LAST EDITED ON Nov-30-00 AT 07:53PM (CDT)[p]The repair of such a veneer is not real difficult, but it does take certain skills, and tools.
First, draw an outline of an area larger than your damged area, and trying to follow as many of the grain lines as possible. Use a fine pencil line and keep it light.. do not "dent" the wood: a .5mm HB lead is what I would use for this sort of line.
Next, try to cut a paper pattern as close to that as possible: it is always easier to cut that paper three times than put some of it back on!!!!
Now, find some similar grain style on a piece of scrap cherry ply from the same sheet of plywood, if possible. Cover that grain with your paper pattern, mark around your paper with that same pencil lead still do not try to dent the wood just leave a light line.
Cover ALL of that enclosed area with masking tape, and go "outside of the lines" every where ** use registration marks to indicate how that paper pattern was located on the scrap of ply** <in other words, if you had an area of 3 square inches... tape over four square inches, even five....> **NOW try to put that paper pattern back onto the tape and mark it with that pencil again....
Using a jig saw or Scroll saw... cut on the outside of that lined area... even a small blade on a Band Saw will do the job. maybe even a hand held coping saw....
Having the small piece of ply cut, CAREFULLY remove the tape, which should of provided a non scratch surface for the jig saw, AND kept the wood from splintering.
NOW with a NEW EXACTO knife blade in a handle, lightly trace that pencil line... you will not cut through the ply with one slice, so do not try it! Follow your line a second time, and then a third.... you may be close to going through on the third slice, but hey, take it easy, go for four... five slices... eac time you are getting deeper and have a LOT more control on that blade than the time before! <easy so far, huh....>
Go have a cup of decafe... a Soady pop, a good drink of cool water, relax...
Returning to work relaxed... you will now want to slice that ply off the MDF.
TAKE a brand new Stanley utility blade and holding it so it is parrellel with your veneer... slice into that starting with somewhere on the outside of the line... this is called practice! When you realize that you can get that blade very nicely under the veneer.. and slide/slice it from the MDF... go a bit deeper... and deeper... all the way around that scrap on the outside of the <scribed..sliced...cut> line. EVENTUALLY you should be able to remove the whole darn piece of veneer away from the patterned piece in one piece YOUR a PRO, two pieces... try again <just kidding!>!
YOU will want to retape it now... and re saw that piece so that the next step starts you out at the very outside edge of the scribed line. YOU may want to mount that scrap onto another piece of wood to be able to control it better...
<rest your brain and hands again ....>
With another NEW blade, repeat the slide/slice until you have successfully removed the entire veneer from your MDF:::>
IN ONE PIECE.
Wow. congradulations!!!!
Turn that puppy over and lightly sand off any MDF that is there.
NO heavey sanding you can even leave the color of the MDF... no thickness though!
Lay that five hundred dollar piece of veneer onto the damaged area.
Compare your lines with the actual pattern. Lift up and Gently erase those lines.
With the same .5 mm HB lead lightly mark the real lines tracing around your pattern.
ANOTHER new Exacto Blade... and lighty scribe/slice the first time, ON THE INSIDE OF THAT PENCIL LINE... this should be extremely gentle but with a very controlled hand do it a second time... third time... fourth time.... you know the score by now!!!! you KNOW you are through the veneer, right? do one more slice.... maybe two.
Another NEW STANLEY utility blade and also maybe a freshly sharpened 1/4 or 1/2" chisel but if it is not SHARP as mine... stick with that STANLEY Blade!!!!!
SLowly, remove the leftover remains of veneer up to the scribed and cut lines.... DO NOT speed in this part, slow and easy <did you stop and rest them hands and brain????> DO not dig them out, just slice so easy... another new blade can always be used...
so your voided area is all scraped out, and is level as possible?
PICK UP that piece of gold you manufactured, <veneer patch> and gently place it on the voided area. does it fit? did it just drop into the hole? that is too loose, but you will know better next time! it should not fall into it, nor should it sit on the top... and overlap the rest of the edge: in the perfect world of veneer repair you would need "Just a slight bit of pressure" to fit it into the area!
DO NOT FORCE THAT ITEM INTO THE VOID!
if it is really close to fitting: take some 150 grit paper <do I have to mention "new" to you?> and bevel sand the eges so the underneath side is "smaller" than the visible side... Do not change the shape of the patch, just bevel it....
Now lay that back down into the the void... gosh it dropped in by itself! lift it out using a piece of masking tape!
Tape over the lines with masking tape, snug it down with a bit of pressure... and scribe slice cut that tape from the inside of the void.... put some BROWN woodworkers glue into that void, and use a business card to spread it out so it is level.
FINALLY insert that patch of gold you have been sweating over for the last thirtyfive hours of the most intricate work you have done... you can now claim to have done brain surgery or some other intricate work!!!!! <OH your not done yet, I forgot!>
A gentle but controlled pressure, FROM the INSIDE of the "CENTER" of your patch working OUT to the EDGES... and watch a bit of that glue ooze out... aren't you glad that you put that masking tape down: you would have had to TOUCH you repair before you should!
place a bit of 4 mill plastic down on the patch. and then some weight on the plastic to keep the patch "down"....
Go have dinner.... enjoy the dedicated work that you have accomplished... return to your work the next day... and strip off the tape.
Now, look at what you have there... and with a hand pad and 220 grit NEW paper, gently stroke with the grain to blend in the patches height <it should stand just proud of the other surface, due to the glue...> OR stroke the plywoods veneer to level with the patch <if the patch is lower by some means or another>
By any means do not do to much sanding... just blend it in.
A drum roll please. Cymbals and even a triangle being struck would be nice!
Now, all you have to do is Teach that to someone else some day! <and of course put the finish on the project!>
Hope that helps!
phil
What? you have more questions???? ask them here! I will answer, or some one else will....