refinishing

[Guyforks]

Hi folks.
I wonder if anyone can help me with the refinishing of this chest of draws.
I’ve taken this on for a friend to refinish and repair but I really don’t want to destroy the finish on it (even though the top is pretty much there already).
The trouble is trying to decide how far to go with refinishing (applying the finish) the top.
I’ve established the finish is lacquered (I think, Lacquer thinner is the only thing that softens the finish).
The thing is do I brush on lacquer or French polish and should I try to blend in the new only in the worn through places or do I just say it’s too far gone and cover the whole top.
I’m in the process of trying to determine the stains and pigments used (using the drips on the sides of the draws).
Also would it be possible to steam out some of the small dents with the lacquer still on (no me thinks) or would it be best to fill with crayon or shellac stick or remove the lacquer from that spot then steam.
Any feedback I would be grateful.
Glynn.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Best of luck with that one!

 

[Guyforks]

Yea right.
Ever get the feeling you should have kept your mouth shut. :?

G.

 

[heatherw]

You can't do much harm to that top, so I'd experiment with it. If there are dents try to steam them out, then sand lightly all over with fine paper 240ish grit and try a stain, maybe mahogany crystals or dilute vandyke crystals would have been used. If they bring it back more or less to the colour, then you could try a light coat of diluted cellulose sanding sealer, although French polish would probably be compatible too if I remember rightly. You can rub nitrocellulose on like French polish anyway, so if it looks ok after a couple of coats of sanding sealer then you can put a top coat of nitro on it. All these steps are more or less reversible, so see how you go.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

glynn, you can steam out some of the dents and scratches, the best way would be to soak the dents with water, leave small puddles of water on the dents for about 20mins then soak them again with a wet rag. place the wet rag over the dents and then apply heat with an iron. keep working the dents, moving from one to the other a little at a time so you dont loosen the veneer. you may have to steam each dent up to about 10 times depending on how deep they are. When you are done you may end up with a whitish, bleached sort of patch around where you have been steaming and a dark line around that. Don't panic. When all is dry, sand the patches lightly with 240 grit.
There should be no need to strip the rest of the finish on the top. Get a new dishcloth. ( the old fashioned type you get in poundland, ten in a bundle for £1.00 ) get some fine pumice powder ( mylands is best ) Apply shellac diluted with 80% meths to your dishcloth ( scrunched into a smooth ball ) sprinkle the top with pumice and then work this in circles all over the top, and finish in straight lines like French Polishing. This will redistribute the old polish around the top. When the grain is full finish with a couple of rubbers of full strength shellac. Wax when hardened.
Easy!!

 

[Guyforks]

cheers for that.

I'll steam out what dents I can I suppose I'll then crayon the larger dents or broken fiber dents and crack on with Mr George Franks polishing regime to blend what I can together.

Cool sounds like a plan!

Glynn.

 

[RogerS]

glynn, you can steam out some of the dents and scratches, the best way would be to soak the dents with water, leave small puddles of water on the dents for about 20mins then soak them again with a wet rag. place the wet rag over the dents and then apply heat with an iron. keep working the dents, moving from one to the other a little at a time so you dont loosen the veneer. you may have to steam each dent up to about 10 times depending on how deep they are. When you are done you may end up with a whitish, bleached sort of patch around where you have been steaming and a dark line around that. Don't panic. When all is dry, sand the patches lightly with 240 grit.
There should be no need to strip the rest of the finish on the top. Get a new dishcloth. ( the old fashioned type you get in poundland, ten in a bundle for £1.00 ) get some fine pumice powder ( mylands is best ) Apply shellac diluted with 80% meths to your dishcloth ( scrunched into a smooth ball ) sprinkle the top with pumice and then work this in circles all over the top, and finish in straight lines like French Polishing. This will redistribute the old polish around the top. When the grain is full finish with a couple of rubbers of full strength shellac. Wax when hardened.
Easy!!

That was a brilliant tip, thanks, MrP. I had some fairly hefty dents in some mahogany and out they popped =D>

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Your welcome.

 

[Guyforks]

Hi Folks.

Well I've attacked the top.

I've used no sandpaper or any abrasive sheet on the top at all.

