Hammer neneering/fixing voids

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HSteier

Well-known member
One of the frustrations I've had with hot hide glue hammer veneering is fixing voids. I know the technique of reheating the void through a moist rag to reactivate the glue, but I have not always been succesful with this, I suspect because the voids may be due to glue starvation. Recently I came up with an easy fix I'd not heard of previously.
I use cold hide glue (I've been using Franklin's) and I inject it into the void with a syringe and then clamp the void. It works like a charm. The cold and hot glues are compatable so there's no problem with adhesion. A large void can but cut along the grain with a sharp knife or X-acto blade, and cold hide glue applied similarly, then clamped.

Howard Steier
 
Howard,
I have used that method. I have also carefully drilled a small hole (use a stop) from the underside and injected the glue with a syringe. This works well because the excess glue can be forced out the small hole rather than through a crack in the surface. This can be important if the piece is finished already.
Mike
 
Howard- Both of those fixes work well. Another is to heat up a block when you clamp the fixed bubble down and clamp it on, using paper to keep it from sticking. If the bubble is nasty, like those you get when hammering down crotch mahogany, take a really fine Japanese saw and take a kerf in it to remove extra wood, put new glue in with a palette knife or syringe, and clamp. I always use hot hide glue.-Al Breed
 

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