Ercol refinishing

[Leif]

I've recently refinished an Ercol plank dining table, and a round coffee table, both with elm tops, using Danish Oil (3 coats, the first coloured on the top) and Briwax, and I am pleased with how they turned out. The plank has a lovely figure on the top, where the knots are.

Anyway, I have some questions.

What do people recommend as the best way to strip the original finish? I used sandpaper, grade 80 to remove the top layer of finish, working down to grade 400 before oiling. But I would like a less abrasive method if possible. Nitromors stinks and is expensive. The eco stuff did not work well on what I assume was nitrocellulose. There is a company that sells there own strippers, I think Kling Strip is one, and they work well on painted architraves. I've not tried them on Ercol finishes i.e. nitrocellulose and acrylic.

I love Ercol furniture as it is in my view good solid wood, with nice designs. The darker stuff is cheap at auction, but can it be stripped and lightened with oxalic acid, or will it always look like dark furniture stripped? There is a chap on ebay who sells refinished Ercol, but you can always tell the ones that were originally dark. I like a so-called medium oak finish i.e. dark enough to highlight grain.

Modern stuff has an acrylic finish. Can this be repaired? Maybe wax filler and polish? I've seen shelves on Ebay, but stripping the insides does not appeal.

Can beech be stained? I tried staining the beech frame of the plank table. First I tried a solvent based stain, but it was patchy. I removed it and tried a coloured Danish Oil, but again it was patchy. The stain did not highlight the grain, and some areas came out dark and ugly. I wasn't keen in the result. So I removed it and tried natural DO, which looks nice.

The round coffee table had a weird top. It is made from planks, with a nice concentric ellipse grain pattern. But it was very uneven i.e. not flat. Different growth rings were at different heights. How do they do that? Or is it shrinkage? The table must have been at least 40 years old.

And finally ... phew ... were I to buy an Ercol chest of drawers, or a cabinet, would it be hard to strip the insides? I cannot imagine sanding the finish off. Each table took a day to strip, but a cupboard seems like a nightmare.

 

[Leif]

I guess no-one here strips used furniture.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Members on this forum like to give informed advise on questions asked. I counted nine questions in your post, I only speak for myself here but I find nine questions a bit overwhelming! I do have the experience to answer your questions but frankly I would be here all night if I addressed them all in depth.
So to expedite.
1. Nitromores or similar with No.4 wire wool is the best way to strip Ercol furniture.
2. There is no need to sand down to 400, 240 is plenty, you want to give the oil or whatever finish something to grip onto. ( I know this wasn't actually a question! )
3. It can be lightened with oxalic but you may have to use hydrogen Peroxide
4. Acrylic finishes are very difficult to repair
5. "Maybe wax filler and polish?" Sorry I do not understand this question
6. Beech can be stained with spirit aniline dyes, cellulose stain and oil stain. If yours was patchy it is probably because it was not striped properly. (See question 1 )
7. " Different growth rings were at different heights. How do they do that? " Its a natural feature of Elm and some other timbers.
8. " Or is it shrinkage? " probably not but could be part of the reason.
9. " would it be hard to strip the insides? " ( see question 1 )
P.S.
Welcome to the forum Leif, I hope you stick around, there is a lot to learn on here from many experts and well wishers, just try not to blow our minds.
All the best.
mrpercysnodgrass.

 

[Leif]

Hello Mr P. Thank you for taking the time to answer, that was helpful. Yes a lot of questions, sorry! Regarding point 5, I simply wondered if I could repair chips in an acrylic finish by filling with a hard wax, then polishing with wax and a soft cloth. But going by point 4, no.

I might still acquire an old chest of drawers, they appeal so much to my tastes, even though it will be hard work to strip.

One last point, if I have not tried your patience. Regarding answer 7, what confuses me is that if you cut a slice from a tree, all the growth rings are at the same height i.e. it is flat. If you sand it, it gets smoother. So how do they get a table with growth rings at different levels? Am I being stupid?

Sadly I do not have the facilities to make furniture as per many here, and clearly many people here know a lot, but restoring old items is rewarding even for an amateur.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Summer growth and winter growth woods have different densities - woods that have very noticeable grain patterns are likely to shrink differently in different places.

 

[Leif]

Thanks phil.p.

As an aside, I was surprised at the thickness of the nitrocellulose on the coffee table, what looked like dents were simply areas where the finish had come away. Ercol seem to use a not so pleasant stain on their furniture which does the grain no favours.

 

[rafezetter]

Just a thought, but what are you trying to achieve by stripping the insides? Are you going for a uniform appearance inside and out, because then yes it'll be a lot of work.

Eco stuff stripping - I've had great success using stuff from of all places wilkinson's their own brand stuff - it's white and smell, skin corrosion free. I've used it by lathering on then covering with clingfilm for 24 hours smoothing out any bubbles best I can - this keeps it moist and really lets it get in there.

Scraped of and washed down I've only ever had to do 1 application on oil so if you can disassemble the piece then try this method for acrylic - it's cheap enough about £7 for 1 ltr I think.

Alternatively a few times I've done the (and used by many others) bright contrasting interior colour approach - a real KAPOW! when you open it up - sometimes with different colours with each drawer / cupboard area.

Tbh most people don't really pay much attention to the insides if it's the same as the outside or as close as they can tell - so it depends on what price bracket you are going for, and what market; - Ercol collectors (if there is such a thing) or "the fix it up and get it out the door" - which for me would benefit more from the KAPOW route than same inside / outside.

I'm in the same boat regarding making furniture, but I've done some resto or upcycling - mostly items people dropped off with instructions to "to something with it, as it looks utter **** at the moment".

 

[Leif]

Thanks rafezetter that's fantastic information. My experience with an Eco stripper on architraves is that it takes ages to work, but does the job. I'll try the Wilko version. I like cheap. (Actually you can make stripper from wall paper paste and sodium hydroxide, but the latter is so nasty I prefer not to.)

I think as you say, for a chest of drawers I don't need to strip the insides. But for shelving I will and for a sideboard I might. The idea of contrasting insides is interesting, and worth thinking about.

 

[rafezetter]

perfect example of interesting shelving - top picture:

http://lilpasteeaters.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/recent-loves.html

 

[Leif]

That's a bit too understated for my tastes. But I take your point.