Dear Peter,
I would be most grateful if you could possibly advise me on how best to restore the finish on a Japanese wedding cabinet that I am working on. The attached photos help to explain the difficulty.
The original finish seems to be water-based, on the grounds that it wipes off very easily on a moistened rag. The colour is a slightly greenish ? raw umber shade, although there is some variation in density, particularly on the front of the cabinet. The place where the original finish is most eroded is the top, where there is almost bare wood at the front and edges, with more residual at the back of the top. There is variable loss on the sides. The cabinet may be made from paulownia, but I am not totally certain.
I am wondering how best to match the colour and restore without resorting to total removal of the old finish. I have plenty of raw umber pigment, but I’m not sure how to mix an appropriate finish using it. I am thinking of simply waxing the cabinet, once the colour is corrected, although I don’t think wax was included originally.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Charlesworth (New Zealand)
Replies
Peter,
Do you know the age of the chest? I'm not sure what the finish would be without physically examining it, but my gut feeling says it is not water based. I have a feeling the finish is so oxidized and broken down that the water simply removes it.
Restoring a finish such as the one you have is always a challenge. My first thought is if I need to save the remaining finish, how do I consolidate it? One of the easiest ways is to use shellac. It will easily bond with the surface and the remaining finish.
I'm not sure what you have available, but if you could find some Zinseer SealCoat, you would have blonde shellac. You can always make your own from flakes also.
If you were to apply a couple of thin coats to the surface, it would lock everything down. Thin it down a bit for ease of application. Give it a light sanding when dry, as required, and rub it with a grey scotch pad or some fine oil free steel wool.
Now you have the challenge of bringing the color together. This is where the practice of glazing is best utilized. You mentioned you have raw umber pigment so you know it's a greenish brown. I use raw umber and burnt umber (a warm chocolate brown) in conjunction a lot. When the raw umber is too green add a little burnt. Conversely, if the burnt umber is too reddish add some raw.
Is the pigment you have dry or wet? In a case like this I would reach for something like an oil based artist color and make a glaze from it. If you can buy an oil based product called "glaze" it will be the vehicle for your color. If it is not available you can make your own with paint thinner, boiled linseed oil and color. Mix some BLO and paint thinner together about 2-1 (thinner-oil) This is just a start and you can adjust the ratio to your own touch. Too much oil and it will take a long time to dry. Next, pour a little off into two separate containers and mix your two colors (separately). You now have two color concentrates. Put a little of your uncolored glaze into a container and mix in your color to the strength you need. Test it on a paper plate. This way you can get a good visual balance.
The real beauty of this step is you can apply it to the surface and if you don't like what you see, simply wipe it off. This is a very controlled way to add color back to a finish.
Many people here in the states use gel stains for this purpose. They are very thick and heavily pigmented colorants that can also be cut down to make a glaze.
You can spot apply glaze with a small brush, a pad for larger areas etc. I use what's called the WIT method. ( Whatever It Takes) After it's applied use a fine and soft bristled brush for blending.
I always let glaze dry for a few days before I topcoat. Let your nose tell you when it's ready. When it is dry, you can reglaze if required, just use a light touch.
This is just one way to bring a color in, but one I find useful, forgiving and attractive.
I'm sorry if it turned into a long dissertation, but once you get started you'll find that it's pretty easy when combined with common sense.
Do yourself a favor and read some more on the subject of glazing.
Keep me posted on how you do.
Peter
Dear Peter,
Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply, which was exactly what I needed to get a handle on this! I'm not sure about the age of the chest, but your comment about the condition of the finish might easily be correct. The pigment I referred to is dry pigment powder, and I also have burnt umber, so I could easily explore your idea of making up my own glaze. We do have some gel stains here in NZ, but the range seems to be limited, and I have no personal experience with them. I will do a bit of homework on that subject.
Thanks again for your advice. I will let you know what happens!
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
One quick note on the dry pigments;
You may find it difficult to make them work in a home made glaze. They will not be ground as fine as the pigment in an artist oil color for example. Getting them to fully incorporate into the binder, which in this case is BLO, will be somewhat sporadic.
I find dry pigments very useful for touch up work with shellac, adding to paste filler or wax etc.
If I had to choose between a gel stain or a tube of artist color for my colorant here it would be the artist color.
If you don't have any local I'm sure you can order it.
Good luck.
Peter
Peter,
Thanks again. In that case, I will go the artist's colour route.
Regards,
Peter
Dear Peter,
You champion, it's working! In the end, I put on three coats of thin shellac sealer, because the piece seemed to be soaking it up. Naturally, the residual colour has darkened somewhat, compared with the original photos I sent. Having rubbed down with 0000 wire wool, I took the plunge today with raw umber glaze, and have done the sides and top. The colour on the sides has evened up well, but the top is more problematic, because in many places it was back to bare wood. I plan to "sneak up on it" with extra coats on the top, but is it important to let complete drying occur, before adding further glaze?
One other small technical question. I made up the glaze as you instructed, using "thinners" with the BLO, but is it also effective to use a BLO/turpentine mix as the medium? Thanks again for your help!
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
Concerning glazing the top;
Since it was down to bare wood a couple of layers of glaze could well do the trick. It is possible to do a "wet into wet" glaze but it takes an experienced touch to do successfully. If you are still getting your feet wet with the process, you'll have more control if you let the glaze dry first prior to adding another.
Something to consider; when I do multiple glazes, I'll isolate the first with a thin coat of shellac and then I can work over it again without fear of problems with the first.
Use caution when putting your shellac on over the glaze. Use a light touch. Believe it or not the alcohol in the shellac can attack your glaze layer and pull it if you work the surface too hard. Don't let that scare you, just be aware.
When mixing the glaze for the top try increasing the amount of pigment slightly. You may need just a little more saturation of color. Having said that, you are wise to sneak up on the color.
The best part of isolating your first layer of glaze, if you don't like what you see with the second, you can easily remove it. If you don't isolate, you run the risk of the glaze "biting" into the first and you essentially loose control
Concerning turpentine; as a solvent it has superior cutting strength to mineral spirits. However, and this is important, the drying time is increased dramatically. Waiting at least a week between coats in good drying conditions would be prudent. If you are to use it do so sparingly.
Like all things, for everything you get , you give up something. I've always found restoration to be a balancing act in that regard.
Keep me posted.
Peter
Peter,
Thanks very much, those extra tips were most helpful. I have now glazed the front of the cabinet, and that also looks good, with considerable evening out of the previous rather patchy colour, and a good match to the sides. I am giving the top a good drying period, before the shellac sealing and final glaze coat as you recommended, but hope to be completely finished in a day or so.
Regards,
Peter
Dear Peter,
Sorry to bother you, but I have come up with another question related to the finishing of this cabinet!
It is now about 36 hours since I glazed the doors of the cabinet, as mentioned in my previous message. However, now that drying is occurring, I am noticing that patchy areas of "flatness" are developing on various parts of the doors, which otherwise have a slight sheen, from the glaze. This matt effect has not happened on the sides and top. I'm pretty confident this appearance is not due to areas I have "missed" with the glaze, since the colour achieved has been reasonably uniform, and obviously different from the original (post-sealing) colour. I wonder whether it could be greater absorption of the glaze in these areas, although all the wood received the same three coats of thin shellac.
I have yet to reseal and reglaze the top. Should I add glaze to the patchy areas on the doors at the same time? I had planned to wax the cabinet when the glaze has dried well. Would you seal before waxing or just wax directly onto the dry glaze? Perhaps the wax would make the patchy areas of flatness merge in?
I appreciate your help.
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
This is when answering questions without having my hands and eyes on the project gets interesting. Why don't you just stop by the shop with it? :)
Concerning the flat areas;
The glaze could be drying at different rates. Is it tacky in the area that still has a sheen? There really isn't any penetration issues as you said the surface was sealed.
