I am building a humidor out of Spanish cedar with birdseye maple veneer for the exterior. The panels were glued using UniBond One veneer glue in a veneer press and are flat. I am using TransTint dye in alcohol for the dye stain in order to get a custom color. The problem is when I brush on the dye and immediately wipe it dry, then allow to air dry, the veneer is buckling due to the moisture. I don’t want to use an oil based stain because of obscuring the grain and inability to get the exact color. The only other option I’ve considered is to mix the TransTint in the topcoat (either brushing lacquer or shellac) and getting the color that way. Any suggestions on dyeing the veneered panels to prevent buckling? Thanks.
Scott
Replies
It sounds like the adhesion is not complete, unfortunately.
I have never personally done this, but I have seen veneering done with a hot iron to melt PVA so this might offer a solution.
PVA is applied to both surfaces, then when completely dry, an iron is used to melt the PVA and provide good adhesion. Water is then applied to the veneer to raise any spots which need a bit more ironing.
Whilst I strongly recommend you wait for more expert advice than mine, it might be possible to get better adhesion to the substrate with a hot iron. In the linked video, I don't think this chap got any bubbles, though he has in previous offerings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLZJAC2OQbs
Did you check to see that you had good adhesion across the entire surface of the veneer? I've used a lot of Unibond but most of my work does not use stains or dyes. My understanding is that once cured the Unibond should be impervious to stains and oil based finishes.
I believe so--tried to use ample adhesive, rolled it out to fully cover the entire substrate surface, didn't overdo the amount of glue (and I don't think it was glue starved, either). Thanks for the reply.
I'd dye it first. Let it dry fully, under weights, if it wanted to curl up, then adhere it to the substrate.
Transtint in alcohol?
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled