etc)

If your wheel is wood, you could probably use Gorilla Glue for the leather strips. Or heck, even elmer's Carpenter's glue. I don't think there is a "best" glue to use.

Al

[rick-in-seattle]

I use contact cement for gluing the leather to the wooden wheel, and the rubber that is under the abrasive cloth.

For the abrasive cloth, I use 3M general purpose spray adhesive.
I don't use paper backed abrasives; they do not tear straight and come apart fairly easily.

[Kenny_S]

If it is a wooden wheel, just load it up with stropping compound without the abrasive material. But that is for stropping only.
As for the best glues, I haven't found which is the best, I have used gorilla glue, carpenters glue, 3M, Titebound etc. They all work great.

The only thing I have found is I am keeping the local hardware store in business.

[Claude]

I agree with Rick - contact cement is great for bonding leather to anything. I used it to bond a piece of leather to a board for my strop.

Claude

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

that would work....I just used elmers carpenters glue for the leather on my strop, but don't know how it would hold up to a power strop....would feel better I think with the rubber cement.

[xsailer]

Thanks for the comments.

I went with contact cement. The wheel is a composition material and really ashorbed the glue enough to use two coats. The only thing I might have done better I think was to have added a strip of rubber under the leather to soften the sharpening process. Oh well, we will see.
I've been working this homebuilt sharpening system now, of and on, for over two months. Considering the problems I've had I wonder if I should have just gone out and bought one. Problems were: metric arbor on the motor(had to buy a steel pulley and have it bored to 14MM), couldn't find a 5/8" metal thing that attachs to the strop and sandpaper wheel that would fit the rod , what kind of sharpening wheels to buy, rubber belt to return and replace, bolts to replace after design change,smashed finger finding the wood, dirty shop, etc. It was fun. Now if it will just work.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Humm those 5/8's adaptors are around, I have two of them, they would tighten on any size as they have an allen screw in them.