noddy67
Established Member
Has anyone bought any commercial veneer softener in the uk that they would recommend?
Thanks
Thanks
Veneer Softner
- Thread starter noddy67
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
No - but I use just plain water even on very un-flat curly veneer and it's worked every time.
Noddy, you can't be far from me - happy to show you the veneer I've succeeded with - bought from the get-rid bin at Timberline. Pm me if interested
Noddy, you can't be far from me - happy to show you the veneer I've succeeded with - bought from the get-rid bin at Timberline. Pm me if interested
custard
Established Member
If the plan is to flatten the veneer then lay it in short order, water or water/glycerin/meths will do the job. If you want to flatten but then store the veneer you're better of adding a bit of hide glue or PVA.
One of the luthier supply companies does a flattener that I've heard good things about, but half the fun of veneering is to concoct your own super secret flattener formula and sing its praises to the heavens, at least that's been the game plan of most of the full time veneer guys I know! In truth they're all so similar and all do pretty much the same job so I wouldn't worry too much about mixing something up. More important in my view is to leave it under pressure until it's absolutely bone dry, if you get impatient and whip it out too soon it's guaranteed to curl again and often worse than it was in the first place, so plan ahead and leave it between boards for at least 48 hours longer than you thought necessary.
Good luck!
One of the luthier supply companies does a flattener that I've heard good things about, but half the fun of veneering is to concoct your own super secret flattener formula and sing its praises to the heavens, at least that's been the game plan of most of the full time veneer guys I know! In truth they're all so similar and all do pretty much the same job so I wouldn't worry too much about mixing something up. More important in my view is to leave it under pressure until it's absolutely bone dry, if you get impatient and whip it out too soon it's guaranteed to curl again and often worse than it was in the first place, so plan ahead and leave it between boards for at least 48 hours longer than you thought necessary.
Good luck!
- Joined
- 6 Jun 2011
- Messages
- 2,905
- Reaction score
- 808
I have stopped using glycerine in my mix as I found it induced mould. Gone back to using sprayed clean water, pressing and changing papers ever few hours as I don't have a hot press for steaming.
Cheers Peter
Cheers Peter
noddy67
Established Member
Thanks for the replies chaps. Seems like water and plain paper is the way to start and see how I go. Lots of talk of using blank newsprint ( so as not to get the ink bleeding through from a real newspaper). Not found any blank newsprint in the UK and was going to try some kids easel paper or plain wallpaper.
As far as taping pieces together I spent a week down with Marc Fish and he was recommending regular named brand sellotape but I struggled with that on some ash veneer I was trying it on. It wouldn't hold its stick. Got on better with blue painters tape. Anyone have any other recommendations?
As far as taping pieces together I spent a week down with Marc Fish and he was recommending regular named brand sellotape but I struggled with that on some ash veneer I was trying it on. It wouldn't hold its stick. Got on better with blue painters tape. Anyone have any other recommendations?
- Joined
- 6 Jun 2011
- Messages
- 2,905
- Reaction score
- 808
I will use Sellotape if doing marquetry and need to see the fine detail or find specific details in the veneer layup after taping, otherwise my favourite is Tesa veneer tape.
This is one of the three tapes we use in the school and supply online.
The other potion is to edge glue the veneer and temporary hold with masking tape. I have a clip on You Tube about taping veneers which shows this small part of our veneering and laminating course.
Cheers Peter
This is one of the three tapes we use in the school and supply online.
The other potion is to edge glue the veneer and temporary hold with masking tape. I have a clip on You Tube about taping veneers which shows this small part of our veneering and laminating course.
Cheers Peter
I attended an excellent course with Andrew Crawford. Highly recommended. One of things I took away was, bearing in mind Andrew is talking about wood and veneers for small-ish boxes is that the best clamps are your 10 digits and the second best good quality masking tape which stretched slightly but didn't tear. He taped up veneers and box components and, when peeled off, they were perfect joints.
I found the shed stuff to be unreliable and just go online to specialist tape suppliers
I found the shed stuff to be unreliable and just go online to specialist tape suppliers
noddy67
Established Member
Peter many thanks. Will check out your video this evening.
Martin did you get my PM? I sent it but just checking my outbox I can't see it so not sure it went through.
Martin did you get my PM? I sent it but just checking my outbox I can't see it so not sure it went through.
custard
Established Member
I'm a bit down on masking tape at the moment as it's caused me problems with two aspects of a current build. Firstly I used blue painter's masking tape to hold some cramping blocks in position, when I pulled it off the tape took some fibres from the face of the project with it! Luthiers apparently are ultra careful when it comes to removing masking tape, they tease up one corner and then slowly pull it away, checking all the time for lifting fibres, I now understand why! The second masking tape problem was because this particular project has legs that emerge through the top, so the end grain on the top of legs is showing, instead of pencilling a cabinet maker's triangle direct on to the top of the legs as I'd normally do, I wrote the leg orientation on masking tape and stuck it to the top of each of the four legs, When I removed the tape it was clear that the tape's adhesive had penetrated the end grain and left a mark. With only 3mm to play with I didn't want to take a block plane to it, so set to trying to sand it out and also cleaning with meths. It's all come good but it was a lot of extra work on a project that was only marginally profitable to begin with. Either of these problems on veneered panels or small box components would have been disastrous, luckily this was a decent sized piece of furniture so I got away with it. I'll make sure I spend a bit more to get quality masking tape in future and be more careful.
Another vote for Tesa tape by the way for veneer work. You'll wince when you see the price, but it's the only easily removed tape I've found which is guaranteed not to leave an impression in the surface of the veneer after pressing. Life's a little easier with the far lower pressures of a vac bag versus a hydraulic press, but even so I've seen many instances where the entire veneered surface had to be removed because the impression left by the tape ran so deep it couldn't be sanded out.
Another vote for Tesa tape by the way for veneer work. You'll wince when you see the price, but it's the only easily removed tape I've found which is guaranteed not to leave an impression in the surface of the veneer after pressing. Life's a little easier with the far lower pressures of a vac bag versus a hydraulic press, but even so I've seen many instances where the entire veneered surface had to be removed because the impression left by the tape ran so deep it couldn't be sanded out.
