I have completed making the 18th Century Pennsylvania Secretary featured in FWW(154,155,156) by Lonnie Bird. I have a commitment by a very fine wood finisher to finish the piece. However, the man is VERY much in demand and I can’t get him to get started. In the meantime, my work is sitting in the shop exposed to the changing humidity and temperature and I am concerned that it will self-destruct if I do not get something started to protect it. I am about ready to give up on the man and attempt the job myshef. I have $2,500(+/-) and many many hours invested and it scares the *ell out of me to try to do it myself.
The piece is made from walnut and walnut veneer over 11ply. The gallery would be complex to finish IMHO. Also the doors for the upper cabinet are done in individual pane Chippendale. It seems to me that any method other than spray finishing would be impracticle. I am looking at what my options are, including purchasing a good HVLP system.
I would appreciate any words of incouragement, wisdom, or suggestions.
Replies
Coolbreeze,
I guess it depends on what sort of finish you want when it's done. Walnut can be simple to finish or pretty involved; the same as any wood. Just as an example, here's a picture of a couple maple doors. Getting the finish on the left door isn't too tough, the one on the right is how a finisher earns their pay.
You know your skills better than anyone. Are you confident in doing the job? If not, it doesn't sound like this is a good piece to learn on. Is there another person you can trust to finish the piece? How long are you willing to wait on your first choice of finishers? All the options are yours.
Paul
Paul,
Thanks for your reply.
I can do wood. Finishing, I have yet to learn. The piece is not one on which to learn finishing. I live in south Mississippi. The humidity is always high, but the swings are relentless. I am just frustrated because I have so much time and $$ invested in this project and it really hurts to see it sitting there unprotected.
The good news is that today the finisher made a sample finish tht we like and it seems that he may be ready to finish my piece.
BTY, your doors look great and you are right about the one on the right.
Just some random thoughts--what did the plans use? And thinking of it as an 18th century piece, you might want to use a finish that was used then. And finally, they did not have spray finishing. A wiped on finish would probably work as would a padded finish. The latter is definitely a skilled finish--wipe on is a breeze.
Gretchen,
Thanks for your reply.
Lonnie Bird did not include information about the finish. I called him and he said that he would be teaching his technique at his shop classroom in Tennesssee. The finish shown in the picture(FWW#154) looked like light cherry, but the wood is walnut.
I went to Atlanta and attended a 3-day class by Bob Flexner. He suggested rubbing laquer. I had plans to do that but the millwork in the gallery and the mutins in the Chippendale upper doors would make that very difficult.
The good news is that my finisher finally called today and had a sample finish that we loved and he seems to be ready to start my project.
I am a retired insurance "executive"(TIC), and have been doing my first love for just three years. I can do really good work, but I will have to learn to finish.
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