FAQ's

Q What happens if I get glue on the bag?
A It’s easier to keep the bag clean than to have to crawl inside the bag to clean it. Cover the job with newspaper to protect the bag from both bleed through and glue squeeze out.

Q How do I press veneers with the Air Press?
A This advice is crucial to successful veneering with the Air Press. When a knife cut veneer (0.6mm) gets wet with glue it expands. When it expands it buckles and wrinkles. Because of the flexible nature of the vinyl, if you press with the veneer against the inside of the vinyl bag, the atmospheric pressure outside the bag can actually make the wrinkles worse (rather like pinching the skin on the back of your hand). In addition, the bag will break the veneer overhanging your panel and could spoil the job. The solution to both these problems is a simple one:
  • Place a baseboard in the bag first (this can be a sheet of mdf say 12mm with the corners and edges rounded off) and cover with some newspaper.
  • Apply the glue and veneer to one side of your panel only and place veneer side down against your baseboard. This will guarantee wrinkle free veneering and you do not have to worry about the overhang of the veneer, as it will be flat against the baseboard.
  • To ensure that you are evacuating all of the air, run the breather fabric from the under the Through The Bag Connector to over the back of your panel. If you are worried about sharp corners, put a piece of polythene, preferably about the same thickness as the bag, over the job (with breather fabric between the job and the polythene) and that will ‘soften’ the corners on your panel and greatly increase the life of the bag. When you finish veneering one side, take it out of the bag, trim off the overhang and repeat for the other side.
  • If you want to veneer both sides at the same time, then you need to place a thin board or caul over the top being careful to overhang the panel by no more than 6mm, otherwise there is a risk of breaking the caul or losing pressure in the middle of the panel as the unsupported overhang is pushed down.This procedure is more tedious as you will need to cut a caul for every board to be veneered. Consequently it is easier to veneer one side at a time.

Q How long do the bags last?
A Considering these bags are used on a regular basis by numerous branches of the woodworking trade, they seem to last a surprisingly long time. You can prolong the life of a bag by softening sharp corners with thick polythene and we do sell a repair kit. Temporarily repairs can be made with a suitable tape.

Q Can I switch of the pump when I have achieved full vacuum?
A In theory you can disconnect the hose from the ‘Through the bag Connector’ and the bag should hold the vacuum. However you are asking the vacuum to remain intact for perhaps an hour or more and since you cannot hear a vacuum leak (unlike the hiss of a pressure leak) it is better to keep the pump connected and running all the time, for this reason we sell only the best quality pumps that are capable of running continuously against a dead end.

JUMP TO HOME PAGE