Thread: Best way to remove veneer tape

if it's genuine veneer tape, you can often sponge it off, scraping the last bit.

But if the veneer is porous, the techniglue is likely to bond to the tape, meaning that scraping is your only option.

Yes, just a moist sponge.

Pictures Dengue!

Hi Dengue,

Ditto the damp sponge. I use the sponge, leave it 20 seconds or so to loosen the glue then remove with a card scraper. I’ve done this on bookmatched burr veneers many times without a problem.

Interesting that you’re using epoxy to glue the veneer to the substrate. I believe Ian Hawthorne (http://www.hawthornecrafts.com/) uses epoxy as it doesn’t curl the veneer. I’ve read that epoxy can bleed through the veneer, so do you use some epoxy filler/thickener to prevent this?

Lately I’ve been reading a lot on glues for veneering. The views are wildly different. For example, Joe at veneersupplies.com says PVAs are not suitable, yet Oakwood Veneers say the opposite. There’s an interesting article abour glues for veneers on Joe’s companion website https://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/glues.htm Andrew Crawford uses white PVA glue.

I’d love to hear how you’ve found the epoxy once you’ve glued up the burr

Brian

here you go , woodPixel. A couple of scrap pieces used to make a 215 x 230 piece as shown. will need to be trimmed down to size. The first pic without any tape is the underside just prior to gluing. The side with the tape is the face side. Hope the join line works out OK. I clamped them together between two pieces of timber, with a smidgeon protruding from between them, and ran them over a sheet of plate glass with sandpaper spray glued.

do you use some epoxy filler/thickener to prevent this?

homey, I didn't know such an animal existed. I once tinted the epoxy so that it is approximately the same colour in case in does bleed through, but it was not satisfactory.

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Hi Dengue,

That looks like a very clean bookmatch - congratulations!

Yes, there are a number of different fillers to thicken epoxy. See, for example, page 10 of this excellent manual from West Systems: https://www.westsystem.com/wp-conten...anual-2015.pdf

I also use urea formaldehyde glue for veneers, particularly for curved lids where I don’t want any creep/spring back. I use Cascamite - great gap filling (like epoxy) and when cured it’s tougher than a mother-in-law’s glare. Brittle, though.

Still getting great use out of those screws, Joe!

Best,

Brian

I followed the advice given above, dampening the tape with a sponge for 20 seconds or so. I used a plastic credit card as a scraper and all the tape came away cleanly and easily. It just left the outline of the tapes which were sanded off with 240 grit paper on an ROS. Thanks for all the advice and help provided above, much appreciated.

The end result was disappointing, and I am not sure why, as I sanded the individual joint edges flat before taping them. The underside of the joined pieces shown above was perfect, but after gluing it to the MDF substrate with epoxy and removing the veneer tape on the face side, the joint line was quite distinct, to the extent I am not happy about using this veneered board. Fortunately, it was made of some scrap off-cuts which seemed to nice to throw away, and used as a learning experience.

I suspect gluing the edges first with PVA glue and washing the excess off with a damp rag may not have been necessary ? I think I can see the discolouration due to the PVA on either side of the joint line for about 5mm width

I would welcome any suggestions on how to do better next time.



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Decided to sand it aggressively to remove the PVA stain along the joint line, and that worked. Wiped it down with white Spirit as shown below. Joint line quite markedly visible. Very disappointing for such a beautiful piece of veneer.



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Hi Dengue,

Difficult to tell from photos, but it looks like you have bleed-through of the glue in places either side of the glue line (the darker patches). If you wipe the whole surface with a fairly damp rag it should show where any bleed through has occurred. Solution to that is to use less glue or thicken the epoxy. Any reason you chose epoxy for this? Ordinary PVA/TB2/TB3 works fine for me as long as I don’t put too much on. I use a roller and aim for what looks like a thin coat of paint.

As to the method of getting the edges to meet exactly, I take the two pieces to be joined and fold them together face to face. The two pieces together are sandwiched between two pieces of MDF with just a mm or two of the faces to be joined hanging out the side. A long sander is then run along the side to sand the edges perfectly flat. It is important that the sanding block is long to ensure end to end flatness of the pieces. I use a home-made shooting sander board with a Veritas track and sander, but you could make the sander easily from MDF and spray-glue the abrasive to the surface:

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With the edges sanded true along the whole length, on to the tape up. I’ve tried different ways, but this is what works for me. A bit fiddly but the results are usually good.

Putting the two pieces face up and butted together, I use blue tape, pressing it down on one side then slightly stretching the tape across the join before pressing down on the other piece. Only needs a little stretch to bring the two pieces firmly together. I do this on the face side first so I can align the bookmatch.

Once the front is blue-taped the panel is turned over and the two pieces angled away from each other(like a part-opened book) so a tiny amount of PVA can be run alond the two mating surfaces with my finger. Definitely just a tiny amount. With the back surfaces upwards, the assembly is placed flat down so the join mates perfectly again. Then I blue-tape the back, using the same process as before, stretching the tape slightly.

Turning the piece face upwards again, the blue tape is carefully peeled off the front, the joint checked for alignment and tightness then taped up with veneer tape. Place between two MDF cauls with waxed paper or similar to stop the glue sticking to the cauls, and apply just enough pressure to keep it flat. Don’t use a lot of pressure or the blue tape will be extremely difficult to remove.

Hope this helps.

Brian

Hi Dengue,

Just seen your latest post with photos after sanding. Looks like too much glue has caused bleed through. What sort of PVA were you using?

Brian

Originally Posted by Dengue

I suspect gluing the edges first with PVA glue and washing the excess off with a damp rag may not have been necessary ? I think I can see the discolouration due to the PVA on either side of the joint line for about 5mm width

in the veneering I've done, I've mostly used a plane rather than a sanding block to shoot the edges.

and I've not pre-glued the joints. My experience is that a clean joint held tight with tape will glue very well.

Dengue,

Just for interest, here are some pieces of glue that have dried. I did this mainly to see what colour any bleed-through would be:

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My very unscientific observation is that Titebond Extend and TB3 are the closest to a neutral colour. Titebond Extend and the Aquadhere Exterior are both claimed to dry clear. Sure.

From the point of view of bleed-through my experience (which may well be different to others) is that Titebond Extend bleeds through the most - it is a thin preparation. TB2 I also find bleeds through if I use too much, and the colour usually makes it look very messy if it does. TB3 seems a little better.

Never had any bleed through with Cascamite (Urea Formaldehyde) but then I only bother mixing some up if I’m doing curved surfaces that need a rigid bond.

All this is a bit academic because I now make sure the glue layer is thin and even, whatever it is.

Regards,

Brian

Excellent advice all round. I especially like homeys angled sanding jig. It's neat on a few levels.

FYI, I thought these videos, which are recent, would add to the knowledge:

-- https://youtu.be/adO2vHoIPAA. This shows cutting and at 7'30" shows tapping. At 8' it shows the technique I also use for glueing edges.

-- https://youtu.be/Q4S2E0UYoQA shows the process and "secret formula" of flattening of unruly Veneers

Never thought of using the table saw to cut the veneer edges! Will give it a go tomorrow - looks brilliant!

Also like the sanding pre-glue to fill any tiny gaps. Thanks for this, wP.

Brian