Iron-on Veneer. Is it any good?

[Neil Clinton]

I was thinking of trying some real wood Iron-on ash veneer, (the type of stuff Vale Veneers sell and also some companies sell it for covering audio cabinet speakers.) I was going to use it on mdf. Has anyone had any experience of this product? Will it still be stuck down a few years after application?! Thanks to anyone who can offer some advice.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, can't help, but sure someone will be along shortly.

Adam

 

[Anonymous]

Only used it on the edge of veneered MDF sheets and it worked very well.

 

[Horst Hohoff]

Hello Neil,
I havn't tried the product you've mentioned, but I have worked walnut and oak veneer. The walnut was fairly easy to work. And it shows no signs of coming off after more than 15 years. The oak veneer was it bit more difficult to work; it had a tendency to develop little cracks during the ironing, although I put a wet cloth on while ironing. Ash is also a fairly coarse grained wood and it could show the same problem. But the oak as well doesn't show any sings of coming off.

 

[Neil Clinton]

Thanks for the reply guys. If It has lasted for that many years then hopefully given the advances in adhesive technology since then, it should be up to the job. I thought it might be ok for edges but I was thinking of using it for some larger panels as it comes in 2.5m x 255mm lengths.

 

[Horst Hohoff]

Hello again,
I used the walnut veneer for a cupboard for my hifi gear: the biggest piece is about 1,20 m x 0,45 m. So you see it's not just for edges.

 

[jasonB]

You can also by a clear film that is a heat activated adhesive so you can iron whatever veneer you like.

http://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/results_fu ... odID=12635

Jason

 

[LyNx]

Jason, have you used this on any large panels???

 

[jasonB]

No, use my vacuum press instead.

Jason

 

[Paul Chapman]

I used Glu-film once about 30 years ago with some oak veneer on chipboard and it was quite successful.

Just one observation, for what it's worth. I'm not sure what instructions come with it, but if you use it with a domestic iron on large panels I would be inclined to go over the veneer and the MDF groundwork with the iron first to even out the moisture content, before using the Glu-film.

The reason I say this is that I used to use a dry mounting press with dry mounting tissue when mounting photographs. The process is similar to using Glu-film for veneering. I found that when mounting very large photographs which had to be done in sections, the heat would dry out and shrink (very slightly) the print and when I got to the last piece, which hadn't shrunk, it would crease. This could be avoided by running the print and mount through the press first to ensure they were both equally dry.

I'm sure the principle is the same with veneering and that you need to ensure a similar moisture content for both surfaces.

Hope this is of some help.

Paul

 

[Neil Clinton]

Thanks for the tip Paul. Thirty years ago? Here's me thinking It was some kind of new system for the DIYer!

Neil

 

[Scrit]

I have had no problems applying pre-glued edge banding veneer to veneered MDF and veneered chipboard. I get the odd problem with trimming from time to time where the laminate trimmer causes a split in the edging and the lot has to be stripped off and redone, but other than that the only "odd" behaviour is with white beech. Anyone using pre-glued edgings needs to ensure that they don't get the beech too hot - do so and it will turn pink. Really! Biggest downside of using veneer tape is the end to end finger joints every 8 to 10 feet which are always very obvious. I prefer to use solid lippings where possible, but frequently there isn't enough money in the job to justify the extra time and expense.

The pre-glued (heat-activated PUR backed) sheet stuff I've used from time to time and it works well, however, it costs a lot more than conventional veneer so I only ever uise it for the odd small jobs. I've also tried the film with ordinary veneer. Convenient if I'm in a hurry, but a bit expensive for large areas IMO. I normally do like Jason and go to the vacuum press.

Scrit

 

[Neil Clinton]

Thanks for the feedback Scrit. Most of the replies have been fairly positive so unless someone comes back with any horror stories then I'm going to take the put in an order this week. I need about £150 of Veneer so it's reassuring to know I won't be regretting the decision.
Thanks

Neil

 

[Jake]

I used some of that iron-on veneer on a pair of wilmslow speakers I built about ten years ago for my father, and it is still stuck down fine.

 

[Neomorph]

Hmmmm... I wonder if you could use a trouser press for doing panels. :wink:

 

[Scrit]

It might be easier to get a non-steam iron from a car boot sale. The heavier the better. Getting glue off a trouser press might be a bit of a pain....

Scrit

 

[Alf]

Hmmmm... I wonder if you could use a trouser press for doing panels. :wink:

Only if you want a crease down the front...

Cheers, Alf

 

[studioman]

Hi! I have found help here in the past and I'm looking for help today!

I have made two large loudspeaker cabinets which I have veneered and stained, and now I need to apply a finish to them.

I veneered the cabs with "CV Brazilian Rosewood" veneer, that's an engineered veneer made to look like rosewood. it's literally manufactured from strips dyed and bonded into large sheets and treated with some kind of printing process.

The CV veneer (I think it stands for Constructed Veneer) is quite a soft wood, and has a paper backing. I also bought some heat sensitive film, designed for applying surfaces like veneer, which I used fairly successfully to apply all the panels.

Everything looked good, so I then sanded everything down with 240 grit and started to wipe over one panel with some thinners to degrease it. I stopped fairly quickly because the veneer was just starting to lift slightly. I think the solvent was softening the adhesive.

I let it dry, then instead of using thinners, I wiped everything down with a DRY cloth, and used COLRON Refined Wood Dye (Brazilian Rosewood) sparingly on the cabs.

I found this thick dye to work fairly well, much better than the old style Colron dyes that I remember from a similar job 40yrs ago.

As I applied the dye, I did find some areas of the veneer lifting slightly but they settled as the dye dried.

I have a couple of test pieces ready to use...to try out any finishes you recommend...to give me a MATT or SATIN finish.

My problem is....Choosing the right kind of finish.

I now realise that a water based finish is likely to lift the veneer. AND so might a solvent based (oil / cellulose based) finish.

What would you recommend, guys and girls?

Here is a pic of one of the cabs, fully veneered, but before the dye was applied....

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/373658100316627151/

and this is the veneer:

http://vitalfixings.co.uk/cv-rosewood-brazilian-veneer-150-p.asp

 

[custard]

Looks like you've done a really tidy job, well done!

I'd contact the manufacturer/distributor for finishing advice, no one here will know their product better than them, and it's absolutely in their interests that you produce a job you're happy with.

Good luck!

 

[studioman]

Thanks for the advice. Colron recommend their Refined Lacquer which is a pva type material, white when wet, clear when dry. Almost like thin PVA glue. Just a bit worried about using the wrong stuff...so advice still required, please!