EP0182709A2 - Process for repairing veneers - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of applying and repairing veneers and the like comprises the following steps: sticking a sheet to the outside surface of the veneer; unsticking the veneer from its support; sticking the sheet to a substantially rigid transparent plate; repairing the veneer and then resticking it to its original support. For applying a previously made up mosaic coating, a transparent temporary support plate is used enabling the composition to be offered up for visual inspection prior to final fixing.

Description

The present invention relates to the installation and repair of veneers, in particular inlays, mosaics, tiles and the like.

An object of the invention is the repair or restoration of elements affixed to any object, without these having had to undergo any degradation of this fact, so that they can be reinstalled if necessary substantially identical on any medium.

Another object of the invention is a method of laying a mosaic covering on any support.

It is well known to separate from their support, by peeling for example, various coverings, inter alia, wallpapers, carpets, veneers, etc. For this purpose, mechanical means such as spatulas, scissors or the like are generally used, alone or in combination, and / or diluents, swelling agents or solvents of the adhesive used to fix such coatings on their support; for example: water vapor, aqueous, hydroalcoholic, organic or other solutions or suspensions.

Such processes generally cause a more or less significant modification of the coating, sometimes even its more or less complete destruction; so in the case of wallpapers for example.

It is also known, in order to avoid such degradations, for example in the case of veneers which it is desired to recover, to glue on them any sheet prior to taking off from their support.

If the bonding of such sheets normally ensures a sufficient bond to maintain the cohesion of the various parts of the veneer, it does however have the disadvantage of concealing more or less completely, in practice, their external face, commonly called "facing" of the veneer. However, these takeoffs are frequently carried out during operations to restore such veneers. and / or their support. Thus, for example, when restoring inlaid furniture such as antique furniture more particularly, it is essential in such cases to be able, on the one hand, to peel off their support these veneers and / or inlays, without risking doing them to undergo degradations, in practice of modifications and / or relative displacements of the various elements composing them; on the other hand, these veneers and / or inlays thus recovered, must most often be restored before being-replaced on a support which is normally the original piece of furniture itself, generally restored in the meantime.

It is known that, in such cases, the restoration of these veneers and / or inlays is carried out, in whole or in part, on their internal face, commonly called "backing". We will thus carry out, for this purpose, operations known in themselves, inter alia catching up the worn and / or damaged thicknesses by feeding them by gluing of veneer elements and / or marquetry, by leveling, etc.

However, to be able to correctly carry out such operations, it is essential that during the corresponding work, not only the facing, but also the facing itself remain visible.

It is also necessary that the veneer and / or the marquetry are themselves kept carefully supported on a temporary support, sufficiently rigid, in order to avoid any deformation and / or displacement of the elements composing them.

It is moreover necessary to be able, under the best conditions, to solidify the various adhesive agents used during these operations; for example, to be able to quickly dry the adhesives used.

One of the advantages of the present invention is to allow the restoration of veneers and / or inlays, deposited from their support, by performing visibly on their internal face and, if necessary external, commonly called respectively "facing" and "facing", the operations relating thereto.

Another advantage of the present invention is to maintain the veneers and / or inlays, deposited from their support, carefully applied throughout such operations on a transparent provisional support in the form of a plate, sufficiently rigid to avoid any deformation and / or any displacement of the various elements composing them.

The rigidity of this plate does not however exclude a certain flexibility, making it possible to carry out all the manipulations necessary for the various operations of the invention, without risking breaking or even breaking it.

An additional advantage of the invention is that it allows relatively rapid solidification of the adhesive agents used during said operations, such as, among other things, drying of the adhesives used for this purpose.

