Applying a veneer top - what to do about edge transition or hiding it?

K-Frog · #1 04-29-2013, 03:01 PM

I tried searching the subject, but it's admittedly tougher on my phone.

I have a thin veneer, probably 1/16" that I want to apply to a regular contoured body. As it approaches the rounded over body edges, how do you trime the edges to get it smooth and consistent looking? Alternately, how would you seal the transition area(edges) to paint a burst around the edge?

K-Frog · #2 05-03-2013, 10:18 AM

*crickets*

K-Frog · #3 05-11-2013, 01:07 PM

Bueller?

Beej · #4 05-11-2013, 02:18 PM

I think more info is needed. Is this a pre-existing body that is already routed out and rounded over?

If yes, then is it also already finished? You'll need a clean surface to glue that veneer.

Typically, the clean edge is produced when the veneer is glued to the body before it is routed out and rounded over. To attach it when it already has roundovers makes it trickier to get a nice result. If I was trying to do this, I'd have a smooth surface in place first and then glue the veneer and press it altogether - clamps and a thick board in a pinch. Then I'd be trimming off the edges as best I could with a razor or xacto and then sanding in the edges to blend to the body shape as best I could. If the edges of the veneer are to be completely hidden, then a burst finish would be the best bet.

Tell us more, what kind of body, what state is it in, what kind of veneer, how thin, backed or not, the dimension etcetera, plus photos of everything. I'm guessing you got crickets because there was not enough information in order to elicit commentary. This will get you some much more meaningful advice...

SaintMez · #5 05-11-2013, 03:00 PM

Sounds tricky. Would you be vacuum pressing this veneer on?

K-Frog · #6 05-11-2013, 03:18 PM

Thanks BeeJ

Existing body, already stripped of its original finish.
The veneer is very thin. I expect to have to slide the to pieces together on the body as I don't think they're thick enough to edge glue together beforehand.
I don't have access to a vacuum press. I assume to have to clamp it to the body.

copressit · #7 05-13-2013, 07:47 PM

K-Frog, I did what you want to do on a Music Man body. I was able to follow 2/3 of the contours with a large round over type bit and some sanding, but there was still much hand trimming around the the belly cut, etc. For more reasons than I will mention here, I would suggest you abandon the thin veneer idea on your bass. I am sure you want to leave your grain exposed on the veneer and have the original wood a solid color? I could have whittled a new body with an ice pick faster. Having said that, if you want to continue, make sure the body is sealed very well before you set your veneer, and don't expect the veneer to follow any but the slightest contours. Make sure your color scheme is very dark at the transition point between the body and the veneer. I filled that transition edge with many layers of paint. Cleaning, sanding, dicking with this left the edge "blurred." Watch the water based dyes if you want to burst, there will be some place that the veneer will lift. I had to abandon my whole water dye burst theme and was just happy I got my clear coats on to suck the whole thing together. 20 some coats of that left the edge undetectable to feel.
The pic is before the final buffing. Now, from 5 ft or so away it actually looks pretty good, but I will never invest that kind of time again.

K-Frog · #8 05-14-2013, 05:55 PM

Why seal the body before applying the veneer? I would have thought the raw wood top would make a better glueing surface.

copressit · #9 05-15-2013, 04:11 AM

I use as much water based products as I can. Sealing keeps moisture from moving into and out of wood, preserving the integrity of water based adhesives for example.

K-Frog · #10 05-15-2013, 09:34 AM

What did you seal with? I have a can of sanding sealer.

copressit · #11 05-15-2013, 08:05 PM

Any good faith effort with a sanding type sealer I'm sure would be fine. The point in my post was that I didn't use any!! Careful as I thought I was, a spot still lifted on me. I'd bet if I had sealed it, I wouldn't have had that problem.

Big B. · #12 05-15-2013, 10:36 PM

Aside from luthiery I work with wood every day for my job in a woodshop and I can't imagine how sealing the wood with sanding sealer would help gluing. You want the body and the veneer to be as clean as possible for any kind of adhesive.

As far a how the veneer will work on your body we need to know what kind of body it is. Is it a flat Fender style body? Something more sculpted? A flat body will be reasonably easy to apply veneer to but more sculpted body will be difficult, especially without a vacuum press. The best poor man's alternative to a vacuum press are sandbags. They apply even pressure while conforming to the contours, within limits of course. A little more info and maybe even a picture of your body would help give you more detailed advice.

pklima · #13 05-16-2013, 04:11 AM

You could try to solve this, but there are also ways of sidestepping the problem. If the edges aren't too rounded, you can rout a channel for binding and use that to hide the transition. Or, like somebody already said, spray a burst. I've done the latter on a bass with a fabric top.

K-Frog · #14 05-16-2013, 04:59 AM

It's a a fender strat that previously wore a photo flame finish, that was cracking up badly. I stripped the old finish and found a 3 piece body with bad grain and color mis-match.
It's rounded over and has a forearm contour, just like a jazz bass.
Would I benefit by dampening the veneer (perhaps by steaming?) before gluing it down, due to the forearm contour?