Everything I'm sharing has come from direct experience or was learned from researching articles on the InterWebs. :T
I have 30 years of experience as a finish carpenter. But there are always things to learn. If you know of a better way, please share your experiences.
Veneer bubbles whether it's paper backed, solid wood, or wood backed veneer can all be repaired in a similar manner. This is BEFORE finish is applied, after finish / top coat has been applied is a different but similar method, depending on the type of finish / top coat. Veneer repairs to finished wood will not be covered by the methods described below.
First off, DO NOT CUT the veneer with a razor blade. DO NOT CUT the veneer straight down at a 90* angle. We will always work from the side, not the top. Here's why;
When you slice straight down with a razor blade you have made a cut which will try to overlap itself with the excess material of the bubble. Think of the veneer like pie or pizza dough, it wants to stay the same size and we want to force it to contract. Once cut, there is no tension between the edges and it relaxes and wants to overlap itself. Exactly what we don't want. Razor blades have their place in veneer (dutchies), but not here. I'll write up a separate article on a Dutchie soon, I've got a repair to make and I might as well show how I make a Dutchie. Put down the blade!
You'll need some tools for this repair.
Hot air gun / hair dryer / clothes Iron. Listed in preferred order.
Parchment paper, not necessary but useful. I don't like to use wax paper as it may effect finishes at a later time.
Mixing cup
Glue or Epoxy
Thinner for above glue or Epoxy. Link to an article on Epoxy thinning. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/thinnin...-system-epoxy/
Platen / MDF / Plywood or flat board
Syringe and needle (the color of the needle base references the diameter of the needle)
Paper towel
Recent Tetanus shot :roll: (jk) maybe.....
Heavy Weight or clamps and cauls
Veneer lesson
There is a front and back to veneers. There is an up and a down to veneers. If you look at a book match veneer you'll notice that the veneer's Chattoyance runs in different directions. This is Veneer Front and Back. If you could turn half side upside down the Chattoyance would run in the same direction, but no longer book matched. If you have book matched Veneers and turn one over, the Chattoyance would run in the same direction.
When you first open your box of Veneer they are laid out like loose pages of a book. Put a piece of tape on each one and number them. Put the tape on Face, top or the bottom and be consistent, it makes a difference in Chattoyance.
Here is how you tell if it's the outside or the inside of the Veneer. Roll up a piece of the veneer lengthwise, now roll it up the other way, inside out. See photos. One way will roll up much smaller, the other way will seem more difficult and stiff. When rolled up the smaller way the face will be on the outside. Mark the inside, this will be the glue side. It matters when you have to bend the Veneer around a radius. See link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wLeXMEH3cs
Now you know.
Get everything ready in advance you have to work quickly to retain the heat.
Here's why you need heat, the wood cells soften due to moisture (water) and heat. You need both. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLlmPiBuzk&fmt=22
First Dampen the area around the bubble plus a little more, damp not wet. What we want is to swell cells of the wood and re hydrate them just a little. This allows them to be flexible and helps prevent cracking of the veneer.
Mix up the thinned glue / epoxy and pour it into the syringe, the syringe fills easier if the needle is removed for now. Leave the cap on the needle. or you'll need that tetanus shot. :rofl: Put the needle back on and Test the thinned mixture to make sure it's thin enough to come out the needle. You don't need a lot of adhesive to come out the needle. If all is good, cap it and set it aside. Work fast from here on out.
Heat the FLAT board, MDF, Plywood or whatever you have on hand that is larger than the area of the bubble, bigger is better as we want this HOT. While your heating the platen, also heat the bubble which you have moistened. It may actually get worse while your heating the bubble. The bubble area should be warm not hot. Heat a larger area around the bubble, maybe +3" on all sides, warmer in the middle, we want everything to flex. Be careful not to scorch the wood with the hot air gun, keep your distance and keep it moving. Be patient don't try to rush heating up the area. 3 minutes would not be an exaggeration time wise. Keep it about 1.5 feet away and keep it moving. Temp wise your looking for warm biscuit, not hot potato from the oven. If the Veneer drys out, spray on a LITTLE more water.
Now carefully take the needle and syringe with the diluted adhesive mixture in it and with the bevel side of the needle UP, insert it just past the opening in the needle in the SIDE, not middle of the bubble. Now rotate the needle / syringe clockwise 1/2 turn and push it in underneath the bubble between the veneer and the wood as far as it will go. You turn the syringe clockwise because that locks the needle to the syringe, anti-clockwise unlocks the needle from the syringe and you'll make a huge mess on the face of your Veneer.
Slowly inject the adhesive and move the needle from side to side while you pull out the needle. Only experience will determine how much adhesive you need to inject. I'd rather have too much and have to use the paper towel to clean it up than not enough and try to do this again.
Once the needle is out and the cap is back on the needle, use your fingers to push down on the bubble and make contact with the glue and sub surface wood. Soak up any extra adhesive that pushes out.
Now take the Parchment paper and lay it on top of the bubble, then the HOT platen. Clamp tightly from center out or use a heavy object on top of the hot platen.
Go clean you tools and careful of the needle. I've used the same one many many times.
Let dry for 24 hours before looking at you finished repair.
I hope this has helped some with their bubble repair. I have made most mistakes and I've tried to learn from them.
