iron-on edge banding

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Hey guys, I'm in a middle of a project that requires a lot of edge banding over melamine. I have about a dozen pieces with inside corners that will also need to be edge banded but not sure how to go about doing it. The flat base of an iron won't be able to make contact with inside corners so I'm wonder for those of you that have done it before, how did you do it?

I was thinking I may have to use a heat gun to activate the glue and then a roller to apply pressure but if there's an easier way to do it, please share.

Thanks

[Tom Ewell]

Have you tried the iron on it yet, I use a standard clothing type iron and those things are designed to get into every nook-n-cranny and under buttons of clothing. I suspect that you could work the iron in close enough to heat the glue and hit it with a single side seam roller or press it in with a paint stick or something.

[Ole Anderson]

There are small irons specifically for edge banding, but in most cases a regular iron works best as it is much larger.

[William C Rogers]

I have put it in a small oven to heat it for tight joints. Gloves and being quick.

[Kerry Wright]

Use a curling iron.

Just don't let your wife see you borrowing it :eek:

[Brian Tymchak]

I bought this from Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/144952/WR-Veneer-Edge-Banding-Iron.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQiAxrW2BRCFidKbqKyq1YEBEiQAnM DWxnJdYqqCsxDvdy5Xpb71VciPKy9H_iVnUzZEjTkSUWIaAox3 8P8HAQ) to edge band some shop shelves. Works pretty well for it's price point. With its point, it should get into corners. I've never applied edge banding to an inside corner though. Trimming the edges on inside corners might be a fun task.

[Rick Potter]

Only thing I can add is to be careful cutting the strips. In my experience, the banding shrinks a bit when installed. It may be best to start at the inside corners to avoid this, if possible.

EDIT: You might check with FASTCAP, I think they make some pressure sensitive banding that is just stick on. It takes a while to fully cure, giving you some workability.

[Ben Rivel]

Either pressure stick (no heat) edge banding or the curling iron sounds like it might be a good idea.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Thanks for the input guys.

I saw the fastcap stick on banding and did give it some thought. A lot of people say the glue doesn't cure/harden so it sticks to everything when trimming. That's the reason why I want to stay with iron-on but will have to give the peel and stick banding a shot if the iron-on doesn't work out.

I also already have 250' of the iron on so I'd like to use it instead of waste it. The curling iron idea doesn't sound bad either, I may give that a try. I think I'll try and start one end with an clothes iron and then switch to a heat gun for the inside curves to see how it works out.

[Martin Wasner]

EDIT: You might check with FASTCAP, I think they make some pressure sensitive banding that is just stick on. It takes a while to fully cure, giving you some workability.

Yep, it's a better choice than the iron on in my experience.

[Curt Harms]

My limited experience is that white melamine iron-on edge banding requires a careful touch. Not enough time under the iron it won't stick, too much and it'll discolor from the heat.

[Steve Peterson]

My limited experience is that white melamine iron-on edge banding requires a careful touch. Not enough time under the iron it won't stick, too much and it'll discolor from the heat.

I have only used it 3 or 4 times, but never had any issues with not sticking or burning. I use a cheap travel iron, so maybe it doesn't get hot enough to burn.

For the inner edges, I would start with the tip of the iron. It will probably get enough heat to seal the edges. If that doesn't work, then I would try a heat gun. I like the curling iron suggestion also.

Steve

[Jeff Duncan]

A couple thoughts.....I have used the standard household iron to get those inside corners....ie lazy susan corner cabinet and it works. Just get the edge right in there and it should be OK.

The FastCap stuff can work OK if done really carefully....but still not as good as well done iron on IMHO. I use it mostly for onsite situations where an iron would not work.

Lastly something to keep in mind for the future....if doing a significant amount of parts I'd find a local shop with a bander to run the panels for you. You could do an average size kitchen in an hour or 2, and the banding would be far superior to anything you can iron on. You can use pvc which is many many times more durable than the iron on material.

good luck,
JeffD

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Finally got around to doing the edge banding on the curved pieces. I tried starting with the tip of my iron and it was horrible. The edges of of the iron would leave indentations on the banding. I ended up using a heat gun with a roller and it went on perfectly. A little lower then if I were to use the iron, but much better results. A razor blade at a slight angle trimmed up the banding nicely as well.

[John Blazy]

333833

Hi Hoang,

your methods are great for inside corners and curves - cant do better with a straightline edgebander. I used to use the end of my jackplane (or any pc of thick flat steel) to hold down the edgebanding til it cooled after using the iron, or a roller in your case, for inside curves. I trim with a short chisel, watching the grain direction, then sand a gentle arris.

check out my thread about the shopmade edgebander in case you plan to do a lot of straight edgebanding.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

333833

Hi Hoang,

your methods are great for inside corners and curves - cant do better with a straightline edgebander. I used to use the end of my jackplane (or any pc of thick flat steel) to hold down the edgebanding til it cooled after using the iron, or a roller in your case, for inside curves. I trim with a short chisel, watching the grain direction, then sand a gentle arris.

check out my thread about the shopmade edgebander in case you plan to do a lot of straight edgebanding.

That's a slick setup man!! I have one of those fastcap quad edge banding trimmer for straight line trimming and it does a great job. I'm getting the hang of edge banding curved pieces as well as trimming them so it's not too bad. Luckily I only have 18 pieces I need to do.