I’m doing a small veneering job – total size is 20 by 30 inches on Baltic Birch substrate. I’ve read and reread Tage Frid’s article on the subject and still have a question. Frid says to apply the hot hide glue to the ground substrate first then take the veneer and lay the top or finish side down on the just brushed glue surface on the substrate. He then applies the hide glue to the underside of the veneer and then flips it over, puts in place and begins the process of squeezing out the glue (assuming the glue is cool enought to be tacky). He further states that the glue pick-up on the finished surface of the veneer will actually help minimize friction for the veneer hammer as you begin the squeeze out. However, isn’t the glue on the finished surface also being pressed into the surface and aren’t you really “sizing” the finished surface with the glue? And wouldn’t that cause problems with the stain/finish that you would use? I’m using a Bartley gel stain and then sealing with spray lacquer and I’m concerned about the glue on the finished surface. Thoughts from those of you who have done this procedure?
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Replies
I know the article you're refering to. I've done some hammer veneering, and have not spread the glue on the front as Tage said. I've had no problem with the friction between the wood and the hammer. I have gotten glue on the front from squeeze-out, and it has been rubbed into the pores, but after scraping and sanding I've had no problem with it accepting stain. I don't think a gel stain would be a problem anyway, as it doesn't penetrate into the fibers.
Creekwood:
Thanks - my sense of the thing is exactly what you said but i just wanted to get some input from others.
My shop mate does some veneering and he uses a different procedure.
What he does is put thinned PVA glue on both the substrate and the veneer and after it's dry he places the pieces together and uses a hot iron to reactivate the glue. He gets great results. (I'd try a sample before doing it, but this is a reasonable alternative.)
John
The advantage of hide glue is that it is easy to clean up with a wet rag even after it has dried. Besides hide glue is largely transparent to stains and finishes. I have found some woods hammer better with glue on both sides of the veneer, others I will only glue one side but I will always wet the other side to help the hammer slide.
Stephen Shepherd
http://www.ilovewood.com
Thanks to everyone for their input - I'm looking forward to trying this out on Saturday. Fortuantely, it's not a big job so I can really get used to the procedure.
Ed Gregg
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