can’t find my old msg, have a cabinet that has been veneered. It is as old as I am over 80. Daughter got it damp and the veneer buckled and has some bubbles in it.have some pics but hard to see. not a pro. My feeling is to depress the bubble will leave extra wood and I am lost. I feel the veneer was put on 1/4 ” wood. have no idea as to what kind. after that is taken care of , best way to clean the old finish. very scratchy. pics really don’t show the bubbles. I’ve included pics of the item . Have never seen it in any roadshow programs
czn’t get pics loaded.
Edited 5/10/2008 4:23 pm ET by kope73
Edited 5/10/2008 4:27 pm ET by kope73
Replies
kope,
It's little hard to follow exactly what you've described. But I think you may be able to repair the veneer. Since the piece is 80 years old (congratulations to both you AND the cabinet!) it's not made of man-made board (MDF or the like). If it were, the "bubbles" might actually be swelling of the substrate itself.
If you press on the bubbles, is the veneer "free" of the underlying wood? In other words, is only the veneer raised?
It is very likely that the veneer was glued down with hot hide glue, although white wood glue may have been used. In either case, you can try using an ordinary clothes iron to press the bubbles down. The iron should be just a little too hot to touch, not set on high. Don't use steam.
The heat will reactivate either glue.
Surprisingly, bubbles will press back into place without "excess material" causing a problem. You can help the veneer assume it's original position by placing a slit or 2 in the direction of the grain with a razor blade. The cut will be invisible in the repair.
Use a "pressing cloth" between the iron and the wood. A man's hankerchief or similar material will do.
Can you describe the need to clean the finish a little more in detail? The first thing to try is mineral spirits (paint thinner) or naphtha. If you buy mineral spirits, use the low-odor type, regular smells awful. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation. It's best to take the work outside, or in an open garage, at least.
Mineral spirits is a useful organic solvent that will remove many types of grime without hurting the finish whether it's varnish, lacquer or shellac.
Rich
Edited 5/11/2008 7:53 am ET by Rich14
Oops. My math is wrong. If the cabinet is 80 years old, white wood glue was not used to glue the veneer. White wood glue was not in existence yet! It came into use after WWII.
It's very likely that an animal product such as hot hide glue was used.
Rich
As Rich said, the veneer should iron down. I'd try the iron temperature at just above the "wool" setting, to start and increase the temperature if you have to.
If the finish is a cloudy white or gray, try a little denatured alcohol in an inconspicuous place, to see if the finish is shellac. If it is, a little alcohol on the clouded areas will pull the water out.
If the finish is just dirty or has that nasty wax and dirt build up, naptha or mineral spirits will clean it up. But, as Rich said, both need to be used in a well ventilated area.
Pictures would help. You can hilight the bubbling by shooting low to the surface, with the light source at ninety degrees to the direction you are shooting.
Edited 5/11/2008 11:44 am ET by Jigs-n-fixtures
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