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Old 17th May 2008, 10:30 am   #1
davidw
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Unhappy Reclaiming Veneer

Over the years I've found many a wooden cabinet with peeling veneer, but, try as I might, I have never been able to deliberately remove veneer from a scrap cabinet in order to store (hoard!) it for any future restoration. Has anybody successfully achieved this?
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Old 17th May 2008, 1:25 pm   #2
M0TGX Terry
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Default Re: Reclaiming Veneer

Hi there.
It all depends what sort of glue was used. If it is the traditional hot animal-based glue (by which I mean hot glue which is animal based, not glue which is based on a hot animal), you should be able to soften it with a steam iron . Use an old tea-towel or similar between the iron and the veneer. Once the glue has softened, use a plastic wide-bladed scraper to peel it away from the backing wood. If it's a big piece you might have to reapply the heat part-way through the job. If you have to do this, put some greaseproof paper between the already-peeled part and the wood, or you'll just end up re-sticking the bits you've already done. I've used this successfully to get veneers off furniture in the past, and since you're using cabinets which would otherwise be scrapped, it won't matter if the plywood backing starts to delaminate.Once the veneer is off, it should clean up with hot water. You can then dry it flat between two boards. (use greaseproof paper again or you'll end up veneering the boards!)

In one extreme case I used a steam wallpaper stripper in place of the iron - still worked but was more cumbersome and made more mess.

Keep your hands out of the way of the steam - it ain't half hot!

The above won't work if the veneer is more modern and fixed with a solvent based glue like EvoStick, which doesn't respond to heat.
Good luck.
Terry
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Old 17th May 2008, 9:06 pm   #3
yestertech
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Default Re: Reclaiming Veneer

I'm sure I read somewhere that you can just soak the wooden panels in a bath and the veneer will eventually separate ?
It can then be laid flat somewhere to dry

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Old 18th May 2008, 7:53 am   #4
davidw
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Default Re: Reclaiming Veneer

Thanks Terry and Andy, I reasoned that as the stuff delaminates in damp conditions then it should come off by soaking, but I've had little success;perhaps I need to leave it longer(months!!!) I'm off to Woolworths for a £9.99 steam iron to try that method.For some reason MrsW was not keen to lend me hers!!
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