Just realized my 'quick fix' for a veneer bubble made things way worse

I had a small bubble on a 1950s dresser top and thought I could fix it with a syringe of wood glue and a clamp. I put a tiny bit of Titebond III in, pressed it down with a block, and left it overnight. The next day, the bubble was gone but the whole area had turned a weird dark gray color, like a water stain but worse. I think the glue wicked into the veneer and reacted with the old finish. Has anyone seen this happen with modern glue on old shellac?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciah992mo ago

Oh man, that "weird dark gray color" you mentioned is the worst. It reminds me of when I tried to fix a loose inlay on an old radio cabinet with some regular carpenter's glue. It did the same thing, left this big shadow under the veneer that looked like a ghost. I ended up having to carefully scrape off that whole little section of inlay and replace it with a new piece of matching wood, which was a huge pain.

campbell.stella1mo ago

That gray stain is the glue blocking light from reflecting through the finish. Sometimes a heat gun on low, held way back, can soften the glue enough to blot it up with a paper towel.

anna9832mo ago

My 1960s credenza had the same gray stain after a glue mishap. I used a cotton ball with denatured alcohol to gently lift some of the old shellac and the stain came with it. It took a few passes, letting it dry between each. Then I touched up the spot with a fresh coat of orange shellac from a pad. You have to go really light and build it up slowly to match the color. It blended in well enough that only I know it's there.