BBC The Repair Shop polish

[Lijongtao]

Hi all

I don't know if anyone watches this programme but Will, the carpenter, was repairing a chair and he was using some kind of liquid polish and applied it by brush. He then said he was going to buff it up.

Does anyone have a clue to what this may be? I am new to this but loved the colour and shine it produces

Thanks a million

 

[Jeremy Nako]

He's very keen on using Shellac which he often applies by brush, but I didn't see the specific episode youre referring to.

 

[AJB Temple]

They frequently use French polish (shellac) or the pale version from a bottle - button polish. Didn't see this episode as I only watch it occasionally.

 

[Argus]

I'm not sure either and the BBC is, understandably reluctant to appear to endorse a product by exposure, however there's a range of natural wax polishes of varying quality available, though I feel that it's best to avoid products with solvents and 'enhancers' in them.

If you have old, or delicate finishes which may be dirty as well as dull and you wish to enhance with some sensitivity, then many will agree that 'Renaissance Wax' is the way to go. A tad expensive as polishes go, but information and the product itself is available on line with a search.

 

[bjm]

It could be a Liquid Wax or one of the many Furniture Reviver products (most likely a liquid wax with a marketing twist!).

 

[Lijongtao]

Thank you, everyone. He applied it by brush then buffed it up so could be shellac. Yes, the BBC don't like showing what products are being used but for novices who don't know the names or brands it would be useful. Thanks for the replies, I appreciate them

 

[Lijongtao]

Is it best to make your own Shellac? I see the flakes on eBay, do you just put some in meths and mix the colour you want? Sorry for another ?

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Lijongtao, if you can let me know which episode it is I will have a look and see if I can work out what he is using, but the process he would have been using would have been edited so they probably missed out a few stages!
On making your own shellac I would say no it is not worth it, buy ready made in small quantities even if it is a little more expensive.

 

[NickWelford]

Just love this programme. About the only thing I watch these days.

 

[pe2dave]

I make my own shellac, store it in a sealed bottle, seems to last OK?
For the brushed on polish (unsure), I have some 'black bison' polish which looks similar to Wills.

I'm quite amazed what that guy knows for one so young? His veneering is superb.

 

[Limey Lurker]

I make my own shellac, store it in a sealed bottle, seems to last OK?
For the brushed on polish (unsure), I have some 'black bison' polish which looks similar to Wills.

I'm quite amazed what that guy knows for one so young? His veneering is superb.

There's a woodworking news group mainy peopled by Americans, who seem to always worry that their shellac has a limited life in a bottle. I've got bottled shellac that I use without problems that must be 50 years old! (And if I had a problem, I wouldn't be at all suprised to discover that the fault lay with me, rather than the materials.)

 

[Tortoise]

I saw the episode where a burr walnut worktop was patched, re-colored and blended - and was impressed. So much was edited out that it does beg a few basic questions:
- the patches were an irregular shape. What tool is best to use for cutting these?
- the patches were unlikely to give a smooth surface immediately (there would have been a step at the join), so was that dealt with by gentle sanding?

Away from the actual patching, he dealt with the matching using staining and pigmenting techniques. I'm pretty rubbish at both, possibly made worse by doing it so infrequently. Getting colour variations on a single piece (to match the ageing on genuine antiques), I find very hard. Also the appearance can vary with the lighting in which the piece will be placed. (That advice from a specialist restorer and borne out recently when I took a small tem to a friend to show him the results of my labours and it looked very poor under his bright led lighting!). I tend to use minimal staining as once the wood is sealed with the first coat of shellac, the stain is more tricky to modify or remove. I find pigmenting (and corrections to it) easier to deal with.

Incidetally, what do peple here use to cut veneer along the grain? Is one of the little veneer saws the best tool to adopt? (I've seen varying comments.)