• - établir une liaison continue de tout ou partie desdits éléments au moyen d'une feuille de liaison transparente adhésive ;
• - séparer ladite feuille supportant lesdits éléments, dudit objet support ;
• - fixer temporairement ladite feuille sur une plaque support transparente ;
• - procéder aux travaux de restauration dudit objet support ;
• - disposer une substance adhésive sur au moins les parties de l'objet support correspondant aux emplacements desdits éléments ;
• - replacer lesdits éléments maintenus temporairement sur la plaque support à leur place sur ledit objet support ;
• - fixer définitivement lesdits éléments à leur place sur ledit objet support ;
• - séparer ledit support' temporaire desdits éléments.

The method of restoring a plurality of elements constituting the partial or total coating of a support object, such as an art object or piece of furniture, object of the present invention, is characterized in that it comprises in combination the following main operations:

• - Establish a continuous connection of all or part of said elements by means of a transparent adhesive connection sheet;
• - Separating said sheet supporting said elements, from said support object;
• - Temporarily fix said sheet on a transparent support plate;
• - carry out restoration work on said support object;
• - placing an adhesive substance on at least the parts of the support object corresponding to the locations of said elements;
• - replace said elements temporarily held on the support plate in their place on said support object;
• - definitively fix said elements to their place on said support object;
• - separate said temporary support from said elements.

• - assurer une liaison continue et pratiquement indéformable de ces éléments, par collage, sur leur face extérieure ou parement d'une feuille transparente,
• - décoller la face interne ou contreparement de ces éléments ainsi maintenus, de leur support,
• - placer ces éléments sur une plaque transparente pratiquement rigide, la feuille transparente les maintenant étant totalement mise en contact avec cette plaque, lesdites feuille et/ou plaque étant préalablement enduites de colle,
• - placer cette plaque supportant ainsi lesdits éléments sur le plateau d'une presse,
• - recouvrir la face interne ou contreparement de ces éléments d'une couche d'un matériau déformable par pression,
• - faire adhérer ladite feuille à ladite plaque par séchage sous pression de ladite colle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said method of repairing or restoring elements, such as inlays and / or veneers consisting of elements of wood, enamels, ivory, horn, metal and / or stone, affixed to a support any combination of the following main operations:

• - ensuring a continuous and practically non-deformable connection of these elements, by gluing, on their outer face or facing a transparent sheet,
• - take off the internal face or counterpart of these elements thus maintained, from their support,
• place these elements on a practically rigid transparent plate, the transparent sheet now keeping them completely in contact with this plate, said sheet and / or plate being previously coated with glue,
• - place this plate thus supporting said elements on the plate of a press,
• - cover the internal face or opposite of these elements with a layer of material deformable by pressure,
• - Adhere said sheet to said plate by drying under pressure of said glue.

The various elements normally constituting the veneer and / or the marquetry which are thus fixed on a support plate, can then be subjected, in a visible manner to the operator, to all the desired operations, necessary for their repair and / or restoration, both on the opposite side than on the facing side, if, as regards the facing, such a repair would not have been previously carried out.

For this purpose and according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transparent holding sheet placed on their facing, is constituted by a homogeneous fine paper, such as for example Japanese paper, and the glue used is a neoprene glue, known in itself.

Likewise, said transparent, practically rigid support plate, which is preferably of the order of a few millimeters in thickness, consists of a thermoplastic synthetic material, such as polystyrene for example.

This plate was preferably, according to the invention, previously perforated, in order to facilitate the elimination of the constituents of the cutter evaporating during the drying operation under pressure.

When the constituent elements of the veneer and / or marquetry are substantially arranged on the same plane, it is possible according to the invention to use a practically flat plate, normally available as such on the market, which it will suffice if necessary to perforate as said higher and cut as needed.

If, on the other hand, these elements are not arranged substantially on the same plane, it is then necessary to give said plate a shape practically identical to that of the support on which they are affixed; which also constitutes an object of the present invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is produced by any means known in itself a molding of the object on which the backing of said elements was in contact; preferably, this face has been previously restored. In addition, there is interposed between this face and the molding a sheet whose thickness is substantially equal to that of the elements constituting said veneer and / or marquetry, this sheet preferably being made of a relatively flexible and malleable material, such as for example cork. , silicone or others. For example, said molding can be made either of plaster or of silica, impregnated with resin.

