Once I had two sets, I placed them on a piece of scrap cardboard and sprayed them down with the softener. Wet one side, immediately flip and wet the other side. If you try to saturate the veneer from one side only, it will curl and buckle worse. After they've sat 5-10 minutes soaking up the softener, I'll blot up any remaining puddles and then proceed to put them between two boards to be clamped flat. BTW, if it's not obvious by the second picture, this is when you would usually get a really good idea of what the veneer will look like once finished. The oranges and reds in this lot are incredible

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