Always go back for just one more look – advice (that I give myself, and now you) which continues to serve me well at Acme. While kind of walking through the gate house in a bored stupor I noticed that a door (which of course was torn from it’s hinges, like every other one in the plant) had a sign on it! Actually, it is a sticker. I got down on the ground to get a closer look and immediately knew there would be no way to salvage this – even if I took the entire door. Trying to peel it off would just end in disaster, and heartbreak. But then I noticed that the door was covered with veneer which was failing badly. I didn’t hesitate to take my knife and try to saw through the veneer. I figured it would just start to tear and then tear the sticker to bits. But it went through easily! After that, I started to actually cut using the tip of the knife and that worked even better. The veneer is also cracking top to bottom and the sticker cracked in half also. This was just as well – at least now it would fit in my bag for the ride back to Hegewisch. I was sure it would get cracked so badly in my bag (which was positively stuffed with documents) that it would be shot. But again, it survived. It also survived being carefully removed from my bag at home a couple hours later, then carefully taken to the shop to begin repairs the next day.
I kicked around a couple ideas on Saturday night over a few beers, on how to save this thing. I thought about trying to put it through my laminator, if I could get some longer lamination sleeves. Then I decided that the simple solution would be best (usually is).
I got a piece of 3/8″ CDX plywood with a circular saw with about a 1″ margin all the way around. I considered trimming the veneer square, or trimming it off entirely but decided I liked the ‘rustic’ (to put it lightly) look.
I smeared some regular Titebond yellow wood glue all over everything. Whatever glue was used to put the veneer onto the door must be entirely left on the door because the backside of the veneer is raw wood, which is great. I was worried if I had to try to scrape anything off the back, it would self destruct. But it looked great. I used even more glue than what you see here, spread with a fat popsicle stick.
I covered it with wax paper, then another piece of CDX, then about 100 lbs of weight distributed across it and I left it to sit for about 24 hours, with my fingers crossed. I figured worst case scenario, if I had a loose edge or corner, I could just squirt some more Titebond and put the weights back on. I am in no hurry to get this done.
And here it is after 24 hours. I was sure that it would need some more glue, you can’t see it in the previous photo through the wax paper but the top edge was very curled and would not lie flat. I added some additional glue in that area at the last second (you can see the push out in the upper left hand corner). Also, before the glue up I cleaned the sticker carefully with some mild spray cleaner and a paper towel which made a big difference. Now only one step left….
I got a piece of 1/8″ plexiglass cut at the local hardware store for $9. I drilled holes and put some tiny wood screws (actually the same ones I used on the BP Supervisor sign). I had to drill twice because I need the hole in the plexi a bit bigger, so I don’t crack it when driving the screws in. But I need the holes in the wood perfectly undersized so the threads bite. The plexiglass is important because besides making it looks official, the sticker and veneer are very fragile still. Not that I’d ever touch the thing or my guests would (if I had guests), but this take that possibility out completely. I actually used 6 screws instead of 4 just to pinch it down against the sticker as tight as possible.
And boom! Another beautiful relic, perfectly restored with minimal work or cost. I often think about the ‘Exit’ sign that someone jacked in the summer of 2020 from the SE corner of the coal bunker (ground floor). I never took that because it looked really cheap and it just said ‘EXIT’. But people have passed this up for 20 years. Got to keep your eyes peeled and be willing to put in a tiny bit of work. It’s worth it.
