doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What Glue to Use for Trade Label?

timely question and responses for my project.

Toby. I have been putting labels in case with Copydex for years .We are not talking about removing an old label or renovating a case . The question was how to reattach/re-glue a label that is coming loose .

Gunman. Everybody to their own. So you are the person who gives me sleepless nights!
For myself, I would not use PVA for fixing or re-fixing a label unless it was a new and replaceable label in a new and replaceable case.
And even then, who knows the future value or rarity of items that we consider disposable now?
We are the guardians of our heritage and should try and treat everything as such.
I have to remove labels probably 10-20 each year in the course of scrapping or relining a case and I dread the realisation that a previous owner has used PVA.
I have a very good friend who is a highly experienced paper conservator, working for many years at THE leading London museum, and he shares my dread of PVA and other non-reversible modern glues.
They certainly have their uses but IMHO should not be used if reversible alternatives exist.

So, Hide-Type glue is appropriate? like this one? I believe it could also be "steamed off" if necessary. It lasts a long time, I've used it on leather cases.

Basic Waterproof Glue
6 tbsp water
2 packets unflavored gelatin (1/2 oz.)
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp glycerine
Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until it is dissolved. Add vinegar and glycerin and stir well. Let the mixture cool slightly and pour into a jar and seal tightly. To Use: This glue is best applied while warm. Apply to surfaces using a brush. Glue will gel after a few days. To re-use, warm by placing the jar in a pan of hot water. Good for binding leather to leather, fabrics to cardboard, paper to paper.

Toby , please consider .As we are talking about a modern Ferlib case the points you are making are mute . The material lining is almost certainly not baize as we know it and the adhesives use in the case will almost certainly be modern. This is not some antique .
Do you really think that case makers of 100 years ago would not have used the best glues available at the time ? Of course they would just as modern case makers use the best adhesives available today .
Having been directly involved in the manufacture of English made Oak and Leather gun cases I can assure you that there was no bone/fish/rabbit skin glue used at all .

Gunman, no problem. I bow to your knowledge and experience. Enough said.