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FReeper woodworkers... - HELP!!
self

Posted on 08/15/2009 12:48:35 PM PDT by djf

Ok. I bought an end table at a garage sale the other day for a couple bucks. It needs some TLC, and but I figured I could use it as is now and do some minor touch-up at some later date.

Just out of curiosity, I took my penknife and scraped of some of the old finish.... man oh man is this thing beautiful!

Either cherry wood itself or some kind of eastern hardwood cherry stained, there are no deep gouges in it, nothing wrong at all except the old shellac (which comes off in big flakes at times!).

But! There are some fairly intricate places where the wood has been carved in to these long lines of like bumps or buttons, and I'm a bit unsure how to handle them.

I've done a fair amount of woodwork before, and my usual procedure is to scrape off the old finish, sand with a 200 grit or so, then sand with 0000 steel wool. Usually I use Minwax polycrylic finish, which I think would do an excellent job here, but I gotta get the old stuff off.

Help!!


TOPICS: Hobbies
KEYWORDS: help
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To: savedbygrace
Actually, probably not!!

Table...

Some of the detail on an unstripped part, you can see the button thingys...


A part of the leg that I stripped and sanded but no finish...

21 posted on 08/15/2009 1:08:18 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: djf

Just some thoughts:

In an inconspicuous area, try applying some denatured alcohol. If the finish dissolves, you’ve got shellac.
If the finish just gets gummmy or sticky, it’s probably lacquer or a combo lacquer/shellac.

If it’s lacquer or lacquer/shellac, lacquer thinner will dissolve the finish.

I have used a combo of both lacquer thinner/denatured alcohol on some pieces.

Use xxxx fine steel wool to GENTLY wipe small areas at a time. Go with the grain. Take care not to take away the old stain, you’ll never match it.

Use a clean soft cloth soaked in your remover to wipe away any bits of steel wool (concentrate in the carved area when it tends to collect before you apply the final sealer.

To avoid compatabilty issues with areas that may have some remaining lacquer/shellac on them., use the same finish that the original had.


22 posted on 08/15/2009 1:08:32 PM PDT by justkate
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To: djf; dila813

I agree with dila813, first determine that it is not an antique. That is, a highly prized artifact that would decline in value if refinished.

If it is not, then a good thick paint remover will strip it fine. Apply it with an old natural bristle brush. Nylon will melt from the chemical. Put on just enough to be able to remove it in 10 minutes. It dries reasonably fast, so be ready to scrape it off when the bubbling is done. Use thick chemical resistant gloves; the junk is murder on the hands.

Use a scraper like a putty knife. Gently go with the grain and don’t bear down. You can gouge the underlying wood. Just gently take of the goo with the suspended shellac (probably varnish or lacquer) and wipe the knife off in an old disposable paint bucket.

Don’t worry about getting all of the corners and carvings. Just scrape off all of the finish you can reasonably get to. THEN...Irrespective of what the directions say, DON’T USE WATER!!!!!

Instead, use lacquer thinner on a clean natural bristle brush to wash the piece. Do this outside, or on a pile of old newspaper. You will remove the reamining paint stripper and some additional old stain and crud in the corners. Keep washing until it it clean. Beware of off-gassing of fumes and flames and all that. Wear eye protection. Don’t get it on your skin. If you hurt yourself, I’ll have to kill myself because it will be too late to kill you. Please don’t sue me, but if you do, my name is Bernie Madoff and I am in a federal jail.

Anyway, get it clean with lacquer thinner only. Then wipe it down with a clean rag. Let it dry. Check to see if you even need to sand it. Seriously, I have done hundreds of pieces without sanding because the lacquer thinner will not raise the grain.

If necessary, sand with 200 or higher grit wet-or-dry, but do it dry. Then, choose a nice stain. If it needs “filling”, I cannot recommend a filler and hate filled wood. But, some will do it. I like the gelled stains because they don’t have sealers and you can put on multiple coats to “tune” the color.

After the stain dries, shoot it with sealer if porous, or with lacquer if not. Minwax brush on poly finish is nice also, and more durable. You can teke it from there.


23 posted on 08/15/2009 1:09:43 PM PDT by Dutchboy88
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To: djf

Looks like ribbon mahogany to me...


24 posted on 08/15/2009 1:11:06 PM PDT by justkate
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To: djf

Nice find! You could try enquiring at Craftser.org under repurposed/recycled about what to use on an older finish.


25 posted on 08/15/2009 1:16:01 PM PDT by LongElegantLegs (It takes a viking to raze a village!)
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To: justkate

The very flat surface parts are about a 3/8 inch veneer, a bit blonder than the rest. But the legs, the two main sides, and all the edge trim is this cherry looking stuff. Could very well be mahogany.

It’s pretty hard. Harder than oak.


26 posted on 08/15/2009 1:16:49 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: djf
Not an antique. A late 1940s to early 1950s end table. maybe made with mixed hard woods. Don't waste your time or money stripping this piece. (especially the beading around the table edge.) Looks like a veneered top. Just clean it and try to match up the stain colors. I am stating this from experience! I learned the hard way.
27 posted on 08/15/2009 1:17:29 PM PDT by 4yearlurker (The ground at Arlington is moving & shaking.)
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To: 4yearlurker

Not doing it for money or anything.

Doing it because I don’t like to see things go to waste, and I think I can make it into a beautiful piece.
Doing it for personal satisfaction and to learn a few new things.


28 posted on 08/15/2009 1:23:07 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: djf

IMHO,

Since your table is both solid/veneered, all the more reason to leave as much or the old finish as possible...matching stains can be a nightmare. And it would be a shame to strip it down to bare wood.

I’d by trying a product like Formby’s Refinisher or Face Lift.

I’ve heard the older mahogany pieces were VERY hard. The newer pieces are made from a faster growing species which makes them softer & more porous.


29 posted on 08/15/2009 1:27:35 PM PDT by justkate
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To: djf

A lot of pieces are veneered on the top “showing” surfaces so flip it over and see what you have. This looks like mixed woods with a veneer.


30 posted on 08/15/2009 1:27:46 PM PDT by Eaker (The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
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To: djf

Try to bring the existing finish to life. Use lacquer thinner with a course cloth. What I learned was to work with what I had. The piece will just look like a piece that has been stripped and refinished. The piece was originally made in a mass production factory. Cheap for it’s time. It is,however,a quality piece compared to the new junk thats out there now.


31 posted on 08/15/2009 1:27:58 PM PDT by 4yearlurker (The ground at Arlington is moving & shaking.)
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To: djf
With lots of deco. on a piece of wood, I would do one of two things...One is put on the stripper and after is sets for a while use an old tooth brush to remove finish. Sometimes depending on the piece it may take a second application of remover...Or put on the remover and use 4 0 steel wool to remove...4 0 steel wool is for finishing wood...not 1 0, not 2 0 but be sure its 4 0. When stripping I always use to use zip strip. Its messy to work with, must have good ventilation and remove old finish with the 4 o steel wool. Always work with and not against the grain of the wood...

There are newer strippers on the market, its just a matter of which works better for you...Its best to use safety goggles as some of the strippers can do damage to eyes if splashed up....Good luck I use to love stripping an old piece of junk and finding a treasure underneath..

32 posted on 08/15/2009 1:28:06 PM PDT by goat granny
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To: djf

I’ve had really good luck with the “Ready Strip” stuff. Safe around the kids and dogs, and it does work - though you may need to use a couple of coats and elbow grease to get to bare wood.

I’ve also used their ‘Strip-Tox’ product. It changes the lead paint content to lead sulfate(I think). I used this on some old doors that had 4-6 layers of paint. Lead test showed positive before the stripper was applied, and any remaining paint showed negative once it had been used.


33 posted on 08/15/2009 1:28:12 PM PDT by CTyank
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To: djf
Doing it because I don’t like to see things go to waste, and I think I can make it into a beautiful piece. Doing it for personal satisfaction and to learn a few new things.

djf, I can't think of 4 better reasons! Take your time, enjoy the process. You'll have a great piece of furniture that has lots of life left.

34 posted on 08/15/2009 1:33:11 PM PDT by justkate
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To: djf

Forgot to mention USE HEAVY GLOVES WHEN USING STRIPPER.

That table looks like a good find...and the satisfaction you will get when done will make you smile everytime you see it....If this is your first time, be patient...after stripping a piece of furniture I only use Liquid Gold. I pour some in the middle of the flat surface and use 4 0 steel wool to work into wood...The wood will be very dry after stripping and it just soaks up the Liquid Gold and gives a beautiful finish...I don’t get into shellack or varnish or poly finishes. Its not too complicated a piece for a first try....use lots of newspaper underneath. Best place to work would be garage or cement floor in basement...Don’t try to do it in any part of the living quarters....read directions on can carefully...


35 posted on 08/15/2009 1:38:12 PM PDT by goat granny
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To: djf

Looks promising. How old do you figure it is?


36 posted on 08/15/2009 1:43:39 PM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: CTyank; All

With paper towels at the ready, I tried a couple drops of acetone.

Nothing. Didn’t even touch it.

So I tried a few drops of isopropanol.

Same results. No gumming up, the shellac or whatever stayed hard as ever.

It actually comes off very easy if I scrape it, I can do the flat parts just fine, it just takes patience. But around them button thingys I’m not so sure... I wonder if it could be very, very lightly sandblasted? It would take if off in a millisecond!


37 posted on 08/15/2009 1:45:14 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: 4yearlurker

It is very well put together. That was one of the reasons I got it when I turned it over and saw it was screwed together, I could tell it was older and well made. So, I guess we’ll see what happens!


38 posted on 08/15/2009 1:50:31 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: savedbygrace; goat granny

I would definitely call it deco. No watermarks underneath. Manufacture date probably no later than the early-mid 60’s.


39 posted on 08/15/2009 1:53:30 PM PDT by djf (The "racism" spiel is a crutch, those who unashamedly lean on it, cripples!)
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To: djf

I’m not an expert, not by a zillion miles, but based on my remembrances growing up, I’d say that’s accurate.

Looks like you’ve already gotten the best advice, and you’re going to go for it. Good luck.

Post some more pix after you’re finished (pun intended).


40 posted on 08/15/2009 1:57:09 PM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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