I’m making an Red Oak Blanket Chest.
I was hoping that someone might know how I can get the look I want with a finish. I’m wanting something to make the Red Oak look old . I don’t want to distress it .
I want to do a linseed oil or Minwax Antique Finish . I haven’t a clue on finishing
Thanks Ron
Replies
Not giving a lot to go on as to the end result you want. Perhaps you just don't know. Here's random thoughts:
Old is widely defined. Focus on what you like in older furniture and look into what will achieve that look. Is it a sheen, a color, ??
I haven't had smashing success with linseed oil on oak. It sucks it up and weeps it back at you. Unattended, the pores can seep spots overnight that harden into little blobs that look like sap. Not saying it can't be done, just that oak acts a little different in my exp. than most other woods. The one time I used it and liked the end result, I cut it with about 50/50 with turp and had artists pigments in the batch for a light stain. That one came out well.
As to knowing nothing, you can get book smarts right here. Taunton publishes a wealth of books, as do others, on finishing. I've read most from Jewitt, Dresdner, and Flexner. Liked them all and each has a different way of presenting info. Theres at least one invaluable chapter in each, likely moreso if you're more novice.
Common sense smarts you already know the answer to. Try it. The reading education is great, and can guide attempts, but you could write essays on french polishing without really having a clue how to actually do it.
The other thing I'd add is don't experiment on a finished piece of furniture hoping it will pan out. Save scraps, rout profiles in them that you used. If you're out of your comfort zone, spend as much time practicing the finish as you did to build the piece. When you're happy, then go do the real deal.
Good luck
" Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders" - Nietzsche
How would you finish Red Oak?
Hard to answer. I first have to answer "what am I trying to achieve?" Most of the time that's already decided - I'm matching something that already exists.
I've spent more time with oak than anything else, so I've done about everything to it. Suspect so have a lot of posters here. Here's three possibilities out of thousands. The chair is stain, Sherwin warm chestnut, and nitrocellulose lacquer, the night stand is what I used the mix of oil, turp, and colorant on. Finish is varnish. Don't see what looks like birdseye in oak too often, so I wanted to highlight it. The pic titled "gil" is gilsonite, sometimes called asphaltum (which is another topic unto itself) but is also available at SW and has the look of some of the old Stickley finishes. Top coat there is pre cat lacquer.
" Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders" - Nietzsche
I hope you don't think that furniture looks antique. It looks like clear finish.
Take some finishing classes or read up on the subject!!
Charming. No I don't think it looks antique, but then if you'd taken the time to read the post you'd probably have distilled that. Back under the bridge, little troll." Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders" - Nietzsche
"The one time I used it and liked the end result, I cut it with about 50/50 with turp and had artists pigments in the batch for a light stain. That one came out well."
The 50/50 turp trick is the primary secret to consistant results with linseed oil. Even better is to keep this mix warm (not hot) while applying it. These promote the proper absorbtion into the wood as well as rapid and complete polymerization.
I use an electric frying pan set to its lowest setting. You don't want to use anything with an open flame. Remember to wear gloves. The oil will be absorbed right through your skin, and carry some of the turp with it. You don't want this.
And don't forget to deal with any used rags (I use the paper "Rags in a box"). Best, if allowed in your area is to burn them immediately in a burn barrel. Otherwise, hang them on a line outdoors to dry, then dispose.
--
Lee in Cave Junction, Oregon
Gateway to the Oregon Caves
Distressing and antiquing are the standard ways of achieving an "old" look. They are two different finishing techniques though they are often used together. So you might consider antiquing your blanket chest. I have a feeling that you might like a fumed finish. Fuming (with ammonia) on oak is a pretty good mimic for the look of really old wood.
