Hi,
Your drawer unit whilst looking wonderful is also highly usable Colin and it will give you much pleasure every day just to see it. A job to be proud of and no doubt a talking point when visitors call?
Regarding veneer adhesives Colin; this is actually a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables; size of panel being veneered; type of veneer and adhesive choice; there are many different types of adhesive in fact the choice is bewildering to say the least.
Some veneers remain docile and flat but others such as Burrs want to walk out of the workshop unaided once wetted. Veneer such as Sapele is very easy to lay and almost any adhesive could be successfully used. However veneers which buckle easily having irregular grain or Burr/burl can and do cause a lot of frustration to a novice so I include myself in this category.
I like using hot hide glue because it is cheap and has an envious track record for reliability spanning centuries as long as the joint is kept dry. Hide glue takes stain; has excellent initial tack and if things go wrong a soaking with water and going over with a hot iron will release the veneer as I've demonstrated during my Barker veneering job. Using hide glue though is not easy for a novice; the glue must be heated in a double glue pot and must not be over-heated otherwise it will be considerably weakened; hide glue gels very quickly but there is no reason to panic; apply a generous coat of hide glue using a brush and even if it does gel whilst laying veneer; wet the veneer and run the hot iron over; it works a treat. When I first attempted using hide glue I was in a panic trying to do everything at once but after a little practice I found I could in fact relax although I don't recommend letting the veneer dry out once lay up has started.
On flat panels veneer joints are dead easy to accurately cut if using hide glue; lay the first piece of veneer normally then overlap the adjoining veneer; lay this adjoining veneer as normal up to the joint but then take a straightedge and sharp craft/utility knife; run the knife against the straightedge a number of times and cut right through both layers of veneer; lay down the knife remove the straightedge; now remove the top outer waste veneer; open the joint slightly and remove the trapped inner waste veneer; apply heat if needed then hammer the joint home and tape the joint.
Tools and equipment required are few and inexpensive apart from buying the double glue pot but even these old cast iron glue pots can be bought through eBay where I bought mine for £20. The veneering hammer is home made the only cost incurred being for a short length of 1/8" thick brass strip. Hide/pearl glue is readily and cheaply available and in pearl form has an indefinite shelf life. Clean cloths/rags can be cast off clothing or even bedding costing nothing; a standard utility knife is very cheap to buy but I would be surprised if anyone doesn't already own a couple of these but blades need to be sharp. A wooden straightedge can be made to suit the job in hand; a bucket and warm water won't break the bank neither will buying a brand new cheap electric iron; my iron cost about £5 years ago from Argos. A cheap paintbrush will spread the hide glue.
The downside of using hide glue is that it is very messy and can prove highly frustrating at first but a little practice goes a long way. Hide glue is my first choice and I bought my last supply from John Penny finding it to be top quality;
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm-....php?id=62
Contact/impact adhesive to me is is dire stuff; I've watched many American videos showing the lay up of long work tops with plastic laminate; all these videos show a roller being used to apply the contact adhesive and the contact adhesive goes on so easily; for me however I hated the process which I tried whilst laying laminate on my new computer desk; the Evo Stik impact adhesive I bought simply drove me nuts; it refused to be applied by roller; it refused to be applied by brush and I eventually resorted to using the small serrated plastic spreader supplied with the adhesive; I succeeded in the end but it's a job I don't ever wish to attempt again; next time I'll do a lot of research because I feel I was using the wrong adhesive? Evo Stik is also highly expensive; it is harmful to health and if fumes are allowed to build it could cause an explosion.
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct...ku=1736293&CMP=e-2072-00001000&gross_price=true&mckv=YKMwxwd8|pcrid|14164337469|plid|{placement}
PVA can be successfully used in fact it is similar to hide glue in that heat melts it; a good coating of PVA is applied to both the substrate and underside of the veneer but it is purposely allowed to dry; the two are then aligned and a hot iron applied melting the PVA allowing a powerful bond to be created; I've never tried this method but Joe did a simple experiment in an earlier post and declared it a success.
In yet another post Epoxy has been successfully used; I think it possible that Epoxy would be the most expensive of adhesives but for smaller jobs it works; Epoxy is another adhesive I've never tried when it comes to veneering.
The choice of adhesives is staggering and enough to put a novice to veneering off for life but for jobs the size of radio cabinets I recommend getting used to hot hide glue; the learning curve is steep but once the basics are grasped hide glue is wonderful stuff.
I'm sure there will be masses of information on the web regarding adhesives but for a novice it can be a minefield.
Perhaps a thread on adhesives would be useful then everyone could chip in as we all have our preferences and can share our experiences?
Kind regards, Col.
