What do I do? - Printable Version
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RE: What do I do? - Jamie - 03-16-2014
Sometimes you can get away with sanding the cracks and they will disappear, or at least, become much less noticeable. It depends on how thick the veneer is, and how deep the cracks go. Of course, if the cracks go completely through the veneer, it doesn't work. The other problem is, even if the cracks vanish, the remaining veneer can re-crack over time.
Even so, I always try to sand the cracks out before doing anything else. Sometimes it works. Just sand lightly with very fine paper. If you manage to sand all the way through the veneer, it's game over.
I used this technique on a 37-650 that was badly cracked all the way down both front sides. The cracks looked horrible, but when I examined them closely, they were superficial. Just the very, very top layer of veneer had cracked. I sanded the cracks away and proceeded to refinish. It came out great. That was six months ago, and no sign of any new cracks. Time will tell.
This is before....
..This is after
RE: What do I do? - OldRestorer - 03-16-2014
Thats great!
I was thinking of going a tinge darker on the finish since the light color is definitely making them show up more. I have completely smoothed them out and am hoping with the color change just to the curves it will make it beauteous again
Kirk
RE: What do I do? - Jamie - 03-16-2014
You can try that, but in my experience, you can't bury the cracks with dark toner. If you try, the set will just be too dark and possibly muddy looking on the area you try to hide. If you've sanded as much as you feel safe doing, and the cracks are still visible.. either get new veneer, or just refinish as if they did not exist. You'll still be able to see them, but it looks better than a very dark area.
Get some timber mate wood filler and work it over the cracks. Then smooth it with fine sandpaper. It accepts toner quite well and you'll hide the much of the cracks.