Plain gummed paper tape - for veneering

[superheat6k]

I need to join some veneer sheets with gummed tape to hold the joint line together as it is ironed on.

It is then removed with a damp cloth after the glue has thoroughly set.

But where nowadays do I buy old fashioned paper gummed parcel tape ?

 

[VicS]

I know where I would go but that's not a lot of help if you don't live near Sevenoaks

Otherwise ebay or Amazon!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'd try your local craft or art shop. They use that sort of thing for making picture frames. Hobbycraft may have an outlet near you; they have several possible options

 

[nigelmercier]

So that's how you do it. Plenty on eBay.

 

[doug748]

I always thought it was pretty messy to remove and was a bit sceptical about it shrinking and pulling the veneers together.......any road, I have had some success using masking tape.

I just googlized it and found the modern alternative is cellulose ribbon.

 

[Concerto]

Just a tip when using gummed paper tape, pass it through a water bath and but do not stick down. Leave it to absorb the moisture into the glue for about half a minute. This will give a stronger bond as the glue is reconstituted to give the best adhesion.

As the glue is water soluable it is easy to remove the paper and gum completely from the veneer.

DO NOT use masking tape. If any adhesive is left on the veneer, you will find it almost impossible to remove completely. It is even worse if using a cheap decorators masking tape and leave it in place for several days. I would still not recommend using a high quality masking tape like 3M's blue tape.

 

[pvb]

The mention of gummed paper tape gave me a little flashback to olden times. The more senior forumites may recall "Butterfly Brand".

 

[doug748]

Here is a link to the tape I mentioned:

http://www.originalmarquetry.co.uk/product_details_481.htm

With long joints, in flat veneers using masking tape, you can get away with short lengths laid across the grain like a hinge; this makes it easier to apply some small pressure to the join and you can remove them as the work progresses.

 

[savageseadog]

Sign writing vinyl might do the job, it will shrink too. I've never used it, it's just an idea.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Brings me back to early schooldays, when the teacher gave us some pieces of gummed paper to perform some task, but we had to lick it, as she did not provide water. Fish glue, It tasted absolutely horrible

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Art shop might be a source. It is (was?) used to secure the edges of dampened paper to a board in order to stretch it (when the paper shrank) prior to using watercolours.

 

[NickRobinson]

Brings me back to early schooldays, when the teacher gave us some pieces of gummed paper to perform some task, but we had to lick it, as she did not provide water. Fish glue, It tasted absolutely horrible

I have a roll no doubt purloined from a school years ago. I used it to make picture frames. greenhouse glass and hardboard backing, the well soaked tape holds them together and forms a wood-looking border-

 

[howardclark]

Have done some veneering and marquetry. Sent myself on a veneering course and found they did not use veneer tape! Turned out that the expansion associated with wetting caused by the tape is more trouble than it's worth- so they used sellotape, slightly stretching it on application so that it naturally draws the seams together. Any residue from the tape is cleaned off with cellulose thinners. Works like a dream

 

[Daydream believer]

Dunno about the tape but i have a 5 gallon container that is about 3/4 full of pearl glue if any one wants to make an offer & collect it. I also have the pot for heating it

 

[superheat6k]

Have done some veneering and marquetry. Sent myself on a veneering course and found they did not use veneer tape! Turned out that the expansion associated with wetting caused by the tape is more trouble than it's worth- so they used sellotape, slightly stretching it on application so that it naturally draws the seams together. Any residue from the tape is cleaned off with cellulose thinners. Works like a dream

Just come in from my workshop having made a new dash fascia from a piece of teak faced ply that was cut out for the galley cupboard door on my last boat Ocean Belle.

So will sellotape put up with the hot iron ?

 

[rogerball0]

Get yourself some of this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unika-Worktop-Tape-/161811149523?hash=item25acb232d3:g:XdMAAOSw-7RVE-Nd

This is how i've sped up the veneering on my Centaur (its the yellow stuff):

Its essentially a tape form of cyanoacrylate glue (mitre fix / supa glue) it works too, the beige patch on the curved part of the settee berth is where i placed a couple of pieces of this tape to hold the veneer on the former to make said curved piece then when i came to release it the tape wouldn't let go, tearing a piece of veneer away. Beats the hell out of Evo-stik and PVA, works even better if you go over with an iron or hot air gun after laying the veneer over the tape.

 

[GrahamM376]

Have done some veneering and marquetry. Sent myself on a veneering course and found they did not use veneer tape! Turned out that the expansion associated with wetting caused by the tape is more trouble than it's worth- so they used sellotape, slightly stretching it on application so that it naturally draws the seams together. Any residue from the tape is cleaned off with cellulose thinners. Works like a dream

That's fine when gluing veneers traditionally but not when using iron on glue backed veneer or glue film. The hot iron would leave a sticky mess with any s/a tape.

 

[howardclark]

Sellotape is a cellophane film. Minimum melt point is quoted as 175C so provided you are sensible with the iron works OK- I think at 175 you would scorch the wood. Always use a protective layer between iron/wood too.

 

[GrahamM376]

Sellotape is a cellophane film. Minimum melt point is quoted as 175C so provided you are sensible with the iron works OK- I think at 175 you would scorch the wood. Always use a protective layer between iron/wood too.

The problem isn't the tape, it's the glue residue as the veneer has to be hot enough to melt the adhesive on the back. Being around 0.6mm thick, there's not much to sand off if adhesive residue is on the good face.

I've been using paper backed veneers recently which have the advantage of coming in 8 x 4 ft sheets so on most jobs no stitching but the (separate) adhesive film I tried wasn't very successful (maybe my fault) so I reverted to thixotropic contact adhesive. Last job, a hi-fi cabinet, I used veneered MDF which was a doddle but no good for damp environments such as boats.