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Any Veneer experts out there ?


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Task re veneer wooden dashboard, So I purchased sheet of burr Walnut, recommended glue and 'softening' agent

 

At first I just 'misted' the veneer and then clamped it up sandwiched between kitchen paper and then lay it on the kitchen worktop and then placed 3 slabs of Corin work top each weighting 25-40 Lbs on top of it then topped it of with a few bar bell weights for good measure.

 

I changed the paper every 6-8 hrs until no more moisture showed on the kitchen paper then I left it a lll weighed down for another couple of days, but the veneer was still badly rippled so consulted Dr Youtube and possibly I need to get the veneer really wet so respayed the veneer with softening agent left for half an hour, dabbed veneer dry and then repeated the sandwiching and this time topped of the Corin work top slabs with a 6 x 2 clamped to the work top at each end

 

But the veneer is still rippled after 3 days so I have clamped it all up again but I'm at a bit of a loss of what to do next

 

Should I just leave it clamped up for a few more days or do I need to re soak it and start again

 

getting a lot of grief from the LHC as our kitchens not the biggest in the world and I'm taking up about 80% of the worktop space so not in good books

 

HELP !

 

ATB Graham

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In the past when I have done veneering, I haven't bothered with the soaking stage, I have just used good quality impact adhesive and it has stayed put.

 

Rgds Ian

 

As Ian says, I didn't bother soaking but I used waterproof wood glue with similar success.

 

Cheers

Graeme

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Last time I did one I used iron on adhesive sheet.

Worked well and very easy to use.

Steve

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Many years ago As a lad I did some holiday work for a cabinet makers who did all their own veneering. The panels were sprayed with heat activated wood glue and then passed between heated rollers together with the veneer. They were placed in a pile with a sheet of paper to protect the veneered side. After a short drying time they were all surface sanded to render them flat. How rippled is your surface, does it just want sanding ?

Chris

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Gorilla glue is what you need, I have just done 3 dashboards using the following method.

 

Soak the veneer in a shallow bath for 20 minutes, then remove and allow surplus to drain off.

Mist the dashboard with water from a fine sprayer.

Apply the glue to the dashboard and lay the veneer in place.

Cover the whole thing with several sheets of newspaper followed by whatever weights you have to hand.

Leave for 24 hours before removing weights and newspaper.

Some of the paper will stick to the surface, don't worry about this as it is easily removed with sandpaper.

 

Worked for me

 

John

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Guys thanks for all the tips once I get this sheet looking less like a relief map of the Cairngorms I will let you know, Yesterday the chap that drives the large Hadron collider(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider) called me up asking how I was crating such massive compressive forces, and I might set up a side line in turning carbon to diamonds

 

Anyway next question what do people recommend re the glove box lid Veneer the whole thing first and then cut the lid out with a scalpel or very carefully cut the lid out of the dashboard sheet first and veneer as 2 separate pieces I'm thinking the former ?

 

ATB Graham

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Graham

I have always done the latter.

Feel it's easier to get good pressure on the lid and dash if they are done separately

Imo also less chance of cracking the veneer while trying to separate the box lid from the dash as veneer tends to get a bit brittle after gluing.

Done separately it is easier being careful cutting & sanding back the edges prior to searching through your old boxes of Airfix paints looking for the right shade of brown to finish the inner edges.

Steve

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I'm thinking of doing mine, dash that is. Can someone detail the whole process and the glue etc. Given its a try once process I don't want to screw up..., pics would also be great.

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Hi Robin,

I have venered my dash twice now.

My first attempt was with a burr walnut which came in 4 pieces, this came out very well but it was a little too dark for my personal taste.

My second attempt was with a full sheet of light oak .

 

After removing old veneer I used filler were needed and sanded flat.

Turned dash on it's face with glovebox lid in place and secured with gaffer tape.

Face up applied contact adhesive to both dash and veneer.

Make sure glue is even and not lumpy, I used a fine notched spreader.

Place veneer on dash

Placed paper over both sides sandwiched between 2 pieces of 18mm ply then clamped with several clamps.

Left for 24 hrs to dry.

I used a hobby knife very sharp blades.

With dash upside down first cut out glovebox cutting centre of gap, make sure you do this on one of the pieces of ply and not the kitchen table!.

Progressed with all the other holes, then turned over and trimmed remaining veneer carefully.

Always cut with the grain and not into it . Splits the veneer .

Same applies with sanding.

Sand to finish off.

I also veneers ten inside of the glovebox lid.

The first time I used varnish on the oak I used oil much prefer the

 

Edited by Mark69
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Robin

 

Not an expert so any suggestions are based only on personal experience.

 

If you are using a veneer such as Burl Walnut which has a really attractive grain, the usual process is to buy "Bookmarked" veneers.

 

The Burl is basically taken from a stump or a part of the tree with a branch coming out of it. This creates the swirls in the grain that give the veneer it's look.

 

It is most unusual to find Burl walnut veneer of sufficient length to run the whole dashboard and that's where the bookmark thing comes in.

You check the length of your work piece, divide it by 2 + a bit and look for bookmarked veneer that will suit.

