Wowsers!! Steep learning curve on applying veneer.
I thought I would go the unconventional route with veneering and I tried the “hot iron” method.
The theory is to apply TiteBond “original” glue to both surfaces (guitar and veneer) and leave it until they are touch dry, and then position the veneer on the guitar and use a hot iron (normal domestic clothes iron) to heat up and reconstitute the glue. Benefits are that you have a longer window to work with than just using TB the conventional way, no cauls or clamping and, more options to position the veneer than using contact glues that will “take” as soon as the 2 surfaces touch.
Win, win, what could possibly go wrong!!
I taped the two halves of the veneer together to get a really tight join and applied the glue. Within minutes each piece of veneer started to curl up in an attempt to mimic a Pringles tube, ripped away from the tape and as it curled in on itself proceeded to get glue on the top surface of the veneer and all over my working area. I quickly grabbed a damp cloth and moistened the top surface and tried to straighten out the pieces as best I could. But I ended up with glue on my hands and in my panic I managed to transfer it to everything that I touched, veneer, guitar body, work surface. Lol. Oh, and I also managed to put a rip in the veneer just for good measure.
With that catastrophe averted it was plain sailing, or so I thought. I think that in the process of heating up the damp veneer to reconstitute the glue the veneer must have expanded so my nice tight join that I painstakingly endeavored to achieve started to part as the veneer cooled. It has left a gap of about 1.5 mm between the sheets. Darn!!
So the moral of this little story is wet the top side of the veneer before you apply the glue and that this method, although really effective with a single piece of veneer, needs some modification if you are joining 2 pieces.
Would I use this method again??
Yes, I will try it again as the end result is a perfectly flat flawless veneer. The heat and the pressure from the iron give a perfect finish. I will be better prepared next time and I just need to work out how to get the join line right. I have some scrap pieces of veneer now so I can do some experimenting before my next attempt.
So tomorrow's the task will be to find out how much glue I have on the top surface of the veneer and the body of the guitar. I think the answer to that will be “lots”. Lol
Pics
#1 – Cutting out the usable sections of the veneer
#2 – Taped together to give what I hoped would be a perfect seamless join (lol)
#3 – The dried glue on the guitar and veneer ready to iron on.
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