Then a replica of the support object of said elements is carried out, by thermoforming on said molding of said transparent, practically rigid plate, from a plate, made of a thermoplastic material.

Thus the face of this plate which will have to support said elements, held there by transparent connecting sheet, will have very substantially the shape of the support on which they were affixed. Said molding will then serve as a support for this plate during the various operating phases of the process according to the invention.

All or part of the constituent elements of the veneer or marquetry can, if necessary, be repaired in a prior operation, also constituting an object of the present invention; thus, more particularly but nonetheless in a nonlimiting manner, in the case of metallic elements constituting for example inlays, called "Ball".

In this case, these elements are previously removed from their support object, to be separately subjected to the various necessary restorations, known in themselves; thus, for example: degreasing, pickling, drying, annealing, etc. They are then simply put back in their place on their support object, without then being fixed there.

These elements thus restored and well in place, generally arranged substantially in the same plane, are then provisionally fixed on a transparent plate or sheet ensuring between them a perfect connection by their external face or front, so that one can then withdraw again from their support object while keeping them completely in place with respect to each other, in accordance with their original overall structure.

It is then possible to subject the other plating or marquetry elements, as well as the support object itself, to any restoration operation in accordance with the present invention. Following which, said elements thus provisionally held in connection by attachment to a transparent plate or sheet, are definitively returned to their place and glued to their support object.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a continuous sheet is interposed between said transparent, practically rigid plate, and the press plate, in order to prevent the face of this plate from being damaged during the pressure drying operation.

Use will therefore preferably be made of a sheet of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or of any other known material whose characteristics, more particularly non-stick, are substantially equivalent.

The material constituting the layer deformable under pressure, placed according to the invention above the backing, before carrying out the drying operation under pressure, consists of cork or any other known material whose characteristics of flexibility and deformability are substantially equivalent under the same conditions, such as silicone rubber, among others.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a continuous sheet is interposed between the facing and said layer in order, on the one hand, to avoid any risk of impregnation of this layer in the facing and, on the other hand, to facilitate their separation after the pressure drying operation.

Use will thus preferably be made of a viscose-based sheet or any other known material whose mechanical characteristics are substantially equivalent under the same conditions of use.

After gluing by pressure of the constituent elements of the veneer and / or marquetry, on the transparent, practically rigid plate, the assembly thus constituted of said plate to which said elements are fixed, is then removed from the press in order to be able to subject to said audit veneer and / or marquetry all necessary repair and / or restoration operations, as described above.

The transparency of said plate will then allow the operator to carry out these operations by following them and easily checking, visually, both on the facing side and on the facing side itself of the veneer or marquetry.

The rigidity and almost non-deformability of this plate will also allow this operator to perform the corresponding work without risk of displacing the various elements, constituting the veneer and / or marquetry, in relation to each other.

As, however, these thickness adjustment jobs described above, generally include operations of gluing of veneer elements and / or marquetry, it is normally important to be able to maintain the whole of said veneer and / or marquetry carefully supported on this plate. , during all the time necessary not only for carrying out this work, but also for drying the adhesive agents or glues thus used, the operating field being left practically alone accessible to the operator during said work.

The Applicant has, for this purpose, developed specific devices which also constitute an object of the present invention, these devices being, in practice, made up of blocks which have on their face which will be placed in contact with the lining, a plurality rigid projecting elements. The weight of these blocks is sufficient to maintain the part of veneer or marquetry which they cover, carefully in contact with said plate; the hardness of the rigid elements pressing on the backing, is such that they cannot damage it.

Their plurality, combined where appropriate with the perforations of said plate, described above, will facilitate the elimination of the volatile constituents of the adhesive agents, of the water of the glue more particularly.

