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replacing the veneer on a pioneer amp

M

mikezing

Active Member
Look down a few post to see my DIY suggestions. Thanks for all advice guys!

I plan on getting the walnut veneer from http://www.vandykes.com. I'm going to take the vinyl veneer off with heat and don't think I should have any issues with that. I've been trying to figure out how to apply the veneer and can't find a clear answer.
I've heard that people have issues with plain wood veneer and contact cement over time. I found a site with veneer glue that claims it avoids these issues.
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/glues.htm
If anyone has tried this stuff, please let me know how it went and which you used (iron-on or cold press). Also, should I use paper back veneer with contact cement or plain wood veneer with glue?
Thanks!!
 
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I would use the veneer glue. Looks like a fun project. Post some pics when you are done.
 
I have veneered speakers using contact cement without any issues. As long as the receiver does not get hot I don't see why the contact cement won't hold. I would defiantly use the paper backed veneer its much easier to work with, it doesn't split as easy as non-backed veneer and cuts smoother.
 
If you remove the beige vinyl coating, under the simili-wood top coating, with your heat gun, you will find a nice wood veneer. You may find that you only need to sand and finish the actual veneer. I did it on a SX-650 recently, with very good results.
 
My SA 7700 is half vinyl walnut and half beige vinyl (no wood under). Its gotta go. I read that using contact cement without paper backing can ruin the veneer after time. Is paperbacking and contact cement the best way to go? Should I use the peel and stick paperback veneer instead? any tips on application?
 
I have posted many pics of my projects, feel free to search my posts. I use paper backed walnut veneer with contact cement. I use a new razor blade and sometimes my papercutter to cut the sections. Then carefully sand the edges until they are even with the sides. Then I stain, then I poly.

Post your before and after pics to help others, good luck!
 
I just did my SX-650 with walnut veneer. I removed the old stuff with an iron. It came off in two layers to reveal the base wood. Be careful to heat it up enough so it comes off easily. I used what is probably the easiest method for gluing. I used Titebond 2 wood glue. Just apply one layer to the cabinet and one layer to the veneer. Let dry for an hour or two until clear. Put the veneer in place and iron on the hottest setting. Press hard. This will set the glue. You can actually see it the glue is getting hot enough to set, it will bubble slightly on the edges. Then let it cool and you can begin trimming. Just google "yellow glue iron" and see what you get. Basically any PVA type glue can be set by heating. Just don't let it dry too long before ironing it to the cabinet.
 
Alright...I decided on the paper back veneer and Ill show as many pics as possible. Should I use titebond 2, better bond heat lock, better bond veneer glue, or 3m contact cement?
The better bond stuff is in a link in my first post.
I would much rather use an iron than a vacuum press, which I dont have, or a ton of clamps.
 
I have tried both the tile bond and the contact cement methods. They each have there advantages. the tile bond method makes positioning easier b/c contact cement bonds as soon as the two pieces touch. With contact cement you just apply to both surfaces then press on with a roller (I have uesed a rolling pin with good results). The choice is yours, I like contact cement b/c its faster for me and less messy. The advantage of the tile bond of easier possisioning is not that big because you have to cut your pieces so the venneer overlaps 1 inch over the cabinet then trim and sand, so you don't need to be precise on posisioning.
 
I've used contact cement for many woodworking projects over the years and never had any problems. You do have to be careful though, because once the two pieces touch, they are bonded, no repositioning possible.
 
I'd use wood glue. It's gonna be hard to perfectly place the top veneer between the side panels w/ contact cement. Really tough! Stack weight on the whole surface being glued- 2 hours later-voila. It will also form a much tougher bond more resistant to hot weather. Use dark wood glue for walnut and darker hardwoods.
 
All done!
A few tips and a few pics...
I used paper back veneer for the large pieces and 1" strip of PAS veneer (PSA didn't work so I ended up pulling it off and using it like the paper back) for the edges.

