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The right glue for rubber

Quick and easy solutions for gluing rubber

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Gluing rubber might sound tricky, but super glue can work wonders even with tough materials. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to glue rubber together, and recommend the best products to use.

What’s the best glue for gluing rubber?

Even tough, resilient materials like rubber need fixing sometimes. Here are just a few rubber items you may have around the home:

  • shoes and boots
  • raincoats
  • toys
  • garden hoses
  • rubber seals
     

Instead of replacing them when they break, why not repair them yourself? If you know how to glue rubber, you can give a pair of shoes a new lease of life!

The best way to glue rubber together is with super glue. For more complex, heavy-duty jobs or construction work, you’ll probably want to use an epoxy or silicone adhesive instead. But for everyday repairs around the house, super glue is the best option for gluing rubber.

This may surprise you, as rubber seems like a material that would be difficult to bond. However, super glue is a high strength, versatile adhesive that can be used on a whole range of materials, including wood, metal, ceramic, and of course rubber.

When gluing rubber, try a product like Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control. This premium glue is highly durable, water-resistant, and can withstand impact, shock, vibration, as well as extreme temperatures.

In addition, Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control has a special no-drip formula and dries transparent. This means that your repair work will be precise and invisible.

If you need to repair material that’s constantly moving and flexing like shoes, we recommend Loctite Shoe Glue. This adhesive has a unique formula that makes it particularly strong and flexible. 

It is compatible with rubber and other common shoe materials like canvas and leather. You can use it for all kinds of shoe repairs, from fixing large tears to filling in tiny gaps.

How to glue rubber

In this section, we’ll show you how to glue rubber to rubber (or to other materials) using Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control

When working with super glue or other adhesives, remember to take safety precautions; work in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves. 

Here’s how to glue rubber together, step by step:

  1. Prepare the surfaces. Ensure that the surfaces you want to bond are completely clean and dry. Degrease rubber with rubbing alcohol. Pre-fit the pieces.
  2. Apply the super glue. Squeeze a small amount of glue onto one of the surfaces.
  3. Press the surfaces together. Hold them in place for 15-30 seconds while the glue sets.
  4. Leave to dry. For best results, leave the object undisturbed for at least 5 minutes. The glue may take up to 24 hours to fully cure.
  5. Clean up. Immediately remove any excess wet adhesive with a tissue. Dried adhesive can be removed with a sharp blade or acetone.


Some final words of advice – take care when gluing rubber to plastic. Super glue is compatible with most hard plastics, but not with polyethylene, polypropylene, silicone, foam rubber or polystyrene foams. 

In addition, if you glue rubber to plastic and need to remove dried adhesive afterwards, keep in mind that acetone may damage the plastic.

Products used

  • Loctite Shoe Glue 0.6 oz Tube
    Loctite Shoe Glue

    Extra strong, flexible, moisture resistant formula dries clear and holds up where constant flexing occurs.

  • loctite super glue ultra gel control 4g tube
    Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control

    Super-tough, durable bonds that resist weather, impact, shock and vibration.

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