Darkening a solid light oak TV stand

[Jonzjob]

It's not very often that I get to look inti this bit, but I have been given a task by SWMBO.

We have just bought a nice low light oak haunted fish tank unit (TV stand to some) and SWMBO would like it darker than it is. It is hand waxed, with what type of wax is an unknown. Has anyone any ideas what I could use to darken it please?

The boss has been looking at this and we are now wondering if it, or the Fiddes dark brown polish would do the job?

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Cambridge-Tr ... ffsb-uk-21

 

[marcros]

how much darker are you wanting to go?

is there a finish on under the wax?

 

[Jonzjob]

As far as I know there is no finish under the wax. That was of the main points for me.

As far as darker, it would need to be by increment. Or bit by bit :? if you know what I mean, until the Boss is satisfied with it.

 

[ED65]

There's a limit to how much you can darken with wax. The first coat, maybe two, will give you about all the colour you're going to get out of it because you buff it down to nothing. I presume the grain wasn't filled on the oak, if so dark wax will also markedly increase the darkness of the grain. You can test this out on an inconspicuous spot using shoe polish.

If you need to build up colour the ways to do it are with dye/stain or with a coloured finish, either of which require the existing wax be removed.

 

[Osvaldd]

Can you use van dyck crystals over BLO? I want to darken some oak that had BLO applied a year ago.

 

[sammy.se]

Can you use van dyck crystals over BLO? I want to darken some oak that had BLO applied a year ago.

I really doubt it because VDC is a water based stain that needs to permeate the wood, i.e. soak in. Oil would resist that happening...

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Can you use van dyck crystals over BLO?

No, not with water dissolved Van Dyck dye, aka walnut dye.

I want to darken some oak that had BLO applied a year ago.

Try adding small amounts of spirit based Van Dyck or walnut dye to boiled linseed oil and experiment with this, ideally on scrap first. This will probably work. Slainte.

 

[Osvaldd]

I didnt know they had spirit based Dyck crystals, I cant find any

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I didnt know they had spirit based Dyck crystals, I cant find any

https://chestnutproducts.co.uk/product/ ... d-colours/
https://www.morrells.co.uk/products/woo ... st-stains/
https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/pr ... ent-stains
https://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/products/f ... derstains/

You could also use an oil based dye, such as the Rustins product linked to below. The oil in the product is either linseed oil, or tung oil, both of which are compatible with boiled linseed oil. Oil based dye might even be a better mixer than spirit versions for what you want. However, a sample application of mixed dye with the boiled linseed oil would still be best, just to ensure you don't end up with a streaky end result. Slainte.
https://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/products/rustinswooddye/

PS. Van Dyck dye/stain and walnut dye/stain are pretty much the same thing, generally speaking.

 

[Osvaldd]

much appreciated Sgian Dubh.
and sorry to invade your thread Jonzjob.

cheers

 

[Jonzjob]

No problem Oswald, it's all good gen mate :mrgreen:

 

[Sgian Dubh]

No problem Oswald, it's all good gen mate :mrgreen:

As to your original question Jonzjob, I think it's unlikely that either a contemporary TV stand or a "haunted fish tank unit" (whatever haunted means there[?]) would be finished with nothing but wax. More likely it's got a sprayed finish such as a lacquer that may have had some waxing after spraying.

My approach would be to strip the wax with white spirit and soft rags until you get down to either bare wood or the original finish. If you get down to bare wood, then you could use white spirits and/or industrial alcohol and wire wool or nylon abrasive pads to finish the stripping. When that's complete you could dye or stain from scratch and apply new coats of your preferred polish, e.g., lacquer, varnish, shellac, etc. And if you must, which is totally unnecessary of course, gash a bit of wax over that.

If stripping off the wax reveals a polish, then you're best option might be to leave the polish film intact and then tint a sprayable polish and apply it. The alternative to that approach would be to chemically strip the existing polish, and again start from scratch, colouring up the bare wood, and then finish, as before.

The third option, quite possibly the best one, is to leave well alone, and persuade the one who wants the colour changed to learn to like what you've got. And fourthly, you might consider sacking-off the unit completely at the local wood recycling centre (or in your workshop), and buy one in the preferred colour. I suspect one of these last two suggestions might just do the trick if you're not particularly strong on wood finishing techniques, but the very last one may not entirely suit the credit/debit card situation, ha, ha. Slainte.

 

[Jonzjob]

For a start, I thought that I had posted this 2 daze ago? But obviously another senior moment? Not that I really have them you understand :? :?

As we only bought the unit a few daze ago I don't think that the recycle option will go down too well?

Richard, I think that the third option is the one for me. As far as I have been told it is just hand waxed. It was actually made in Vietnam. My sis-in-law is on holiday there at the mo and I might text her and ask her if she could go in to the factory and ask them? Prehaps not though :? she might not have th etime?

Haunted? Well, all sorts of things just appear whether we want them to or not so there must be some kind of phantom in there somewhere? Therefore it has to be haunted in some way or another :? :?