If you have tried a different approach and it's worked well for you, please share your methods in detail.
Ron
I have 30 years of experience as a finish carpenter. But there are always things to learn. If you know of a better way, please share your experiences.
Veneer bubbles whether it's paper backed, solid wood, or wood backed veneer can all be repaired in a similar manner. This is BEFORE finish is applied, after finish / top coat has been applied is a different but similar method, depending on the type of finish / top coat. Veneer repairs to finished wood will not be covered by the methods described below.
First off, DO NOT CUT the veneer with a razor blade. DO NOT CUT the veneer straight down at a 90* angle. We will always work from the side, not the top. Here's why;
When you slice straight down with a razor blade you have made a cut which will try to overlap itself with the excess material of the bubble. Think of the veneer like pie or pizza dough, it wants to stay the same size and we want to force it to contract. Once cut, there is no tension between the edges and it relaxes and wants to overlap itself. Exactly what we don't want. Razor blades have their place in veneer (dutchies), but not here. I'll write up a separate article on a Dutchie soon, I've got a repair to make and I might as well show how I make a Dutchie. Put down the blade!
You'll need some tools for this repair.
Hot air gun / hair dryer / clothes Iron. Listed in preferred order.
Parchment paper, not necessary but useful. I don't like to use wax paper as it may effect finishes at a later time.
Mixing cup
Glue or Epoxy
Thinner for above glue or Epoxy. Link to an article on Epoxy thinning. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/thinnin...-system-epoxy/
Platen / MDF / Plywood or flat board
Syringe and needle (the color of the needle base references the diameter of the needle)
Paper towel
Recent Tetanus shot :roll: (jk) maybe.....
Heavy Weight or clamps and cauls
Veneer lesson
There is a front and back to veneers. There is an up and a down to veneers. If you look at a book match veneer you'll notice that the veneer's Chattoyance runs in different directions. This is Veneer Front and Back. If you could turn half side upside down the Chattoyance would run in the same direction, but no longer book matched. If you have book matched Veneers and turn one over, the Chattoyance would run in the same direction.
When you first open your box of Veneer they are laid out like loose pages of a book. Put a piece of tape on each one and number them. Put the tape on Face, top or the bottom and be consistent, it makes a difference in Chattoyance.
Here is how you tell if it's the outside or the inside of the Veneer. Roll up a piece of the veneer lengthwise, now roll it up the other way, inside out. See photos. One way will roll up much smaller, the other way will seem more difficult and stiff. When rolled up the smaller way the face will be on the outside. Mark the inside, this will be the glue side. It matters when you have to bend the Veneer around a radius. See link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wLeXMEH3cs
Now you know.
Get everything ready in advance you have to work quickly to retain the heat.
Here's why you need heat, the wood cells soften due to moisture (water) and heat. You need both. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLlmPiBuzk&fmt=22
First Dampen the area around the bubble plus a little more, damp not wet. What we want is to swell cells of the wood and re hydrate them just a little. This allows them to be flexible and helps prevent cracking of the veneer.
Mix up the thinned glue / epoxy and pour it into the syringe, the syringe fills easier if the needle is removed for now. Leave the cap on the needle. or you'll need that tetanus shot. :rofl: Put the needle back on and Test the thinned mixture to make sure it's thin enough to come out the needle. You don't need a lot of adhesive to come out the needle. If all is good, cap it and set it aside. Work fast from here on out.
Heat the FLAT board, MDF, Plywood or whatever you have on hand that is larger than the area of the bubble, bigger is better as we want this HOT. While your heating the platen, also heat the bubble which you have moistened. It may actually get worse while your heating the bubble. The bubble area should be warm not hot. Heat a larger area around the bubble, maybe +3" on all sides, warmer in the middle, we want everything to flex. Be careful not to scorch the wood with the hot air gun, keep your distance and keep it moving. Be patient don't try to rush heating up the area. 3 minutes would not be an exaggeration time wise. Keep it about 1.5 feet away and keep it moving. Temp wise your looking for warm biscuit, not hot potato from the oven. If the Veneer drys out, spray on a LITTLE more water.
Now carefully take the needle and syringe with the diluted adhesive mixture in it and with the bevel side of the needle UP, insert it just past the opening in the needle in the SIDE, not middle of the bubble. Now rotate the needle / syringe clockwise 1/2 turn and push it in underneath the bubble between the veneer and the wood as far as it will go. You turn the syringe clockwise because that locks the needle to the syringe, anti-clockwise unlocks the needle from the syringe and you'll make a huge mess on the face of your Veneer.
Slowly inject the adhesive and move the needle from side to side while you pull out the needle. Only experience will determine how much adhesive you need to inject. I'd rather have too much and have to use the paper towel to clean it up than not enough and try to do this again.
Once the needle is out and the cap is back on the needle, use your fingers to push down on the bubble and make contact with the glue and sub surface wood. Soak up any extra adhesive that pushes out.
Now take the Parchment paper and lay it on top of the bubble, then the HOT platen. Clamp tightly from center out or use a heavy object on top of the hot platen.
Go clean you tools and careful of the needle. I've used the same one many many times.
Let dry for 24 hours before looking at you finished repair.
I hope this has helped some with their bubble repair. I have made most mistakes and I've tried to learn from them.
If you have tried a different approach and it's worked well for you, please share your methods in detail.
Ron
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