The patchy areas could well disappear or blend in when you seal it. If you go ahead and put some glaze on the patchy area first, you may find it too dark when you seal it.
As long as the color (colour) looks right, I would seal it with shellac. I believe it will even up the surface. You can then read the surface and see if there are any areas that need a little more color. This is the true beauty of glazing. It can be adjusted a number of times as long as you work with a light touch both with the color and sealer. If another glaze is required, lightly rub the surface down a little as (or if) required.
Wax is the very last thing I would do and I would seal the glaze prior to waxing. If you wax on the glaze and have a problem, you have compounded it by adding the removal of the wax to the equation.
Be sure you are complete before doing the wax.
Rest assured you are not bothering me.
Peter
Peter,
Thanks, that all makes a lot of sense. I will let you know how I get on.
Peter
Peter,
How are things going "down there"?
PG
Well Peter, I am making progress, but it is a bit slow. I tried shellac sealing a little of the "flat" areas on the front of the cabinet that I mentioned previously, but the appearance wasn't altered greatly. So, I carefully applied dilute glaze (glaze on glaze), and that seems to have achieved a more uniform look. I am wondering whether I had in fact "missed" some areas with the original glaze application on the front....I was using a rag and the wood is rather textured, so perhaps I may have not coated evenly.
I sealed the top and applied another coat of more pigmented glaze there, but some areas still need more color (!). The problem now is deciding when this latest glaze is dry enough to seal again, since it still feels slightly tacky to touch after several days, although there are no fingermarks, and the "nose" test seems OK. The new bits on the front also still feel tacky. It has been very humid here lately, so perhaps that is a factor. I will probably let it all rest over the holiday period for a week or so, since the family and I are going out of town for Christmas, before hopefully completing the finish on the top in one more step, then sealing and waxing.
Thanks very much for your continued support. All the best for Christmas and New Year.
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
I was wondering how you were making out. Give me a shout when you get a chance.
Peter
Dear Peter,
Happy New Year! Now, some two weeks or so after my last post, we have returned from holiday, but I have not yet advanced on the cabinet.
In this time, the "tackiness" of the glaze I previously described does not seem to have changed significantly, and is still quite obvious. I must assume (?) that it is "dry" after all this time, and I am now contemplating sealing again with shellac. I then need to apply one more dose of glaze to the top, to bring the density of colour to that of the sides and front. After that, I will be pretty much done.
I would be grateful for any further comments or suggestions.
Regards,
Peter
Peter,
Happy New Year to you too.
Concerning the glaze;
seal it with shellac that is somewhat thin. I don't know what you are working with but somewhere between a one and two pound cut would be fine. Put on a light coat to lock down the glaze. Let it dry for at least 30 minutes and you can build another coat of shellac as you wish.
Do whatever glazing you need after the shellac has set at least eight hours, overnight would be good. Just rub down the shellac a little as needed for a smooth base for the glaze. This might require some 320 paper or maybe just a scotch pad or steel wool.
Once you get done with your final glaze let it sit and repeat as above. Those will be your final shellac coats which after they cure up for about a week you can rub it down with steel wool and wax if you'd like. (To be sure that is just one way for a final touch not the only.)
BTW, what the hell time of day is it? I'm 8:38 PM
Peter
Thanks Peter. I take it then that you are not particularly concerned by the apparent "tackiness" of the new glaze? I will just go ahead with some sealing with thin shellac, as you have suggested.
Regarding the time, if you are EST, New Zealand is 16 hours ahead, so as I write, it is about 4.35 pm Tuesday 8th!
Peter
Peter,
I've coated glazes that were a little tacky. I'm careful to use a very light coat as I've said. Sometimes it's just enough to help things along
With that said, you have to make an educated decision. If you are in any way wary, do a small section if you have a convenient cut off point like a molding or a panel and then "read" the surface.
Each case is different How's that for a disclaimer?
Peter
Peter,
I'm pretty sure it will be fine. Once I've done a bit more glazing, I'll get a better handle on things! Your help has been invaluable, and next time I will know what to do.
Peter
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