timyoung Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 After reading many of the posts on veneering, I am re-veenring my 1st pair of Heresy speakers. Vintage 1979. After glueig down loose veneer and using Bondo to square the corners and fill small imperfections in the cabinets, I started on the 1st panel. I purchase Hickory veneer from certainlywood.com. Great price on some reallly nice Hickory veneer. Matches my HT cabinet well. I cut the veneer about 1/8" larger than the bottom of the box on all sides. After applying titebond 2 to both the cabinet bottom and the hickory veneer, I allowed it to dry for about 1 hour. Should I allow it to dry overnight? I then put the iron on high and slowly ironed the veneer to the top of the cabinet. The only issue I had was the veneer checked or cracked as it was quickly being dried out with the iron. I used Timber Mate wood filler to fill the cracks. I could have cut small pieces of veneer and piced them in, but the filler worked well. Is the cracking or checking normal? Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 If you're going to use the iron-on method I would recommend paper-backed veneer from www.oakwoodveneer.com and Heatlock glue from www.joewoodworker.com The paper-backed veneer has the veneer bookmatched, edged, tightly joined, backed with paper, and sanded smooth. It really takes a lot of the work out of veneering and turns it into more like wallpapering. This is good or bad depending on your viewpoint. Both for me. But it's the way to go for ease of install and for a reliable result. The Heatlock glue is specially formulated for iron-on veneer. It's a little better than the Titebond II. Expensive with shipping, but again, if you want the easy way to get a great result, this is the way to go. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Greg and Marshall are in my opinion the two premier sources on the forum for refinishing techniques...listen to either of them...they have been through it way more than anyone else probably ever will. Look at Greg's website...he turns veneer and beat up speakers into things you would not imagine possible...speakers into works of art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Well, at least you started with the bottom. That was smart. Probably would have been better to try a piece of scrap plywood though if you have not done this before. Iron-on method and unbacked veneer can sometimes be problematic. Sounds like the veneer had way too much moisture in it. The moisture made it swell. And the heat from the iron made it shrink and crack, after the glue had set up. The veneer will take much longer to loose the moisture than the glue will take to set up. And the glue probably wasn't thoroughly dry after an hour either. You can size the veneer with shellac to seal it before applying the glue. Other than that I think about all you can do is to make sure you use only a thin coat of glue on the veneer, give the veneer plenty of time to dry out in a low humidity environment before applying it, and use the absolute minimum heat necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timyoung Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hi Greg, I'll try the paper backed veneer and heatlock glue on the next project. I have enough veneer now for about (4) heresy speakers. Each piece is 16" wide and about 102" long. I am not joining any pieces in width. Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timyoung Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 I started were it wasn't going to show. I figured I could always remove it if I really messed up. I'll let it dry over night next time. Regarding the shellac... will sealing it help with the checking? I rolled the glue on with one of those small foam rollers. One coat. I'll try the lower the heat setting to see if that helps. Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I have the page bookmarked somewhere...veneer tape anywhere checking is going to be suspect... Here it is... http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/108485.aspx?PageIndex=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timyoung Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Thank you for the thread. Lots of great information. I'm going to try a couple ideas before I switch to the paperback veneer. I understand it would be easier to use. But I like the idea of the veneer being glued to the cabinet verses having the paper between them. Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 As greg suggested; however you really should go to www.joewoodworker.com and look at his "tutorials". You may want to use some veneer softner, or use contact cement with the current veneer. It's not that difficult and with the Heresy's, easy to apply. You wont need an iron, and other than a veneer "roller" it should not crack. Go look at this (carefully...): http://www.joewoodworker.com/articles.htm This thread discusses "how to" (with pictures...) to refinish/ re-furbish Heresy-I's and II's: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/109693.aspx Also some different pictures (Cornwalls), but principle is the same: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/117315.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timyoung Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 I just bought the veneer softener, paperback edge veneer today and read several of the tutotials on joewoodworker.com. Very good information. I've used contact cement on other projects and was planning to use it on the Heresy's, but I was reading about someone using the iron on method with titebond 2. I wanted to give it try. Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timyoung Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 I had better success tonight... 1st panel I left at least 1" long in all direction. Taped 3 sides to a piece of plywood. Big improvement. But still had some checking. Not nearly as bad as yesterday. The next piece, I put a coat of clear shellac on the back side of the veneer. I let it dry for about 30 minutes, then put the titebond 2 on. Let it dry for about 1 hour on both the substrate and the veneer. Then ironed it on. What a difference. I had very little if any checking and no lifting. Hopefully I'll have these done by Sunday. The only thing that may stop me is a vintage Oliver 14" Table Saw that I bought today up in Chico. That will be another fun restoration project. [] Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWoodworker Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Just wanted to chime in with a few comments. Paperbacked veneer is a great option with Heat Lock. It eliminates the chance of splitting caused by the drying effect of the clothes iron. If you are using Heat Lock with raw wood, it’s always a good idea to spritz it with some veneer softener. Shipping costs on Heat Lock can seem unreasonable at times. I see it everyday. I charge whatever UPS charges me plus a buck for the box. At the end of the year, shipping ends up being a break-even point for me (the way it should be in my opinion). The most affordable shipping comes when the order has more than one product in it. It’s just the nature of the beast. If you have a big order, the shipping is very reasonable. The smaller orders can be a killer though. My wife and I also offer paperbacked veneer so the OP might want to consider that as a way of saving on the shipping as well. Lastly, a big thanks to Groomlakearea51, greg928gts, and others for mentioning my website. It is greatly appreciated. Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Lots of us are big fans of you around here Joe...stop in occasionally. I think a lot of veneer supplies run through this fourm. Probably a drop in the bucket in the big picture for you, but nice to see ya on the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Shipping costs on Heat Lock can seem unreasonable at times. Shipping costs on everything can seem unreasonable at times! Nice of you to stop by Joe, don't be a stranger. Now we need to get you into a nice pair of Klipsch speakers! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWoodworker Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 I'm always happy to help. If you guys need me for anything, you can email me or you can simply mention 'joewoodworker' on the forum and I'll get a notice in my email. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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