 

[Trevanion]

I saw the episode where a burr walnut worktop was patched, re-colored and blended - and was impressed. So much was edited out that it does beg a few basic questions:

I also saw that episode by coincidence, I thought the whole top was pretty unsalvageable and I would've just put a new veneer on top because of how badly the water had damaged the existing veneer but to be fair it wasn't too bad of a job in the end, must've been a nightmare to stick all the lifted veneer back down tidily though. It would be nice if they had episodes focusing on a single project available to view online so you could watch the more detailed process of how it was done instead of the highlights.

 

[TheTiddles]

I saw the episode where a burr walnut worktop was patched, re-colored and blended - and was impressed. So much was edited out that it does beg a few basic questions:
- the patches were an irregular shape. What tool is best to use for cutting these?
- the patches were unlikely to give a smooth surface immediately (there would have been a step at the join), so was that dealt with by gentle sanding?

Away from the actual patching, he dealt with the matching using staining and pigmenting techniques. I'm pretty rubbish at both, possibly made worse by doing it so infrequently. Getting colour variations on a single piece (to match the ageing on genuine antiques), I find very hard. Also the appearance can vary with the lighting in which the piece will be placed. (That advice from a specialist restorer and borne out recently when I took a small tem to a friend to show him the results of my labours and it looked very poor under his bright led lighting!). I tend to use minimal staining as once the wood is sealed with the first coat of shellac, the stain is more tricky to modify or remove. I find pigmenting (and corrections to it) easier to deal with.

Incidetally, what do peple here use to cut veneer along the grain? Is one of the little veneer saws the best tool to adopt? (I've seen varying comments.)

I can’t answer all your questions but on cutting veneer....
Yes a saw is good for thin stuff and bandsawn veneers. Also, a rail saw is good too along with a Stanley knife or even scissors, depending on the veneer and how good a cut you want/need

Aidan

 

[Tortoise]

Thank you. I have some veneering to do, using veneer I have to make myself. Cuts will be straight and need to butt up against existing (old) veneer. Getting the new veneer thin to match (1mm or a little less) will also be my challenge! Probably ebony.

 

[Droogs]

Depends on how big a piece of veneer it is. small <3" then a single bevel knife, if over then a veneer saw and a clamped guide.

@Tortoise To get irregular patches for repairs on dark or highly figured veneer, I use pipes of different size that have had bits bashed in to make zig zaggy or puffy cloud shapes and then file the the external side to give me an edge and use these as a cookie cutter to make the insert pieces and the cutout on the piece

 

[AJB Temple]

The show is filmed at the Weald & Downland Museum in the lower, thatched display barn. It is "reality TV". Don't imagine for a moment that you have a merry band of TV friendly artisans toiling away there every day.

A friend of mine works down there and he said that most of the work is taken away to workshops where 99% of the work is done, not necessarily by the presenters, and some aspects are filmed at the thatched barn for the show.

That does not take away from it. The show has improved greatly since it started, and some very skilled work is done. The clock guy and the lady doing leather (who may be his sister) are both impressive. The ceramics restorer is also very good.

 

[TheTiddles]

The show is filmed at the Weald & Downland Museum in the lower, thatched display barn. It is "reality TV". Don't imagine for a moment that you have a merry band of TV friendly artisans toiling away there every day.

A friend of mine works down there and he said that most of the work is taken away to workshops where 99% of the work is done, not necessarily by the presenters, and some aspects are filmed at the thatched barn for the show.

That does not take away from it. The show has improved greatly since it started, and some very skilled work is done. The clock guy and the lady doing leather (who may be his sister) are both impressive. The ceramics restorer is also very good.

Yes indeed, a surprising setup they have considering the range of work... almost unbelievable, I’m fact, totally unbelievable!
Still a decent programme

 

[Cabinetman]

I have been to that museum a couple of times, it’s really good and I love timber frame buildings.

 

[AJB Temple]

I agree. It is a superb resource for anyone interested in the history and structure of timber framed buildings. Lot's of excellent buildings relocated from places where they would otherwise have been destroyed. Also lots of examples of hand made bricks of different styles through the ages, join and roofing techniques and so on.]

It is very near Goodwood race course if anyone is interested. There is also a superb garden very near by, the name of which escapes me.

Edit: it is West Dean. Well worth a visit if you are into gardens and design.