Say you have a piece 120 cm long. You look for veneer 60cm long. If it is book marked you will get 2 pieces cut from the same tree with almost identical grain. You can then flip one piece and starting from the centre of your work match the grain pattern perfectly. A bit like making the paint butterflies at school where you blob some coloured paint on a piece of paper and then fold to make a butterfly?

 

To prepare your dash sand the original veneer away either by hand, scraping away if it is cracking away, or use a power tool.

 

I have found it much easier to soften the new veneer with a steam iron before applying by holding it just above the work and "giving it some heat"! before trying to stick it.

 

I have then glued trying both wood adhesive and the veneer specific adhesive sheet that is readily available and applied with an iron- both seem to work just as well but the iron on is easier.

 

Whichever you decide to use (perhaps try both and see which you are most happy with) put some weight on it for 24 hours.

 

Once it is fully dry you come to (in my experience) the most tricky bit.

 

You now need to cut away the excess veneer from around the perimeter and around the instrument holes.

Make sure you have plenty of scalpel blades or whatever you are using. When the veneer dries the adhesive coating tends to make it rather brittle so take much care in cutting as it can crack and split.

Always cut down from the veneer rather than up and away from the work piece.

 

Once you have finished the cutting out you will need to sand the edges.

Again work down from the veneer rather than sanding up and lifting the veneer from the surface.

 

After that, flat the whole surface with 120grit paper.

 

The inner edges of the plywood backing board are usually painted brown so if you want to do the same as I have done, go through your kids poster paints. find and mix the colour you think matches the original and sit down with a brush.

 

I then use 2k lacquer. 2 coats then flat with 600grit clean and 2 coats more. Flat with 1500grit and then polish with Farecla G10.

If you don't have access to spray gear and 2k lacquer and are going to use an aerosol then buy some and experiment.

Rattle can lacquer is not the same & I have never used it so try for yourself.

 

Hope that helps

 

Steve

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Have a look on Ebay.

You will sometimes see bundle offers.

Just keep looking for a couple of weeks to get the idea of what's out there.

Most of our stuff is relatively small dimension (we are not trying to bookmark a whole table!) so lots of smaller sections up for grabs.

Just measure properly and buy accordingly.

Steve

 

PS

Just remember, the bigger (longer) the pieces you want, the more they cost.

Edited by Stevecross
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I'm very happy with the teak self adhesive veneer that i applied a few years ago.

 

The 'iron on' self adhesive is painless, just iron through a cotton layer (pillowcase !) and then put weights on for a day or so.

 

Bought veneer on eBay, enough for two dashes was about £30

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Ps I gaff a taped the glove box lid in place then veneered over it to get grain that lined up.

 

Removed with very sharp knife.

 

Another tip is to use furniture crayons to colour the edges to match the original dark brown.

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Robin / Roger,

 

The Harrow Marquetry Group meet on Friday evenings at a church in Hatch End by Rowlands Avenue - a venue round the corner from Robin and not too far to drive for Roger. Their website ( sorry I am not clever enough to post a link ! ) mentions that they have a supply of veneer ( helpful to view before you buy and they will know the best source ) and they will obviously be able to give tips on applying it to your dash as well as cutting it to size. You may care to give them a visit. Presumably other groups meet up around the country.

 

Gordon

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Guys

 

This is where I got my veneer and glue from http://www.thewoodveneerhub.co.uk and this was quite useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAm6uDBYMqk

 

Finally took the plunge this afternoon and initial results don't look to bad but would have to say you can't have to many scalpel blades !

 

Few things I've just thought about;

 

Applied glue to dash NOT veneer

 

Once veneer was stuck on the dash used the LHC's rolling pin to ensure that excess glue any any air pockets where rolled out

 

The clamped it all up but put absorbent paper against the veneer to absorb excess moisture/glue, changed this paper after 2 Hrs but don't think this made any difference.

 

I trimmed my dash after about 4 Hrs when the glue had 'set up' but the veneer was still damp from the water in the adhesive, this meant that the veneer was slightly soft and had a similar consistency to cork (Burr Walnut veneer)

 

I trimmed the dash board face down on a piece of very flat scrap board working through the back of the instrument holes whilst applying firm pressure to the back of the dash

 

KEEP THE SCALPEL BLADE AT 90 DEG TO DASH FACE, other wise you risk making the gauge cut out funnel shaped

 

One you have roughed out the cut out, flip the dash over and do the final trim from the front, remember you can always go back and trim a bit more, but you can never put back what you have trimmed !

 

Don't 'saw' the scalpel through the veneer if cutting from the front only cut on the down stroke and when cutting from the rear just use the tip on the blade otherwise you will risk lifting the veneer.

 

Keep changing the blades I used 5 to do my dash

 

 

 

 

ATB Graham

Edited by Graham
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4WIW,

I use vacuum to form the veneer over the wood, this will form curves as well as flat panels.

The loosely glued workpiece is put in a strong plastic bag, which is sealed and evacuated through a cycle inner tube valve using a vacuum pump.

As I guess few will have a vacuum pump, maybe a connection to an engine inlet manifold will do.

I use pva glue thinly applied, though this takes a long time to dry so needs the vacuum applying for several hours, maybe other water based glues would be better if using a car engine.

More details , if anyone is interested , can be supplied.

 

Hope this of interest

Mike

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