Looking for some of your experiences, your “Lessons Learned”: I am about to start a major Art Deco project that will entail a lot of veneering. I think I want to avoid the vaccuum route, or the machanical press approach, and use the old fashioned veneer hammer or roller and hide glue…. I think.
What are the positives and the negatives of that approach? Anybody have any tips? Good sources of info?
Thanks!
Replies
I’m sure that a lot of people won’t agree with me, but I feel that hammer veneering is the best way to go for a small shop, or on one of a kind shaped pieces. I don’t own a vacuum press, but that has not hindered me in veneering some very complicated pieces.
The subject of hammer veneering has been discussed here before, but I’ll hit the high points, and you can ask questions about things that aren’t clear. First you must consider the substrate; I have used solid wood, birch plywood and my own shop made lumber core plywood. I guess other materials would work, but I don’t have any experience with them. Whatever you choose, the surface needs to be clean and smooth, preferably planed, and what you do to one side you must do to the other, or you risk warping. The bottom side does not need to have high quality veneer, nor does it have to follow the same pattern as the show side ( Like a Sunburst for example). I think it is a mistake to score the surface as the old-timers did, but it worked for them. I apply a thinned down coat of glue to the substrate the day before I plan to veneer. This helps to prevent the over absorption of the glue while veneering. This probably wouldn’t be necessary on a dense substrate, but it doesn’t take much effort. The veneer needs to be flat, but since the process requires heat and moisture, minor lumps and bumps will get worked out while hammering. I coat crotches and some swirls with a thinned down coat of glue and press them between boards with layers of wax paper between them. This makes them much easier to deal with, just be sure to let them dry at least a week (I take them out once or twice a week to give them some air, but you can’t leave them out long, or they will wrinkle again) The glue needs to be the right consistency, and I aim for a steady stream to run off the brush, too thin and it breaks into drops and too thick and it falls of in blobs) I also add a little white vinegar (about a teaspoon per 8 oz of glue, less is better than more). The vinegar helps the glue grab better. Slap the glue on the substrate and give the face side of the veneer a light pass with a damp rag, just before you place it on the glued substrate. This dampening will help the veneer lie flat, since it would want to curl from the moisture for the glue. Use an iron on low to heat the glue, working from the center out to avoid bubbles (you will still get some small ones). You will really need to lean on the hammer, and any excess glue will get forced out ahead of the hammer. Because you will be moving the glue, it must be heated, or it will burst through the veneer.As the glue starts to gel, you may hear a crackling sound, if so that’s a sure sigh you need to apply more heat soon. I have not used a roller, but I doubt it would be able to apply the necessary force, and I also think it would get hopelessly clogged in no time with the glue. I made my hammer from a scrap wood and a piece of UHMW plastic for the blade. For any areas that won’t stray down, let them sit and try again in about 15-30 minutes. If they still give you trouble, I heat a piece of brass shim stock and place this over the area with lead weights on it, of if close to an edge I just clamp it. Don’t leave this clamped for too long, as hide glue can stick to most anything with surprising strength. Give the veneer an hour or so to firm up, and rub your finger nails over the panel, to find any loose spots. If you find any spots, lightly wet the area and do as note above. While hammer veneering is not difficult, if you have never done it before, you should practice before hitting a real project. Also, I found out recently that it is very difficult to hammer veneer on a hot day, since the glue does not gel quickly enough to hold the veneer down. I was trying to veneer a card table top, and it nearly refused to stay down.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Very much appreciated.
Larry,
First off, I am certainly NOT anything close to an expert. In fact I just started veneering and it sounds from your post like I was in your boat not too long ago. I am not sure if you are married to the idea of hammering your veneer because you just like the idea of it or what. If that's the case, I say give it a whirl. I thought I would reply though and make the suggestion of using PVA glue and a regular clothes iron to do your project. I was looking at all kinds of possiblities and I too did not own a vaccum press nor want to mess with mechanical presses. I ran across a couple of articles in FWW in which the author discribes using water-proof wood glue, I used Titebond II, and a hot iron to place his veneers. It works great, can be done on curved surfaces, and to my unpracticed hands was pretty easy with a few trials first. I could dig up the page numbers for you if you want, or give you a better discription if you'd like, just let me know. Good luck whatever you do.
Erich
Thanks for taking the time. Very much appreciated. Will see if I can find that reference in FWW.
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