All Ive basically done is used Pumice, Alcohol, an old Pale French Polish fad with no polish added and 2 tubs of elbow grease to move the existing finish around and fill in all the fine (and a lot of not so fine) scratches and dents.

I'm Liking what I'm seeing apart from some large dents that I didn't want to steam due to finish still being in and around them. I wasn't having a lot of success this time round with that technique.

I did try crayon to fill them in but it just come straight out.

I was thinking Shellac sticks but I would like some feed back before I go down that route.
So any suggestions on how to fill them.

Thanks
Glynn

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Hi Glynn, it looks like you are doing a really good job. The crayon should stick, the best way is to soften it slightly with some gentle heat then push it into the dent using a credit card. Take off the excess wax using the back of some old sandpaper, bend the sandpaper up so the edges do not come into contact with the surface and scratch, rub across the dent in different directions until it is smooth and flat with the surface then take off the remaining wax with a clean cloth, rubbing around the dent and not over it. A final couple of rubbers over the top will seal it all in.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

I have just noticed the drawer runners are quite worn, if they are not going to be patched or replaced it is a good idea to give them a rub with some paraffin wax ( the little tea light candles are ideal )

 

[Guyforks]

Hi Mr P.
Thanks for that.
I did fill these with crayon but I just kept pulling it out, but there are half a dozen small ones that I’ve filled and it’s stayed in.
I should try a little more finesse.
I’ve done 3 sessions of bodying up; so may be with the dents a little deeper it might help.
I’ll have a go at that in a while.
As for the draw runners and draw bottoms well there pretty far gone as well. I must say I’m not entirely sure where to go with them.
I might just tap the nails in to sink them into the draw bottoms and as you say wax.
If you were going to patch what would you do, splice a new section or lay a new bit over the top?

Cheers.
G.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

To sort the runners out on the drawers, they will need planing flat and new timber added. The way I do this is to get a straight edge and position it at the lowest point, clamp it to the side of the drawer or if the clamps are not deep enough you can screw the straight edge to the drawer side. Plane down to the straight edge and finish off into the front with a chisel. Add new timber ( whatever the drawer side is made of ) and clamp. Measure the drawer side from the top of the cock bead on the top to the bottom of the cock bead on the bottom, then transfer this measurement to the back of the drawer, mark and draw a line to the bottom of the cock bead on the front and plane down to this line.
There are several ways to deal with the runners in the carcass. The best way is to take the back off, remove the dust sheets ( I see you only have the sheets on the top drawers ). Remove the runners, they are usually glued in with scotch and one nail to the back so come out easily. If you are lucky and the groove for the dust sheet is in the middle , it is possible to turn the runner upside down and glue it on the opposite side. or just make new ones. If doing this is too much, a cheat is to make the runners on the drawer bottom wider than the original, that way they will span the ware on the runners in the carcass. This is sometimes necessary on the bottom drawer when it is impossible to add new timber without completely dismantling the chest.

 

[rafezetter]

glynn, you can steam out some of the dents and scratches, the best way would be to soak the dents with water, leave small puddles of water on the dents for about 20mins then soak them again with a wet rag. place the wet rag over the dents and then apply heat with an iron. keep working the dents, moving from one to the other a little at a time so you dont loosen the veneer. you may have to steam each dent up to about 10 times depending on how deep they are. When you are done you may end up with a whitish, bleached sort of patch around where you have been steaming and a dark line around that. Don't panic. When all is dry, sand the patches lightly with 240 grit.
There should be no need to strip the rest of the finish on the top. Get a new dishcloth. ( the old fashioned type you get in poundland, ten in a bundle for £1.00 ) get some fine pumice powder ( mylands is best ) Apply shellac diluted with 80% meths to your dishcloth ( scrunched into a smooth ball ) sprinkle the top with pumice and then work this in circles all over the top, and finish in straight lines like French Polishing. This will redistribute the old polish around the top. When the grain is full finish with a couple of rubbers of full strength shellac. Wax when hardened.
Easy!!

That was a brilliant tip, thanks, MrP. I had some fairly hefty dents in some mahogany and out they popped =D>

+1 agreed I'll save that method as I'm sure I'll get a patient like the above thru my door sometime - I've always been very leery of french polish.