Veneer and glue squeeze out

[Ralph Dobbertin]

Folks I tried doing a search but could not find exactly what I was looking for.

I am trying to use a very thin veneer for the first time as the grain is incredibly 3 dimensional. I bought the vacuum press from LV and it works well.

The problem I am having is that I am getting glue squeeze through the veneer. In the search's I did find, some people recommended either sanding or scraping it off. Seems a little risky as the veneer is so thin.

My questions are:

1) Any way to avoid the squeeze through...besides trying to get a thinner film of glue

2) What is the best way to remove the glue. I used Lee Valley Cabinetmaker's Glue 2002 GF. "Our 2002 GF glue is a polyvinyl acetate emulsion adhesive with superior gap-filling characteristics due to its high solids content (45%)"

3) Is it even possible to remove the glue since it came through the veneer? IE will the BLO finish, that I want to apply, be affected?

4) How long should the veneer stay in the press?

Thanks

[Mitchell Andrus]

I do a quite a bit of veneer/inlay work. It's more art than science. I use a cold press veneer glue and vac. It's specifically made with larger suspended particles and is a bit dryer.

I paint on a coat as if painting latex paint - easy does it... you're not gluing down Formica here. I then wait til it gets just tacky enough to leave a finger print. Soupy is NG. Too dry is NG too. Don't walk away, it'll only be a few minutes depending on humidity - gotta clean your brush anyway...

Cherry is one of the worst for ruin due to glue intrusion, the oils in the finish just can't get into the pores of the wood. Woods with more open grains also leak, but it's easier to camoflage when staining if the surface looks busy already.

Careful scraping, you can tear the surface.

[Jim Becker]

Like Mitchell, I'm also using a cold press glue for veneer (from Joe Woodworker) and I have been pleased with the results. When I recently did some panels with cherry crotch (not backed), I didn't have any problems with glue seep even where there were some slight cracks.

[Dave Malen]

Is unibond 800 made by vacuum pressing systems. With thin veneer there will be bleed through. But you can match the color by blending the catylist which comes in dark and light colors.
This will give a better bond than than Joe's glue (I've tried them both) Joe's glue is water based. Unibond works by chemical reaction and is not affected by water. I learned the hard way when my veneer bubbled up after spraying a water based finish on a panel. You can use a very thin coat of unibond and get less bleed through.

BTW ( Joe's site is a great resource and he sells good products. I built one of his vacuum systems and it works great. Just think the unibond is a better product)

Dave

[Ralph Dobbertin]

Thanks to all that replied