The repair or restoration operations, completed, the constituent elements of the veneer and / or marquetry, are then replaced on their original support, normally the object or the piece of furniture which has generally been itself repaired or restored. As the method according to the invention has made it possible to carry out all the operations relating thereto, without these elements having to undergo a significant displacement or modification with respect to their arrangements original, these will be replaced on their support so that said object or piece of furniture will thus be perfectly repaired or restored and become almost identical to its original state.

The examples below illustrate, without limitation, the process which is the subject of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1 Restoration of one side of a LOUIS XV period chest of drawers, belonging to the Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne.

On the marquetry coated with its old varnish, from the side to be restored, a sheet of Japan paper is glued using a neoprene glue, then it is peeled off and the veneer to be restored, thus supported by the Japan paper, is removed.

After repairing the slots in this bare face of the dresser and flush, a sheet of cork is glued to this face, the thickness of which is substantially identical to that of the deposited marquetry.

After having coated this sheet of cork with a thin film of viscose, transparent and impermeable, a molding of silica impregnated with a thermosetting resin is carried out on this face of the piece of furniture to be restored.

• Au moyen d'une colle blanche à l'eau, on colle sur cette plaque transparente thermoformée conformément à la face du meuble à restaurer, la feuille de papier Japon supportant la marqueterie déposée, ce collage étant réalisé à chaud et sous pression.

On the molding thus obtained, a 1.5 mm transparent polystyrene plate is then thermoformed:

• Using a white water-based glue, this transparent thermoformed plate is glued in accordance with the face of the piece of furniture to be restored, the Japanese paper sheet supporting the inlay deposited, this bonding being carried out hot and under pressure.

All the necessary restoration operations are then carried out on the opposite side of this inlay.

After repair, this marquetry was replaced on the restored face of the dresser. To do this, the back of the marquetry has been glued to the furniture, holding it carefully applied in its place all the time necessary. when gluing, thanks to sufficient pressure printed through the molding, kept pressed on the thermoformed plate supporting this marquetry. Following this, this plate and then the Japanese paper sheet were peeled off and removed.

After discoloration and reshaping of the marquetry elements thus replaced, the chest of drawers received a polished filled finish.

EXAMPLE 2 Restoration of a "Boule" marquetry.

After stripping of the varnish covering the part of the marquetry to be restored, only the brass elements of it are deposited.

These elements are carefully cleaned with a rye flour porridge, to remove the glue used to fix the said brass elements.

After annealing with a torch these brass elements, to make them malleable, then cleaning under ultrasound, these elements are straightened by pressure on a marble, their facing side being in contact with the marble.

These brass elements are then temporarily replaced in their inlays of the marquetry which remains attached to the furniture.

A transparent and perforated polystyrene support plate 15 tenths of a millimeter thick is placed on the part of this inlay containing these brass elements, the surface of which must support these elements had been coated with a thin transparent sheet of bond, previously coated on both sides with an adhesive, self-adhesive substance.

Thanks to a light pressure, these elements in brass then adhere to the support plate, without being able to move laterally with respect to each other, these elements which are made integral with the support plate are redeposited, with the rest of the marquetry kept integral with the furniture. By progressive pressure, we ensure the continuous adhesion of these elements on the support plate.

After closing certain holes in the marquetry with a coating of fish glue, kaolin and natural pigment, the brass elements are glued back to their location on the marquetry.

Following this, we take off the support plate with its thin self-adhesive sheet, then we polish the surface of the marquetry thus restored which we then varnish with a pad.

The invention having thus been exposed in its application to the restoration of veneers and / or inlays, in particular on furniture, it remains to describe a development whose interest has unexpectedly revealed itself in the field of laying on any mosaic covering supports or the like.

The current technique is known according to which mosaic panels are assembled in the workshop by gluing on a temporary support generally consisting of a sheet of paper of the so-called craft type. This temporary support being opaque does not allow a visual control of the configuration of the coating produced.