I cut with a utility knife (a couple runs with a new blade will cut through) and added about 1/4" to each side. Dont worry too much about perfect cuts, because you'll usually be able to make it right when you cut off the excess.

I applied titebond II wood glue and let it dry for 30 min or so (wasn't tacky and dried clear). Position with overhand where you want it, place tshirt over it and iron on lowish setting until the glue stops making noise. Let the glue set for a min or so before you start trimming. DONT BEGIN TRIM from the ENDS!!! Take shallow gouges out of the middle and you will be less likely to splinter the wood or go too deep.

I drilled holes with c clamps on, a piece of wood on the outside, high speed, and low pressure, so I wouldnt push the veneer away from the piece (almost no splintering). I had a friend use a drill press to make the hole a bit bigger and then sanded the rest.

Stained with watco danish oil natural...still waiting for the 3rd day to put howard feed-n-wax on it.
 
Oh and if you get glue on the wood veneer, then wipe it off quickly with a damp cloth (rub with lots of water, if you noticed it after it started to dry).

Also, sand everything nicely after all the trimming is done (not excessively).
 

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I once replaced the side panels on an SX-450 with actual blocks of wood. Oak, I think. Cut them to size, stained and shellacked them and screwed them onto the side. Of course, the only wood on that receiver are the two blocks on the side, so this was easy to do. It would be quite a few difficulty levels higher to rebuild a standard three-sided wood case from hardwood.

I was quite pleased with the result. I was worried about the cross-cut wood grain that showed on the front looking cheesy, but after it was stained, it turned out to be a cool effect.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures to share.
 
Here are a couple of a case I made out of solid oak for one of my LR 9090 that didn't have one. The top was laminated strips to keep warping down and planed. I am not good enough to inlet the the top vent so it is screwed on top. A little off topic on laminate over wood
 

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This thread showed up in a "like" and I had forgotten about it. Its still my favorite for help laminating

Sometime since 2012 I started to replace the "Genuine Vinyl Veneer" AKA contact paper on another amp.

I used the warm / hot iron method to get the old contact paper off and noted the wood underneath was really great plywood.

It took a lot of cleaning outside with solvents and gloves to get the old glue off and I maybe should have done more cleaning.
A wide metal putty knife was a good friend for getting the bulk of the glue off.

I then stripped a few ends removed from metal top cases (YEP also good plywood) and stripped them also to experiment on.
It takes a lot of elbow grease to get the plywood clean enough to take stain.
Laminate clean is much easier.
It also takes a good deal of time to make sure all the solvent has evaporated

I ended up with walnut stain and poly finish. I think the streaks are where I didn't get the old adhesive removed well enough.

When I finished it, I was disappointed in the look and I was going to sand and laminate as I had started out to do.
It sat on the bench waiting for a "round to it" and I noticed it looked like antique furniture and old 40s radio cases restored.
By now I'm quite happy with it and it has been at least 5 years

left.JPG
Left end


right.JPG
Right end
top.JPG
top

The antique look is a lot different than the nice new laminate I was originally planning on.
 
Almost all the contractors doing kitchen cabinet refacing use paper backed veneer with the adhesive in place. Peel and stick; of course there is more to it than that but it holds up on vertical surfaces which is more difficult that flat surfaces if you put it om right. I did small receiver about 25 years ago with some leftover pieces and it worked pretty well. Sold the receiver about 20 years ago so I can't testify to how long it lasts, but kitchen cabinets get a lot more use and abuse than stereo receivers.
 
Refaced a 780 of mine a few years ago with cherry vinyl veneer. I really liked the result, and it was easy and very inexpensive, and think that the effort will likely outlive me. Real veneer is awesome, but a quality vinyl job, for a lower-end receiver, isn’t a bad option either. Nice work!BBFE9984-71AF-4842-9B15-EAFFF61D2A25.jpeg D02B832D-F886-40A7-9DD7-0C2CACE5EC16.jpeg
 
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