Take a few scrap board and experiment with a few things, Do you want to high lite the grain or make the whole thing look aged ? Think about how you want it to look and think about what I could do to start with to start with to make the base coat the color the look I want, then what gloss do you want, ( I suggest low or satin ) To me a high gloss looks cheap , High gloss will show every scratch or mark, Now I'll give you some suggestions of the things I've come up with, If you want the grain highlighted , Take in mind I spray finish every thing, 1st. sanding sealer or 50/50 use your finish and cut it with lacquer thinner with a lite coat/ let dry.or do this step with out the sealer, 2nd. sand it, one stroke with grain/ 220 silicon dry sand paper, If I want the grain to show or highlited , I use black ebony stain, spray it on , but not more than you can wipe off before it dries. or I have sprayed automotive lite gray primer on , but not more than you can wipe off before it dries. Let dry for 6-8 hours. Then stain it the color that you like, light ,med or dark and let dry , Last step, 1 or 2 coats of top coat of finish you desire. If you need more help , write and ask , [email protected]
Good luck.!
"I haven't a clue on finishing." Oooooh, that sent chills down my spine, especially when followed with the linseed oil tidbit. I'm a novice with finishing, but have learned some hard lessons with oak. It's not so much that it's real hard to finish, it's just that learning via a completly assembled project is a heartbreaker.
Definitely practice on leftover stock from your project. Do not do what I did, which was to pick up a different piece of stock that had real different grain, even though it was the same type of oak. Practice means completing all the steps, from stain through final finish.
IMO, the biggest problem with oak when using such finishes as Watco, Minwax or, as mentioned, linseed oil, is that the darned stuff just bleeds all over the place. I conquered this by using a wet-sanding process. It worked absolutely great, there was no bleeding whatsoever and the finish was very pleasing both to the sight and to the touch.
We still need you to describe what you mean by "old" so can't comment on that, but you might want to give the wet-sanding thing a try as far as low-risk technique is concerned. An example, using Watco oil, natural or colored: Ignore the instructions on the can. Use 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper, torn into strips the right size for either your hand or a sanding block if you use one. Dip the sandpaper thoroughly in the oil, and place just enough oil on the wood that when you sand you get a bit of drag, but not too much. Keep adding when necessary while sanding the entire surface with the grain. You should get a light slurry, which will partially fill the pores of the oak. When you're done, wipe off the excess (don't let it sit -- again, ignore can instructions). I wipe across the grain first, and then with the grain.
Let it dry for a day. If you see any bleeding, wipe it off right away. Go back and do it again. [Be sure you're working in a normal room-temp situation. If a piece is cold when this is done, and then put into a warm room, it could easily start bleeding.] I think I did 3 coats on my last project. Some people will go up to 300-whatever grit, it's a personal choice.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 4/9/2003 1:54:14 AM ET by forestgirl
Could I do the wet sanding thing with the Spar Varnish" I assume it fills all the wood pores" If I stain the Red Oak?
I just looked at the pic you posted. I like that finish also, but it doesn't appear fumed to me. I think you could approximate that color with a blend of the Watco Danish Oils (I'm not pushing Watco, it's just the only brand I've used other than Minwax, which isn't my favorite).
Assuming the color showing on my monitor is close to what you actually see in person, you might end up using a mixture of Medium Walnut and Cherry. If that's too light, the Dark Walnut might work. They have a bunch of different colors.
Spar Varnish????? Uhhhh, don't know that it will give you the look you want. That's pretty heavy-duty stuff for a blanket chest, and I would think it would give you a pretty glossy finish.
You can take a look at the oiled test pieces when they're dry and see if you want more gloss than what you see there. Then try some satin finish. You can mix satin and glossy in different proportions to get the gloss level you want. I used Watco's Wipe-on Poly, and mixed the two gloss levels. Another option would be to make your own wiping varnish with varnish and Tung Oil. The Danish Oil alone might give you an OK look, but it won't offer much protection against drips and drops.
PS: It's important to let the Danish Oil cure before applying varnish. It takes a few days in the living room for me. The smell test works pretty well.
