I have inherited an old card table (playing cards!). It is a beautiful piece of furnitue but the green baize covering on the table is in poor repair. I want to replace it. It looks like it is just a square of cloth 'stuck' onto the wood base. But life is never that simple! Anyobe ever done this please? Does the green cloth perchance come with a peel-off stickey back? Probably not. Glue?
Any advice on how to proceed much appreciated.
Dee
"Dee" wrote in news:W2aIe.3372$ snipped-for-privacy@news.indigo.ie:
This is NOT advice - I *know* nothing. But I have a distant memory that, traditionally, it was simply stuck on using something akin to wallpaper paste! If so, it is likely that the paste would be applied to the table and allowed to dry out a bit before laying the baize onto it. There might have been some specific way of trimming the cloth as well.
Such a simple solution would also have allowed later removal and replacement. Which is where you came in...
Please have a good search round to get some real advice - I don't want to have given you some duff info. And don't even think for half a nanosecond that anything self-adhesive is usable.
Thanks Rod, yes, I think the secret is in the adhesive. Also in getting a very neat edge cut where it butts against the wooden edge trim. I'll keep searching!! Dee
My father was a cabinet maker and I am sure he used to stick it down with a glue which he melted in a pot. Try asking around furniture restorers.
Dave
I was going to suggest ringing a billiard/pool/snooker table supplier.
Dave
If you know where to obtain the green baize I would be obliged if you could share the info as I have been looking for some but with no success.
BeeJay wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
My partner suggests:
or, apparently, eBay!
That is correct, twas called "animal glue" made from bones. Ha the smell of thaat stuff in the woodwork room of me old school days(violin concerto no.5) :-) It was this glue that probably got used and the beize was compressed in a makeshift vice to really flatten the glue to adhere on the felt and wood, however evostick wood glue will be a modern alternative, the felt can be got from off cuts at a local billiard/pool table makers or antique restorers.
Have you tried arts'n'crafts shops?
"Dee" wrote in news:jHbIe.3376$ snipped-for-privacy@news.indigo.ie:
No idea how good this advice is:
- but it is back to uk.d-i-y's favourite PVA!
Thanks to all for the suggestions. Will go buy the evostick and cloth and do some experiments first! Dee
You used to be able to buy sticky backed green baize from the places that sold Fablon.
Colin Bignell
Material: J A Milton or Relics in Witney (both webbable) Blues, dark greys, dark reds or black are other possible colours rather than green. Cotton moleskins also work well rather than baize - they're no good for billiards, but they're more hard-wearing generally.
As it's not for billiards, then it's easy. You can use any material, use any glue, and it doesn't even need to be ironed afterwards.
Useful glues would be Evo-stik 528, PVA (cold), PVA (hot melt) or animal glues. The animal glue you want is rabbit-skin based (or a secret mixture) rather than woodworker's hide glue. This is similar, but more flexible, and always a better choice for fabrics, leather or paper.
Evo-stik is the commercial solution, because it's quickest. However it needs accuracy and practice, because once it's down, it's _down_. I wouldn't use it. It's also hard to clean off in future years.
Personally I'd use rabbit on a fine piece, hot melt PVA on average work. Rabbit goes on hot and is applied "wet", PVA is applied cold and allowed to dry, then used as a heat-activatable contact glue by ironing the fabric down onto it.
Don't use wet PVA directly onto the fabric unless you've already tried it - you don't know how random fabric is going to react to moisture.
You'll want a couple of broomsticks pinned across the width of the fabric, possibly with some weights on, to stretch it taut when gluing down. An assistant to lift it on helps too (not so tricky for a small table)
Don't try to "stretch" it into place and not glue it at all. This can work, but it's enormously dependent on the quality of your fabric. It also needs ongoing maintenance and isn't necessary except for high-end billiards.
As always, experiment with your fabric, glue and a chunk of plywood before diving in for real.
Now that post really is the business!! Many thanks to (er...) 'Dingbat' :)
Dee
Pffft! all she needs is a bakers roller and PVA.
Rough the surface of the wood with a fine piece of sandpaper apply the glue thinly and evenly all over taking more care to the side and corners, cut the felt to size allowing quater of an inch overlap then place over workpiece smooth it out across the workpiece with the hand then use the rolling pin to flatten the felt down and at the same time spreading the glue towards the edges when your happy with the job then get some card the size of the table put it on the workpiece then put something heavy on top to keep the felt flat whilst it cures.
Using hot glue is not for the novice as you have to work quickly where as pva cold allows you time to work with discrepencies should any arise.
Thanks Rod, just what I wanted.
You can use PVA to glue wood to fabric over a large area but it needs pressing down while it dries - and this will be quite slow.
The more expensive way is the sort of ammonia/latex glue like copydex. Its essentially a contact adhesive.
You can use solvent contact adhesive but its a bit fierce and a bit lumpy.
Neither caustic soda nor car body filler are recommended. ;-)
NO!
The cover *must* be fixed under tension if it's ever to be used for playing cards on. Best if it's not glued on the top at all but merely fastened (or glued) at the sides.
Just run over it with the Land-Rover a couple of times to smooth it out.
Owain
Am I allowed to do that with the Missus? she's "a bit fierce and a bit lumpy".
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