Zebrano veneer separating from heat control panel

[TonyFromWestOz]

I have a problem with the veneer Zebrano curling away from the aluminum backing for it in the Heater control panel in the dash.
What is the best way of flattening the veneer and re-attaching it?
I have tried searching, but "reattaching Zebrano" does not work and I am stumped to find a search term which does work.
Regards,
Tony

[TonyFromWestOz]

I have since searched on wood and found a lot of info, especially on refinishing the wood and reattaching it, but nothing on flattening the "curl" in the veneer.

[JamesStein]

Tony,

This is what I did. It lessened the curl, but didn't cure it completely. I tried this without complete success.

Soak piece in water for about 20 minutes
Place on towl wood side down on hard flat surface
Place piece of thin styrofoam on back (to allow the pins to stick up)
Cover with several heavy objects. (I used about 10 large books)
Let sit for a couple of days


There is less curling, but its not gone completely. Perhaps stripping it first might have helped. Or maybe leaving it in the water longer. I think the glue on the back and the veneer kept the water from really getting in there. Mine needs to be refinished so I haven't messed with it anymore.

[phantoms]

It's best to glue it back together, but JamesStein's method first might help. whatever you do, be careful with the wood as it doesn't take much to crack it.

[TonyFromWestOz]

Originally Posted by phantoms

It's best to glue it back together, but JamesStein's method first might help. whatever you do, be careful with the wood as it doesn't take much to crack it.

I agree that it needs to be glued back, but I am open to more suggestions on how to remove the "curl" (flatten it) before glueing, as I feel that it will "curl" again unless it is straightened first.

[Pete Burton]

I have the same problem and hope to address it soon. My thought is to rough up the aluminum underneath first, then apply some polyurethane glue. I'll fashion something to hold it in place (like a stick) and do 1 section at a time. The polyurethane glue available these days is just amazing.

[BenzBoy8]

Originally Posted by TonyFromWestOz

I agree that it needs to be glued back, but I am open to more suggestions on how to remove the "curl" (flatten it) before glueing, as I feel that it will "curl" again unless it is straightened first.

If you decide to glue it, try Gorilla Glue as it works wonders for me. Very tough stuff...

[seo]

Gorilla Glue:
I use glue quite a lot, working on furniture and wooden boats, so am pretty familiar with the different types.
When "Gorilla Glue" first came out I was very interested in it, as I'd used a urethane adhesive caulk be 3M called "5200" for years, with good results-good gap filling, does not harden rock-hard like cassein or epoxy, doesn't need clamping like resorcinol.
Gorilla Glue (and the other urethane liquid glues I've tried) cure in a kind of peculiar way, foaming and expanding. This may be great for carpenter-style gluing, say for example gluing plywood to studs, or gluing stair risers on. But for an application where you're gluing delicate parts I find that the expansion-during-cure of these glues will push parts out of alignment, and also froth out and cure on the surface of finishes, where it's very hard to remove.
So I guess I'd recommend the following:
1) set up your gluing job with really good backing and clamping.
2) Carefully mask any finish surfaces. Glue squeeze-out will not clean off, and scraping it off is likely to spoil the finish.
3) As commented above, make sure you catch any drips before they get on the carpet.
4) Wear surgical gloves. They're cheap.

If either epoxy or urethane has to come off, heat will make the glue elongate.
I'd recommend 3M 5200. In many marine stores it's available in little squeeze tubes as well as in caulk-gun tubes. It has limited life after being opened, so look for the tubes. It doesn't expand, and can be cleaned up with mineral spirits. Available in some colors.
ALL glues work by getting a mechanical grip on "tooth" in the materials being glued. So sand the gluing surfaces clean, but leave enough roughness to give tooth. 120 grit is good for wood that's going to be glued with epoxy.
I've seen good woodworkers use a small wire brush with stiff bristles to give more tooth. Seems to work, particularly with epoxy.
Oil and grease are not your friends when using glue. If you have an oily surface, degrease it will alcohol or lacquer thinner. Wipe it off with clean cloth, not household paper towel, which in the expensive brands like "bounty" have a very fine mist of silicone sprayed on the surface of the paper as they wind it on the roll, so that it is easy to unwind. The silicone will spoil your glue bond.