Replies

1. 
   Alan | Oct 16, 2004 09:50pm | #1

   novice,

   Before you try anything, make sure the veneer will flatten down enough to eliminate the bulge.  If there are splinters, or large glops of dry glue, none of the following will do.  You can pretty easily remove such debris, though.

   First, I would try to reactivate the glue.  If it's hide glue, you may be able to get it to stick again with heat.  Use an iron--without water, you don't need steam--set at about medium heat.  Use a dry towel between the iron and the wood.  Move the iron around the bulge, and press down enough to flatten out the bump; you need to get good contact between the veneer and substrate long enough for the glue to grab.  Be patient.  If it doesn't stick, set the iron a bit hotter.  Be patient some more.  You can set the iron hotter still, but be careful!  If the glue grabs, press down the bulge with a brick, or otherwise hold the bulge down flat on the substrate.

   If ironing doesn't work, and you're absolutely positive that it's hide glue, you just might be able to reactivate the glue by getting a little hot water under the veneer.  Get a syringe, or a baster, or an eye dropper, or anything else that will let you squirt a little water exactly where you want it.  Get your pan of boiling water ready, but don't fill your squirter until all else is ready.

   Use a one-sided razor blade, an Exacto knife, or the like, and make a slit all the way through the veneer, along the grain, and across the bulge.  Be sure you can get hot water on all of the un-stuck substrate.  Use a nail, a pencil, a popsicle stick, or whatever works, to hold the slit open.  Fill your injector device and squirt enough water into the bulge to moisten all the glue (you might want to practice this so you will know how much water to use).  With your iron set to medium heat, or a little less, press down the veneer until it grabs.

   If none of the above helps, you'll have to get more glue in there.  It's easily done.  If you haven't yet, cut a slit.  Make sure there's no glue granules, splinters, or anything else that could keep the veneer and substrate apart.  Use your injector thingy to shoot the glue of your choice under the bulge.  Press down the bulge so the veneer makes good contact with the substrate.  After the usual time in the clamps you should be good to go.

   There may be other, easier, and better things to try--I'm hardly an expert.  If so, I'm sure better informed and more knowledgeable knot-heads will point out my stupidity and put you on the right track.  But I hope you find some part of this useful.

   Alan

1. 
   Novice | Oct 17, 2004 07:37am | #2

   Alan,

   I can't thank you enough for the instructions and advices you gave me, especially for taking the time to write them out in details for me.  I really need them.  I don't know what hide glue is.  I am not a woodworker, I only know how to do some furniture refinishing.  Several weeks ago, I tried to squirt some diluted wood glue under the veneer with a syringe and then try to put a brick on top.  But that didn't work.  I guess that must be because of the thickness of the veneer.   Your idea of using an iron, hot water, etc. makes a lot of sense.  I'll try what you suggested tomorrow and I'll keep you updated.

   Again,  THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!  I really appreciate it!

   novice

1. 
   Alan | Oct 18, 2004 06:48am | #3

   novice,

   Hide glue is just another kind of glue made from...you got it!  Ten points!!  It's been around for centuries and was ubiquitous amongst wood workers' until fairly recently.

   It comes in dry granules.  To make it into a liquid you add about even parts of glue granules and water.  You then heat this melange until the granules are disolved and the glue is just about as thick as a store-bought glue.  It is used still hot from the stove.

   Hide glue is loved by restorers and repairers because it can be reactivated with heat and/or hot water.  This makes it possible to disassemble broken or otherwise ruined parts, or to simply make old things that came unstuck to stick.

   But now it's Better Living Through Chemistry!  One--or more--of the big glue makers (Elmers, if my forgetter hasn't got the better of my rememberer) now sells a "liquid" hide glue that comes already mixed, and you don't need to heat it up.  I've never tried it, so I don't know how well, or if, it works, but others around here have tried it.  You may be able to find it in the archives.

   Let me know how it goes.

   Alan

1. 
   Novice | Oct 18, 2004 09:33am | #4

   Alan,

   Thanks for the explanation about hide glue.   You're so knowledgeable.  I'm so lucky to run into you and have your advices.

   You're right about being patient.  I tried to flatten the bulge with an iron and a towel.  On some area, that worked and on some other, it didn't work.  I ended up making an incision as you suggested and putting some glue in there.  I then use clamps to flatten the area.  I only have a couple of clamps so I'm doing a couple small areas at a time.  This seems to work at the moment.  Thanks for the good advices!

   Again, THANK YOU and THANK YOU and THANK YOU...

1. 
   Alan | Oct 19, 2004 12:54am | #5

   novice,

   Gosh.  I feel so..so..thanked!

   YOU'RE WELCOME and YOU'RE WELCOME and YOU'RE WELCOME.

   Please let me know how it turns out.  Include, if you will, any little tricks or methods you find.  After all, each of us learns this stuff because someone else has passed it along.

   Do you really have clamps that will reach out to the middle of your doors?  If not, how are you clamping?  I would just press things together with something heavy, such as bricks.

   Alan

2. 
   Novice | Oct 19, 2004 07:51am | #6

   Alan,

   The doors are shaker style.  The parts that are messed up are on the thick border of the doors.  I went to the hardware store and bought 2 biggest clamps I could find.   I'm not sure what they're for, but I chose ones that would reach the bad spots.  One of the clamps is a wooden one and it has Jorgenson on it and the other is all metal.  I'm attaching a picture so you can see.  I think I was impatient or left the iron on too long yesterday so some of the spots appeared to be burned.  But I think that would be OK because I am going to stain it in brown mahogany so hopefully no one will see it. 

   I think the slightly diluted glue dropped under the bulge and then the iron worked best in my case.  The clamps worked well for some areas that I didn't put enough pressure with the iron.

   Thank you for your help.