We need samples and we need them NOW

I had to work on a pile of samples for a potential job today. 

A lot of nice veneers that are 3 different colors basically. The finish sample on the left 

is from another of our jobs and what the designer is basing the colors of this job on.

 

 We laid up the veneer in our shop in a vacuum bag and they used veneer tape on the faces to keep the seams tight. I have seen a lot of guys have trouble removing the tape, especially when they try and sand it off. Invariably they sand through the veneer and we have a disaster. 

 The correct way to remove the tape is to dampen it with a solution of 50% water and 50% vinegar (or winegar as my German friends used to say) I wiped all the samples down and put them in a drying rack.   

 By the time I got through them I started again and the tape pretty much wiped off with a rag, some of them are a little tougher and I just use a card scraper on those while they are still wet.

After they had dried  I sanded everything with 120 grit on a Dynabrade sander. This got off most of the dried glue and the bigger scratches. At that point I get my inspection light out and circle any defects with a pencil because I don't want to have to sand the stain or sealer back off when a scratch shows up.

You can see how well the pores of the wood as well as any scratches or swirls show up with the light.

After finding and marking all the defects I do a final orbital sand with 180 grit followed by 

a quick hand block sanding with 180 grit to remove any swirls.

The small board on the left side of the picture is my step sample. I have masked off a 6" section so I have a reference to what the original veneer looked like before stain. I will put a 2" strip of masking tape on before each additional step and make notes about shading etc.

With the dye stain sprayed on. This is using the wet technique to enhance the pores.

I will post more tomorrow after I get the samples ready to ship out.