I have a 3 year old Robbins Top that uses the Haartz Stayfast Cloth. The top has a patch on the underside to keep the metal bar from wearing out the fabric. It's now peeling off, and I want to glue this back.

What kind of adhesive should I be using?
Is there a better way to permanently fix this? I want to get more years out of my top.

 

There’s a clear adhesive in a tube called E6000 that many folks on this forum have used to patch or repair their tops—-I’ve used it to add patches on the underside of my top in the “wear areas” on the corners where the bars rub the top—-similar to the patches you have

it works really well holding the patches In place and its flexible so it folds with the top fabric.

its available at Amazon or most craft stores like Michaels or JoAnn Fabric. I’ve also seen it at some Home Depots.

 

I've used Loctite's Vinyl, Fabric, & Plastic adhesive for years with my top, both to re-adhere patches and to waterproof a small hole that I stitched up. It holds up well and stays rubbery and flexible for 5+ years. Can be purchased at Home Depot or such.

Loctite Vinyl, Fabric & Plastic Flexible Adhesive from Loctite Adhesives

 

Tops online.com recommends weldwood contact cement. E6000 or 6800 are also good options.

 

Interesting, my Robbins top has these exact same patches, white outline and all. Looks like Robbins added them to all s2k cloth tops?

Anyway I recently posted about this exact thing and I used E6000. It held up well at first, but is already starting to peel away where the bar first contacts it. Use the glue sparingly except at the leading edge where the bar hits. The more glue you use, the less flexible it becomes.

 

I wonder if the spray adhesives such as the 3M "headliner" type would work here.

 

I have the same peeling and interested in a glue other than E6000. I've used E6000 on my last top and it didn't last.

 

I ended up using the weldwood contact cement. Easy to find at a Walmart or hardware store. I used some scrap denim to practice applying. I poured some cement in a small cup, and used watercolor brush for better precision. I don't recommend using the brush that came with the bottle.

So far so good! I'll post here if/when the cement fails

 

Update - So it's been about a month.
one of the patches failed. The other one is holding strong. I'm going to apply some more, and I'm predicting it would be fine after that.

 

Make sure you apply at lease 2 coats of weldwood contact cement. The first coat sinks in to the fabric leaving none to adhere. I used 3 coats because it felt like the first 2 were not enough. Wait 15 minutes between coats, and 15 minutes before sticking the patch on after the last coat and it will adhere instantly.

I had a top rated conference top shop, they fabricate tops for classics, share this method and it worked well for exterior patches on my old top and reinforcement patches on my new top.