Your drawer unit whilst looking wonderful is also highly usable Colin and it will give you much pleasure every day just to see it. A job to be proud of and no doubt a talking point when visitors call?
Regarding veneer adhesives Colin; this is actually a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables; size of panel being veneered; type of veneer and adhesive choice; there are many different types of adhesive in fact the choice is bewildering to say the least.
Some veneers remain docile and flat but others such as Burrs want to walk out of the workshop unaided once wetted. Veneer such as Sapele is very easy to lay and almost any adhesive could be successfully used. However veneers which buckle easily having irregular grain or Burr/burl can and do cause a lot of frustration to a novice so I include myself in this category.
I like using hot hide glue because it is cheap and has an envious track record for reliability spanning centuries as long as the joint is kept dry. Hide glue takes stain; has excellent initial tack and if things go wrong a soaking with water and going over with a hot iron will release the veneer as I've demonstrated during my Barker veneering job. Using hide glue though is not easy for a novice; the glue must be heated in a double glue pot and must not be over-heated otherwise it will be considerably weakened; hide glue gels very quickly but there is no reason to panic; apply a generous coat of hide glue using a brush and even if it does gel whilst laying veneer; wet the veneer and run the hot iron over; it works a treat. When I first attempted using hide glue I was in a panic trying to do everything at once but after a little practice I found I could in fact relax although I don't recommend letting the veneer dry out once lay up has started.
On flat panels veneer joints are dead easy to accurately cut if using hide glue; lay the first piece of veneer normally then overlap the adjoining veneer; lay this adjoining veneer as normal up to the joint but then take a straightedge and sharp craft/utility knife; run the knife against the straightedge a number of times and cut right through both layers of veneer; lay down the knife remove the straightedge; now remove the top outer waste veneer; open the joint slightly and remove the trapped inner waste veneer; apply heat if needed then hammer the joint home and tape the joint.
Tools and equipment required are few and inexpensive apart from buying the double glue pot but even these old cast iron glue pots can be bought through eBay where I bought mine for £20. The veneering hammer is home made the only cost incurred being for a short length of 1/8" thick brass strip. Hide/pearl glue is readily and cheaply available and in pearl form has an indefinite shelf life. Clean cloths/rags can be cast off clothing or even bedding costing nothing; a standard utility knife is very cheap to buy but I would be surprised if anyone doesn't already own a couple of these but blades need to be sharp. A wooden straightedge can be made to suit the job in hand; a bucket and warm water won't break the bank neither will buying a brand new cheap electric iron; my iron cost about £5 years ago from Argos. A cheap paintbrush will spread the hide glue.
The downside of using hide glue is that it is very messy and can prove highly frustrating at first but a little practice goes a long way. Hide glue is my first choice and I bought my last supply from John Penny finding it to be top quality;
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm-....php?id=62
Contact/impact adhesive to me is is dire stuff; I've watched many American videos showing the lay up of long work tops with plastic laminate; all these videos show a roller being used to apply the contact adhesive and the contact adhesive goes on so easily; for me however I hated the process which I tried whilst laying laminate on my new computer desk; the Evo Stik impact adhesive I bought simply drove me nuts; it refused to be applied by roller; it refused to be applied by brush and I eventually resorted to using the small serrated plastic spreader supplied with the adhesive; I succeeded in the end but it's a job I don't ever wish to attempt again; next time I'll do a lot of research because I feel I was using the wrong adhesive? Evo Stik is also highly expensive; it is harmful to health and if fumes are allowed to build it could cause an explosion.
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/displayProduct...ku=1736293&CMP=e-2072-00001000&gross_price=true&mckv=YKMwxwd8|pcrid|14164337469|plid|{placement}
PVA can be successfully used in fact it is similar to hide glue in that heat melts it; a good coating of PVA is applied to both the substrate and underside of the veneer but it is purposely allowed to dry; the two are then aligned and a hot iron applied melting the PVA allowing a powerful bond to be created; I've never tried this method but Joe did a simple experiment in an earlier post and declared it a success.
In yet another post Epoxy has been successfully used; I think it possible that Epoxy would be the most expensive of adhesives but for smaller jobs it works; Epoxy is another adhesive I've never tried when it comes to veneering.
The choice of adhesives is staggering and enough to put a novice to veneering off for life but for jobs the size of radio cabinets I recommend getting used to hot hide glue; the learning curve is steep but once the basics are grasped hide glue is wonderful stuff.
I'm sure there will be masses of information on the web regarding adhesives but for a novice it can be a minefield.
Perhaps a thread on adhesives would be useful then everyone could chip in as we all have our preferences and can share our experiences?
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