The application of the technique according to the invention to the making of mosaic panels essentially consists in the implementation of a temporary support plate, both flexible and rigid, of the kind previously described, transparent or translucent and suitable for conform to the face to be coated with a support object.

A mosaic previously composed on a work surface can thus be entered in its configuration for application to it of such a support plate previously glued, to be presented on the area to be coated.

The final application can thus intervene after visual control of the decor determined by varied rhythms in the shapes and colors of the elements kept assembled and left visible by their facing faces.

After final fixing on the face to be coated, the temporary support plate is removed and can be recovered after cleaning its binder.

This technique is therefore likely to facilitate both the work of the professional and the choice of a client.

Claims (21)

1. Method for restoring a plurality of elements constituting a total or partial coating of a support object, in particular an art object, characterized in that it comprises in combination the following main operations: a) establishing a continuous connection of all or part of said elements by means of an adhesive transparent connection sheet; b) separating said sheet supporting said elements from said support object; c) temporarily fixing said sheet on a transparent support plate; d) carry out restoration work on said support object; e) placing an adhesive substance on at least the parts of the support object corresponding to the locations of said elements; f) replacing said elements temporarily held on the support plate in their place on said support object; g) permanently fixing said elements in their place on said support object; h) separate said temporary support from said elements. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said elements are, in a prior operation, removed in whole or part of their support object, separately repaired then returned to their place on their support object. 3. Restoration method according to claims 1 or 2, of elements affixed to a support object, such as inlays and / or veneers consisting of elements of wood, enamels, ivory, horn, metal and / or stones, characterized in that that it comprises in combination the following main stages: a) ensuring a continuous and practically undeformable connection of these elements by bonding to their external face a transparent sheet; b) peel off the internal face or counterpart of these elements from their support; c) placing these elements on a transparent, practically rigid plate, the transparent sheet holding them completely being brought into contact with this plate, said sheet and / or plate being previously coated with glue; d) placing this plate thus supporting said elements, on the plate of a press; e) covering the internal face of these elements with a layer of material deformable by pressure; f) adhering said sheet to said plate by drying under pressure of said glue. 4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that said elements are replaced on their original support, restored, by gluing their backing on this support, the transparent plate is peeled off from the transparent sheet and removed said sheet. 5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that a film is interposed between the internal face of said elements and the layer of deformable material. 6. Method according to claim 3, 'characterized in that a film is interposed between the press plate and the transparent plate. 7. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the transparent plate is perforated. 8. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the transparent plate is made of thermoplastic synthetic material. 9. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the transparent sheet ensuring the connection of said elements, is made of paper. 10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that this sheet is a paper called Japan. 11. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that said material deformable by pressure consists of cork. 12. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that said film is based on viscose. 13. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that said film is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). 14. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the external face of the veneer or of the marquetry has been partially or completely restored, prior to its separation from its original support object. 15. The method of claim 3, characterized in that the veneer or marquetry is restored after gluing on the transparent plate and before replacing in its original support. 16. Method according to claim 15, characterized in that during the restoration work carried out on the opposite side of the marquetry, the latter is subjected to a distributed pressure for maintaining shape. 17. Method according to claim 16, characterized in that the shape-keeping pressure is ensured by means of blocks having on a bearing face a plurality of projecting contact elements. 18. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the glue placed between the transparent plate and the transparent sheet is a white water-soluble glue. 19. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the transparent plate is a replica of the support of said veneer or marquetry, obtained from a molding of the face of the support object which is normally in contact with the opposite of said veneer or marquetry. 20. The method of claim 19, characterized in that said plate is obtained by thermoforming. 21. Method of laying on a support object a mosaic covering previously composed and temporarily fixed on a support sheet, characterized in that this support sheet is constituted by a transparent or translucent plate of sufficient flexibility for its conformation to the support object for a presentation of coating on the support object for prior visual control to the final fixing followed by separation by take-off of the covering plate thus fixed.