Replies

1. 
   fustyducker | Jan 06, 2004 07:41pm | #1

   Your rocker does not appear to need refinishing.  With any antique or vintage piece, I would evaluate finish condition in terms of cleaning (1st), restoring (2nd), and refinishing only as a last resort (for the most heavily damaged finishes).  With any highly valuable piece, messing with the finish may well have a seriously adverse affect on value as the market rewards originial finish in good condition; sometimes even in poor condition, depending on the age and scarcity of the piece.

   A good cleaning will often suffice.  Try the following brew that is commonly used in the antique business: equal parts vinegar, linseed oil and turpentine.  Apply with very fine steel wool (0000 grade) rubbing with the grain, wipe off with paper towels, allow to dry. You will be amazed how much dirt and grime will come off and how much better your average piece will look just from this treatment!

   If there is damage that cleaning won't take care of, say light finish crazing of shellac, finish restoration may be in order.  The objective is partially disolve the upper level of the old finish and to apply just enough new finish to fill small scratches and other imperfections; in effect, melding the old and new together without destroying the old patina. A solution heavy to solvent and a minor amount (like 20-25%) of finish is applied, similar to the above cleaning procedure.

   If restoration is in order, you will need to test to determine the type of finish used and the appropriate solvent. Shellac was commonly used from the 1890's through the twenties; after that, nitro cellulose lacquer reined supreme until modern plastic and catalyzed varnishes became widely available. Your rocker was most likely finished originally with shellac, perhaps with varnish, maybe with nothing more than wax. It looks shiny, like it may have been varnished at some point. The solvent for shellac is alcohol. Try rubbing some on an inconspicuous spot with a bit of cotton.  If the cotton is immediately colored brown, orange or yellow (depending on the grade of shellac used) and the surface becomes sticky feeling, it's shellac. If it's varnish, the alcohol will have no affect on the finish itself; it will lift surface contaminates like grime (if you haven't first cleaned the piece).  Alcohol will cloud (turn white) nitro.

   Get a good book to learn various refinishing formulas for different finish materials. I recommend "The Weekend Refinisher" by Bruce Johnson, ISBN 345-35866-X-1200, as a good source for those interested in developing basic restoration skills.  

1. 
   ASK | Jan 06, 2004 08:32pm | #2

   Cliffns1,

   Thanks for the response and information.

   Most of the chair is dark with very little finish that I can tell. The arms have no finish at all and it appears almost weathered as if it were left outside, although I don't think so.

   I'll try the cleaning first and see if I can figure out the finish.

   Thanks again

   ASK

1. 
   fustyducker | Jan 07, 2004 04:40am | #5

   Sounds like your finish is beyond saving.  If you've got weathered wood showing, then there is no finish where it's grey.  I've tried Jeff's aniline dye and penetrating oil finish with good results, but find I can obtain an equally desirable result with a lot less fuss and bother.

   Instead of water tempering surfaces, mixing and applying dyes, all before getting around to applying an oil stain, I recommend Gilsonite, a wiping stain concentrate manufactured by Sherwin-Williams (product # 5010-63119).  Get the oil based variety, not the water based.  It comes real thick, about the consistency of road tar, so a gallon goes a long way - many, many projects.  It's available only from their commercial distribution outlets, not their neighborhood retail stores catering to the homeowner crowd.

   Thin it 50% with paint thinner, flood it on, then wipe off the excess.  Be careful to work only against a wet edge as you apply it or you will be dealing with color mismatch problems. Also, make dang sure you wipe clear any minor slop-over onto adjacent areas as you go - the dried concentrate will be black and stick out like a sore thumb!

   It will dry in few hours and then you can proceed with top coating.  I use shellac, purchased in flake and mixed near time of use (to guard against problems with degraded old stock).  Brushing the stuff takes more than a bit of skill as it dries incredibly fast and will not tolerate any rework of partially dried areas.  I use a cheap $29 Wagner spray rig with excellent results.

   Liberon/Star is an excellent mail order source of all types finishing materials.  They offer dewaxed flakes at very reasonable cost.  Also, get some shellac flatt and mix it into the final coat to dull luster (shellac makes a very shiny finish otherwise); you want a low luster, natural looking finish on A & C pieces.

   Shellac cleanup (of your spray rig) is a breeze using hot water and household grade ammonia, sold as a laundry item in grocery stores everywhere (about 15 - 20% solution).

   The result is a finish that rather closely mimics the ammonia fumed finishes ubiquitously used on white oak pieces in the Arts and Crafts era without messing around with dangerous toxic fumes or the fuss and bother of dyes.  The industrial strength ammonia necessary for fuming will cook muccous membranes, like your eyes and lungs, with one good wiff. 

2. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jan 07, 2004 03:41am | #3

   "ASK";

   Here are a couple links to articles that relate to your project; Saving the Finish and Simple Arts & Crafts Finish.

   The first article describes when & how to save/restore an old finish. In your case, there's nothing to save so I'd strip what's left and get the chair ready for a new finish. After stripping, you may need to bleach the wood (oxalic acid) to remove the discoloration. I'd try to avoid sanding if possible.

   Once the chair is ready for a new finish, the article on the Arts & Crafts Finish has some good info on how to make the chair look great.

   Paul

1. 
   ASK | Jan 07, 2004 04:20am | #4

   Paul,

   Thanks for the articles. I have several books with atricles written by G. Stickley about finishing. I'll add these to them.

   ASKotlen

1. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jan 08, 2004 12:54am | #7

   ASK,

   I'm interested in the "flavor" of the finishing articles by Stickley. Can you sort of overview the approaches in the articles? For example, what materials are cited (stains, dyes, fuming, shellac, varnish, etc.)?

   Thanks,

   Paul

1. 
   ASK | Jan 08, 2004 05:03pm | #9

   Paul

   They are in a book I have at home. I'll look tonight and possibly scan them and post them in the next couple of days

   ASK

1. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jan 09, 2004 01:23am | #10

   Thanks!

   Paul

2. 
   ASK | Jan 09, 2004 04:49pm | #11

   Paul,

   The following are Stickley's notes on finishing from the book by Bavaro & Mossman:

   I scanned them in so there may be some misspellings.

   The Furniture of Gustav Stickley, by Joseph J. Bavaro & Thomas L. Mossman

   FINISHING

   Finishing was of such importance to Stickley that he was still experimenting with new formulas and

   methods of application during the later years of his life. In building the projects for this book, we have

   tried to follow as closely as possible the methods he used in order to maintain the integrity of his

   designs. In accordance with this, we believe the best expression of Stickley92s finishing theory can be

   found in his own words.

   Stickley92s Notes on Finishing

   95 . . it should be understood that our methods of finishing are for the purpose of getting the best possible results from the wood

   itself as well as the most pleasing effect in completing the color scheme of a room, and never for the purpose of imitating a

   more costly wood in the finish of a cheaper one. The beauty of each wood is peculiarly its own, and the sole aim of our

   finishing is to show that beauty to the best advantage.

   That.a clearer understanding may be given of the effects we try to obtain with the finishes to be described later, it seems best

   first to explain the method in ordinary use of furniture and other woodworking establishments, where naturally the effort is

   made to get the most showy and commercially finished results from the least possible expenditure of time and material. In

   such cases the wood is first 93filled94 with prepared wood filler made from a very finely ground silex. When this preparation

   is carefully rubbed into the pores, the surface of the wood becomes as smooth and even as glass. After the filler has become

   thoroughly dry, the wood is varnished and rubbed, and either polished to a mirror-like brilliancy or left 93in the dull.94 This

   destroys the texture by covering it with an enamel that completely alters its character. Whether dull or polished, the woodiness

   of texture that is so interesting has given place to an artificial smoothness of surface that passes for fineness of finish and that

   makes all wood alike to the touch.

   It is easy to finish wood in this way and yet leave it natural in color, if de

   sired, for the filler made from silex is colorless. If a darker or different color is required, the pigment is usually mixed with the

   filler. This gives a finish in which the figure of the wood is made very prominent, for the reason that, when the color is carried

   on in that way, the pigment does not penetrate the glassy surface of the pith ray or figure, and is rubbed off by the same

   operation that rubs it into the softer parts of the wood. This effect is much sought after in showy furniture, where a highly

   emphasized figure is considered very desirable, but it is just what we seek most earnestly to avoid, as the figure in the woods

   mentioned above is already so strong that it needs to be subdued by an even tone rather than heightened by a marked contrast.

   Of the woods in the class we are discussing now, oak and chestnut are the only ones affected by the fumes of ammonia. As

   was discovered some years ago by the use of oaken beams and panelling in the woodwork of fine stables, the effect of

   ammonia on this wood is to produce quickly the mellow darkness of hue that formerly was supposed to come from age alone.

   Careful experiment showed that this effect resulted from a certain affinity between the tannic acid in the wood and the

   ammonia with which the air was heavily charged, and that the same result could be artificially produced by subjecting to the

   fumes of strong ammonia any wood which contained a sufficient percentage of tannin. This process is the only one known

   that acts upon the glassy pith rays as well as the softer parts of the wood, coloring all together in an even tone so that the

   figure is marked only by its difference in texture. This result can not be accomplished by stains, and for this reason we always

   subject these woods to more or less fuming before applying a stain.

