veneering with yellow glue + iron

[Wyatt]

A buddy of mine is getting into speaker building. His boxes are veneered MDF. We were discussing veneering (which I haven't done) and he said that he was using the method described below, which he found on an online forum.

What are the wreck's thoughts on this method?

------------ As a cabinetmaker for many years (more than I like to admit), I can tell you firsthand that every cabinet shop I've ever seen used contact cement. The main difference is that we spray it on.

I have also done the yellow glue/ iron method for years on some projects and can also vouch for it's effectiveness and ease.

Here's a step by step I wrote up after answering the first hundred questions about the procedure.

As an alternative to contact cement, try ironing on with yellow glue.

1. Prep substrate (should be perfectly flat and clean).
2. Cut veneer 1/2"-1" oversize.
3. With a foam roller cover, apply coat of yellow glue mixed with a little water (to let it roll on easier) to the substrate (I usually just pour a little glue on the suface and roll it around)
4. Roll on a coat to back of veneer using push-pins or tape to hold it down flat. Make sure no glue gets on face of veneer!
5. Substrate may need second coat, especially edges. You want the material to be built up on the surface.
6. Let dry.
7. Position veneer on substrate (it will not adhere without heat).
8. Using household iron set at high, proceed to iron on the veneer, starting at center and working out. Keep the iron moving slowly so as not to burn the veneer. (trial piece good idea to get the feel for it). Use edge of wood block to keep pressure on it as you iron.
9. Trim as usual.
10. Before glueing adjacent sides, apply masking tape to the edge of the veneered side where it meets the raw face that will be getting glue next. Again, make sure no glue gets on the face of any of the veneer!!! (this applies to using contact cement also)

A couple of big advantages are: Bond strength. Ability to position veneer. Surface will be FLAT when you're done. Contact cement is much more difficult to control, and really isn't recommended for unbacked veneer.

[Wes Stewart]

I just posted on this subject in another thread. I have used the method to attach laminate to plywood (Baltic birch) with good success.

However, I tried it on MDF (Borg quality) and had a problem with the technique. The laminate bonded just fine, but the MDF itself delaminated along the edges. I cut about a half inch off this sandwich and the bond was perfect.

My hypothesis is that the moisture in the glue swells the MDF and the memory in the laminate generates enough force to tear away the top layer of the MDF. With thin veneer this may not be an issue, as your friend's experience seems to imply.

[Nate Perkins]

"Wyatt" wrote in news:1109096378.995074.257770 @c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

(snip)

Yep, I've been using that method for veneering mahogany and Peruvian walnut over baltic birch. It works very well. The only things that I do differently from the sequence you posted are that I dampen the frontside of the veneer before applying glue to the backside (helps with the curling problem). Also, I apply at least two coats of glue to both veneer and substrate, and let it dry before doing the ironing sequence. You want the glue to have a bit of thickness and feel almost leathery before you iron it on.

Still, I am thinking about building one of those homemade vacuum presses.

[max]

My understanding is that you coat both sides of the veneer with glue. It equalizes the moisture content of the veneer. You then sand and scrape the glue off after. max

[tomeshew]

Nate wrote: I dampen the frontside of

the veneer before applying glue to the backside (helps with th curling problem).

[GerryG]

I've used this in a few cases, and the biggest item seems to be the thickness of the laminate. Beyond about 0.018 it gets more difficult, while thinner works fine.

Thank you for the MDF comments. I've not tried it >>

[GerryG]