PPS: The only way you'd "fill all the wood pores" would be to use a paste grain filler. This procedure is generally used when attempting a mirror finish, and it can be a real tough process the first few attempts. The main reason I recommended the wet-sand proceedure is that it cuts down or eliminates the bleeding problem with oak when using an oil. In the process it keeps those heavy pigments from taking over the pores and making a rather muddy, unnatural look.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Ron61,
My experience vindicates forestgirl's advice. However, I'd suggest you give Liberon Finishing Oil a try. It's one of the few finishing oils that dries properly following all of the air quality restrictions that forced reformulations back in the 1980's.
Liberon has some alcohol added, which makes it dry relatively quickly (a lot faster than Watco or Minwax products, IMO), but you still have to check for bleed-back and wipe away any of the little "finishing zits" for about six hours after you apply it.
Sand in the first coat with 220-grit, wipe away the slurry, wait 24-48 hours and sand in another coat with 320-grit. Wipe, wait, and repeat with 400-grit. Wipe, wait a week, and apply a nice Carnauba wax. The finish is labor-intensive and takes a little time, but, my-oh-my, it feels like silk and looks terrific.
You may have noticed that old pieces (actual antiques) tend to have darker (dirtier, opaque) areas in corners, nooks, and crannies, and lighter areas where wear has occurred. You might be able to replicate some of this effect by carefully wiping away the oil/sawdust slurry in some areas, and leaving a little in places like corners where the finish wants to be a little darker and more opaque.
One more thing, and I'll shut up and go to bed: seedlac can be applied to achieve the dark-in-the-corners effect in a more controlled way, and dark-tinted finishing wax can be used to achieve a similar, but much more subtle, effect.
Good luck,
Paul
Hope this helps.
I guess I was very un clear about what I wanted. I don't like the High Gloss I like the soft look of a natural finish.
I found a pic. of what I like on Oak it looks Old - Deep Rich looking to me.
Could this be a Fumed Finish?
When I selected the Oak I just picked boards that look would look good with each other, not all out of the same tree.Im sure the tannic acid content would differ
I would really like this look
Thanks for all and any help
Ron
Pic on next post
Edited 4/9/2003 6:00:26 PM ET by ron61
Haveing problems with posting pic.
Ron, I'm not sure of the style of the blanket chest you want to finish, and I'm assuming that it's the finish, not the style, of the dresser pic you posted that interests you.
Anyway, that said, the following link to an article by Jeff Jewitt on how to get a Mission-style finish on oak is very helpful. I've posted it here a number of times, as have others, and I've now followed it, with some slight variations for color, durability, etc., on a half-dozen pieces and have been invariably satisfied with the results. If it's not what you're looking for right now, file it away... you may use it later, and there's no doubt in my mind that you'll pass it along to someone else someday:
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/mission_oak.htm
David (you find something that works, stick with it!)"The world that was not made is not won by what is done" -- Mundaka Upanishad
Its a Shaker blanket chest
How would they have finished red oak? Did they use stain?
I want to do a Traditional finish .
Its a Shaker blanket chest -- OK that helps.
How would they have finished red oak? Shaker's usually used pine. I don't know if they used oak very often or at all.
Did they use stain? They often used a red paint.
I want to do a Traditional finish. Traditional is a very general term! Try this on for size: "I want to use an authentic (or typical) Shaker finish. Focus, focus.
Ron, it's obvious that getting this finish "right" is important to you. But it took this long for us to find out that you want a Shaker finish. I would suggest you do some research on Shaker furniture and find out historically what they used for various pieces, and then ask us some specific questions about the process. I'm sure you'll get help with it.
You can get books from the library, do a google.com search on "shaker furniture finish" or even post a new thread entitled "shaker furniture finishing ??s"forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Ota
That's not a fumed finish. Possibly orange shellac, or varnish. You can get something similar with a tinted polyurethane that will be much more durable. If you want the gray water stains you'll have to paint them in ... under the finish would be best. I would use a pretty thin polyurethane tinted to the orange hue with about %5 linseed oil added. Two coats should do it.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled