Are there any Antique Furniture Restorer’s among our members

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Norman, i am busy with a piano stool built in 1885. will take a pic of my problem, post and hopefully i can get help. otherwise a very old piece of firewood! :D :D
 
JACKO

carn`t have you burning things you never know where that will lead.

lets see pic`s and put out that fire.

norman
 
Hello Norman,

I'm a conservator and restorer of antique furniture based in Oxfordshire. I also design and make furniture and enjoy both the old and new.
 
Welcome to the forum Restorer. Glad to have someone with your background on board :wink:
 
norman or the restorer will it be ok to use b l o as a lubricant for shellac hr pale polish ? i am making a display cabinet with mahogany i have given it a coat of l/mahog stain then filled with the stopping rubbed it down and gave it a second coat of stain ,now comes the fun bit with the polish , can i brush it on or can you only us a rubber .

frank

ps norman if i get this right i will start on that coffee table thats hiding under a table cloth .
 
Hi the restorer

welcome to the forum.

good to have someone else from this side of the trade in the group.
I am retired and have been for some years but still do a few hrs. in the workshop most days keeps me out from under the wife`s feet. At present we live in seaford east sussex.

regards
norman

Frank BLO ? boiled linseed oil ? I find this a little sticky for my liking and I prefer to use white polishing oil for french polishing.
 
Frank,

Don't do it!!

Yes you can use boiled linseed oil as a lubricant, or white polishing oil, but, oil can weaken the film of the polish so making it even more susceptible to damage. It's very difficult to get rid of at the later stages of polishing. You will need to spirit off the oil (this involves using neat spirit in your rubber and polishing until you remove the oil film).Much better to practice your technique using some plywood first (make up a 2 foot square). Brush on a couple of coats, let it dry, cut it back with 240 grit grey paper (gently) then start in with a rubber. Once you can get a reasonable finnish on the ply, move onto your project. A good book and video on polishing is Philippa Barstow and Alan Waterhouses.
Good luck.
 
hi

yes oil will make it a bit longer to finish, as you say it needs to be spirited off. However it needs a very good touch and lots of pratice to get the same finish without oil. The easy way is to brush coat till thick cover and then when hard/dry cut back with wet/dry 600 grit using white sprit. until fully flat. Re-coat again but cut back with 1000 grit. Then finish with thin coats with a rubber to bring out the shine. If required ??? a glass finish can be obtained very quickly indeed. Think car body work. NOT FOR ANTIQUES. unless demanded by customer.
norman
 
Hi Frank

how are you getting on with your display Cabinet finishing, any prob`s??

Hi jaco
looking forward to the pic`s , who knows maybe I could help?
Regards
Norman
 
hi norman its done , it was stain then stopper then sand then stain then sanding sealer then l/sanding ,and then pale polish and more p/polish about 12 coats in all .it is a week since i finished it ,i was told to use some wax polish to finish the job .is this right ??.

restorer i never used the oil i just used the polish on the rubber it seems easyer to do than varnish or is it just me and varnish dont mix :?

frank
 
Hi guys
here is pic of problem area. on both sides the corner has broken off.
i thought that i could cut, trim & shape a piece to fit in starting fron behind the hole. would then cut ot the bad section. colour of matching wood may be a problem.
i have completed all the sanding by making jam-chucks and running them on the lathe. the above is the last big job to finish. :D :D

Jacopj-CornerMissing.JPG
 
here is pic of problem area. on both sides the corner has broken off.
i thought that i could cut, trim & shape a piece to fit in starting fron behind the hole. would then cut ot the bad section. colour of matching wood may be a problem.

Hi Jaco

You are on the right line. behind hole to give max glue line and strenth.
Colour out , start with lightest colour of the wood and build up to the match you require. from the pic I would hazzard a yellow oka for base and vandyke to match before polish. are you going to keep the old look, or refinish?
good luck!
norman

Hi Frank

glad to hear all went well with the polishing. there will be no stopping you now.
Norman
 
Norman, i have got some Rustins medium oak dye and will mix it with Danish oil bit by bit till i get right shade. total finish will Danish.
i am now on the THIRD piece trying to get the right profile! will leave it for a few days - else something's going to come off second best. :D :D
 
Ok, 5 tries later, lots of cursing, stress. :x :x :x
How would you go about making up those small broken corners and getting the right profile? :? :?
Tried router, maybe some different bits?
 
The joys of restoration!!
Can't work out from picture what it is even.
As far as making up missing sections, keep it simple. Make up template in card from good part with same section - need north/south as well as east/west relationship templates. Glue on piece of timber with grain direction same as original, but piece needs to be bigger all round. Wait for glue to set then start in shaping. I'd go for the east/ west first to get the outer profile, use block plane/chisels, but take it easy. Once you've got that right mopve on to the north/south profile.
Main thing - don't rush at it!
 
Thanks Restorer. I have put it all aside till the weekend. (on my way to Cape Town on business). I drilled some of the parts for 6 & 8 mm dowel pins for rejoining. Thought that might be strong enough. :D
 

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