Mahogany balloon backs

[caffeinated]

Hi ,
I have 6 of these chairs,that i took down to their natural state,then applied linseed oil,however i have been told the huge colour difference was due to all the different staining over the years?
Can anyone recommend what I should now do with them,as far as finish is concerned(I do like them this way,but they appear "odd" literally.maybe a finish to unify them?
Thanx

 

[AndyT]

I think you may be too late. Usual practice would have been to stain to match before oiling. But now the oil will prevent any stain reaching the wood.
Maybe you could try stain mixed with some more oil?

 

[caffeinated]

Yes,
thanks for that!

 

[Cottonwood]

Why is it essential that all the pieces end up the exact same shade? I think it looks kinda interesting as it is in the photo

 

[caffeinated]

Thanks,so do I,think they look good,so it is not essential,but should I want to sell them??
What do you think,sell them raw like that and give people the option to stain them?

 

[soulboy]

Hi, as Andy has said, you're a bit late. This type of chair is traditionally French polished after any staining. The oil you've applied will hamper the penetration of most stains. You may be able to even out the shades a bit by using coloured wax.
HTH chris

 

[RogerS]

Hi ,
I have 6 of these chairs,that i took down to their natural state,then applied linseed oil,however i have been told the huge colour difference was due to all the different staining over the years?

If you took the chairs back down to their natural state then the part in bold is just plain wrong. You are looking at the natural difference between the various types of mahogany. Looking at, for example, the front lefthand chair - the top rail (is that the right term? I don't make chairs) looks like flame mahogany and the uprights (stiles) common-or-garden mahogany of indifferent vintage. As has been mentioned already it would have been better to have stained beforehand but with different approaches and stain colours for the individual parts....simply applying the same colour stain to rail and stiles will only change the shade. You will still see the contrast between the two type of wood. You'd need a darker stain on the uprights.

In addition, you would probably be well advised to apply a wash coat first to the rail because flame mahogany has really bad interlocking grain and without the washcoat the stain will be absorbed more on the endgrain (which being interlocked appears along the length of the piece).

Could you not take it back to natural and start again?

Roger

 

[AndyT]

That's a good description from Roger - staining was to match different pieces, not just to give a different overall appearance.

You may be lucky and find someone who likes the piebald effect, but they would have not looked like that originally and are not something I would choose if I was buying.

 

[Dangermouse]

The only way you might do it is to get the oil out of the wood, using turpentine or paraffin and start again with wood stain. Then finish of with an oil varnish or if skilled enough to do it, French polish.