   In fuming woods the best results are obtained by shutting the piece into an air-tight box or closet, on the floor of which has

   been placed a shallow dish containing liquor ammonia (26 per cent). The length of time required to fume to a good color

   depends largely upon the tightness of the compartment, but as a rule forty-eight hours is enough. Where fuming is not

   practicable, as in the case of a piece too large for any available compartment, or of the trim of a room, a satisfactory result can

   be obtained by applying liquor ammonia (26 per cent) direct

   to the wood with a sponge or brush. In either case, the wood must be in its natural condition when treated, as any previous

   application of oil or stain would prevent the ammonia from taking effect.

   After the wood is thoroughly dry from the first application, sandpaper it carefully with fine sandpaper, then apply another coat

   of ammonia and sandpaper as before.

   Some pieces fume r~uch darker than others, according to the amount of tannin left free to attract the ammonia after the wood

   has been kiln-dried. Where any sapwood had been left on, that part will be found unaffected by the fumes. To meet these

   conditions, it is necessary to make a 93touch-up94 to even up the color. This is done by mixing Vandyke brown, ground in

   Japan, with German lacquer [clear lacquer], commonly known as 93banana liquid,94 and adding a very little lampblack, also

   ground in Japan. The mixture may be thinned with wood alcohol to the right consistency for use, and the color of the piece to

   be touched up will decide the proportion of black to be added to the brown. In touching up the lighter portions of the wood,

   the stain may be smoothly blended with the dark tint of the perfectly fumed parts by rubbing along the line where they join

   with a piece of soft, dry cheesecloth, closely following the brush. If the stain should dry too fast and the color is left uneven,

   dampen the cloth slightly with alcohol.

   After fuming, sandpapering and touching up a piece of furniture, apply a coat of lacquer made of one-third white shellac and

   two-thirds German lacquer. If the fuming process has resulted in a shade dark enough to be s~tisfactory, this lacquer may be

   applied clear, if not, it may be darkened by the addititon of a small quantity of the stain used in touching up. Care must be

   taken, however, not to add enough color to show laps and brush-marks. The danger of this makes it often more advisable to

   apply two coats of lacquer, each containing a very little color. If this is done, sandpaper each coat with very fine sandpaper

   after it is thoroughly dry, and then apply one or more coats of prepared floor wax. These directions, if carefully followed,

   should give the same effects that characterize the Craftsman furniture.

   Sometimes it is not deemed practicable or desirable to fume oak or chestnut. In such a case a finish may be used for

    

    

   which directions will be given, and which applies to all woods in this class. For these woods a water stain should never be

   used, as it raises the grain to such an extent that in sandpapering to make it smooth again the color is sanded off with the

   grain, leaving an unevenly stained and very unpleasant surface. The most satisfactory method we know, especially for

   workers who have had but little expeence, is to use quick-drying colors (colors ground in Japan) mixed with Geran lacquer.

   Both can be obtained at

   almost any paint shop. After getting the desired shade of the color chosen, apply as quickly as possible, as it dries very rap

   idly. It is best to cover a small portion of the surface at a time, and then go over it with a soft, dry cloth, te 93even it up94 be

   fore it dries. When it is ready for the final finish, apply a coat of white shellac, sandpaper carefully and apply one or more

   coats of wax.

   Hope they are helpful

   ASK

3. 
   Paul_Snyder | Jan 10, 2004 01:11am | #12

   ASK,

   Thank you for taking the time and effort to post the info! Much appreciated as well as very interesting (to me).

   Thanks again,

   Paul

3. 
   JamesWalker | Jan 07, 2004 04:51am | #6

   Before taking the finish off, you might try this.  Lightly sand with 220 grit or finer.  Just enough to scuff the finish.  Then apply a thin coat of stain as dark or darker than the present finish.  Then rub it off.  Then apply a thin coat of varnish (50% varnish or less) or a coat of shellac.  I have refurbished several pieces this way.  It looks good, and is a lot easier than removing finish.  And you won't do away with the patina.

   James K. Walker

4. 
   Tao | Jan 08, 2004 04:18am | #8

   I wouldn't strip it at all if the remaining finish that is on it is in good condition.  I don't see the need to remove a good finish.  I'd rather restore it any day.  Plus, it's quicker and easier.

   I would clean it first with naphtha or mineral spirits the way Jeff J describes.  A little oxalic acid (Sherwin carries it labeled as wood bleach - 1 part, not 2) will take care of the grey (rinse well).  Wipe a little stain on the light spots, let it dry, and pad on a few coats of shellac.  It's much easier than brushing and gives better looking results.  I have tons of spray equipment, but I still mostly pad shellac on, except where I can't reach with the pad.

   Take some old white t-shirt material, wad it up, wrap it in another rag to make a cover, pour some shellac into the bundle, and pad away.  Not too wet, and don't go back over where it's still wet.  This is not French polishing, but it works well.

   FWIW

   Michael R