Adhesive for veneer

attn eddyde: your white glue instructions look easy. are you saying that after the glue is dry on both surfaces; the hot iron will activate the glue again??
 
porthos said:
attn eddyde: your white glue instructions look easy. are you saying that after the glue is dry on both surfaces; the hot iron will activate the glue again??
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Yes, Though Firsrram’s instructions are more detailed. I assume you are using paper backed veneer? Also a picture of the back of the box would be helpful.
 
borges1 said:
There are a lot of factual/product errors in this thread. Veneering isn't terribly complicated thankfully. I have done quite a bit of veneer work for work - furniture to large panels. My personal preferred veneer glue is Unibond1 available from vacupress. It is designed for exactly this sort of veneer project: you can order small quantities, it works great, and no mixing required. In a pinch titebond 1 or even an epoxy work fine. For small panels you can probably use lots of clamps and cauls over your panel. If you can spring for/borrow a a vacuum bag system those make it almost too easy.

I have not done the hide glue/iron on method so cannot speak to that or those products.

You do not want to use a PVA glue or contact cement - both are too flexible and 'creep'. Contact cement is used for sythentic sheet bonding like formica, but not good for real wood. Titebond1 is an aliphalic glue (which does not creep) Titebond 2 and 3 are modfied PVA, which creep. You want a glue that dries hard, brittle in chunks hard. Not one that dries gummy. The foam roller tip is a good one, or use a v-notch glue scraper. Try a couple small test panels to get the amount of glue right, its a big bummer to clean up after the fact. Unibond1 self seals in the veneer and doesn't come through the veneer as much as other glues readily available, nor does it affect finish as much. Good luck - veneering is fun!
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Sure Unibond might be better for some projects or working with plain, non backed veneers, in a vacuum bag, etc. However, I feel that is beyond the scope of the discussion. The OP stated he only wants to replace the veneer on th back on a tool chest, most likely with paper backed veneer, and for that purpose, white glue is perfectly fine.
I say this because I have done it many times over decades of professional woodworking.
 
thanks guys. i'm going to keep ot simple; the eddyde way. oh ,and what if it is not paper backed, same method???
 
porthos said:
thanks guys. i'm going to keep ot simple; the eddyde way. oh ,and what if it is not paper backed, same method???
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Plain veneer works just fine with white glue, so does almost anything you can heat up. The best part of this method is almost impossible to make a mistake!

Contact cement sticks as soon as it makes contact, whether you’re lined up or not. Not to mention, it’s really thick and will build up in the corners. There’s no reason to ever use contact cement on wood. It will always remain flexible and allow everything to shift around and change shape.

Original Titebond or any yellow carpenters wood glue is water resistant and must be clamped down tightly while wet to work. After it’s dry and the clamps are removed, any excess glue will have squeezed out of every pore, crack and joint leaving you with unstainable yellow spots in your project.

The white glue/iron method is the safest, most relaxing fool proof method out there for a beginner or a journeyman!
 
I would never use contact cement on veneer!
Paper backed veneer is more forgiving to use. Hide glue is traditional and works great but not for the DIY first timers.
You can vacuum press with a shop vac but be sure to support the panels well. Do a dry run test first! The white glue and iron method is safest.
My shop had a 5x10' vacuum table hooked into the 40 hp CNC router pump. Could do curved surfaces nicely. Could also crush an ill designed form.
 
Yes, you can use the iron on glue method on plain veneer but it's a bit trickier. For one thing, you'll need to prep the edges of the strips of veneer so they fit perfectly. Then you must join the strips together with a special tape that you moisten and apply, it shrinks slightly as it dries and pulls the seams tightly together. Once you have laid up a sheet large enough, you can glue it on. The tape then needs to be removed and the surface sanded. Another problem is most veneers are somewhat porous and glue bleed through is can be a problem.
If you want to really get into veneering then by all means you should learn to work plain veneer. But for a one off or occasional job, Paper backed is the best way to go, no taping, no bleed through and it only needs a light sanding before finishing.
 
The old smelly solvent based contact cement always did a great job. The new "environmental" contact adhesive does hold but not as well.

I would use PVA glue like Titebond. If it is too thick, thin it a little with water. Apply it to both contact surfaces like contact cement. I have never tried white PVA glue like Ellmers. I would worry about it softening from water or humidity which Titebond III won't do.
 
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MikeInOr said:
The old smelly solvent based contact cement always did a great job. The new "environmental" contact adhesive does hold but not as well.

I would use PVA glue like Titebond. If it is too thick, thin it a little with water. Apply it to both contact surfaces like contact cement. I have never tried white PVS glue like Ellmers. I would worry about it softening from water or humidity which Titebond III won't do.
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Contact cement works well with paper backed veneer. Yes. I prefer the solvent based type.
IME, white glue won't soften to failure, from humidity only from total saturation with water. If it's a wet environment, Epoxy or Resorcinol would be a good choice.
 
the only "white" glue that lowes has is elmers school glue. if this will not work what brand should i buy on the internet???
 
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