Removing Ercol 'Golden Dawn' finish

[woobl]

Hi all, first time post, so hello!

I have an 1982 Ercol 377 table with a Golden Dawn finish that I was lucky to get for a very reasonable price at auction. I would like to strip and refinish the table, as the current finish is a little dark.

I would look to strip, re-oil and wax but would like to get back to the natural colour as much as possible.

I’ve heard that the Golden Dawn finish is quite stubborn to remove. I wonder if anyone has any experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Peri]

Not sure if it helps, but the excellent Gilboys did a vid about Ercol furniture.

 

[woobl]

Thanks Steve. I've watched that one a number of times and will likely follow the guidance. Although it seems that table was a lighter coloured original finish. I guess it depends on whether a stain was used on the Golden Dawn variation.

 

[profchris]

Bear in mind that the wood has probably darkened over time - to get back to the original colour you'd have to remove the top surface of the wood itself, not just the finish. You might see the original colour, or something close, on the underside which hasn't been exposed to the light.

 

[Misterdog]

The dust extraction on his orbital sander could be better.

If the table has been stained you will need to sand very heavily if you wish for a 'natural' finish.
The main reason why stains were used were to conceal the difference in timber colours..

 

[Misterdog]

Nice finish, though the first time a hot mug even with using a coaster gets near it ,will leave a ring.

I would spray some 2K, 10% sheen A/C lacquer on it.

 

[Sandyn]

We have the same table. Probably the same colour. Quite dark. We have had it since the 70's. It looks dated now I see they fetch quite a bit second hand! It was getting chucked out, but I thought I would try saving it.

It had some bad areas on the top where the varnish had lifted. I wish I knew what caused it, because it has lifted the varnish off the wood. The main problem I saw , were the legs and cross supports have a moulded design which would be difficult to strip properly. I'm not going to use a sander, because I won't be able to strip the legs as much as the top, so it would look odd. I started by doing a test area with paint stripper to see how effective it would be. It removed the surface varnish, but the wood is still stained. That might be light enough for you.

When I get round to doing it. I will get some more stripper and do a proper job on the top. I think a pot scrubber will get into the moulded areas. It's just a very messy job.

I'm not expecting it to look very good when finished. It will look like a table which has been stripped.

Your table looks in good condition. I would try to live with it first before doing anything drastic. You might regret it.

 

[woobl]

We have the same table. Probably the same colour. Quite dark. We have had it since the 70's. It looks dated now I see they fetch quite a bit second hand! It was getting chucked out, but I thought I would try saving it.

It had some bad areas on the top where the varnish had lifted. I wish I knew what caused it, because it has lifted the varnish off the wood. The main problem I saw , were the legs and cross supports have a moulded design which would be difficult to strip properly. I'm not going to use a sander, because I won't be able to strip the legs as much as the top, so it would look odd. I started by doing a test area with paint stripper to see how effective it would be. It removed the surface varnish, but the wood is still stained. That might be light enough for you.

When I get round to doing it. I will get some more stripper and do a proper job on the top. I think a pot scrubber will get into the moulded areas. It's just a very messy job.

I'm not expecting it to look very good when finished. It will look like a table which has been stripped.

Your table looks in good condition. I would try to live with it first before doing anything drastic. You might regret it.

View attachment 141439

Thanks Sandyn, very insightful! Seems like there is quite a heavy layer on the wood! I do have access to industrial strength stripper, so I might give it a go with that, then work back with a sander if need be. I agree that the legs could be problematic. I've got a shAVehook which might be useful for the milled areas.

 

[woobl]

Also, can anyway tell if this is Elm or Ash? I know Ercol used both woods in the 80's but I'm not sure what this would fall under.

 

[TRITON]

Lay cloth on top, soak liberally in acetone, cover with polythene bag or cling film. Leave 1/2 hour.

Remove bag/cloth and then scrape using cabinet scraper or stanley blade
Repeat
Repeat

Scraper is burny on the thumbs so a few wraps of Elastoplast fabric round them helps considerably.

 

[Misterdog]

Getting the the stain out of the grain is the tricky bit, leave it in and make a feature out of it.
Gives a lighter finish and shows the 'dirt' less.

 

[woobl]

Thanks everyone. I've since noticed that the piano hinges on the leafs are in pretty bad shape - lots of rust and corrosion, so I will likely replace these as well. Could end up being a big job!

 

[Sandyn]

I do have access to industrial strength stripper, so I might give it a go with that, then work back with a sander if need be.

I'll be interested to see how it goes. It will be a while before I'll have time to do more work on my table.

 

[recipio]

An orbital sander with dust extraction is the most realistic option. Starting with 80 grit and finishing with 320 or 400 grit. The only alternative is to get a 3M varnish and paint stripper wheel which does a terrific job but you will have to troll the internet to find them.

 

[jcassidy]

I haven't stripped Ercol but I've done plenty of others.
Is your need the legs and tabletop the same shades, you'll probably want to avoid a big heavy sander, which will take loads of the flat top.and then you'll stuggle to match the edges, champhers, scrollwork etc.
I would first try to clean up the existing finish, if it is still sound. You may be surprised at how much dirt comes off. Clean with solvents, lightly sand any scratches out and polish it up.
If that doesn't give a satisfactory result, or the finish is in a pretty poor state, strip by hand.
It is my experience that the wood used in a lot of table tops is mismatched and hidden under the old brown varnish...

 

[2sheds]

+1 for the cleaning it first. Just try diluted sugar soap initially, I did this yesterday on a 90s pine cabinet and it changed the appearance quite dramatically. Might need solvents afterwards if it is really dirty.
If the stain is deep and won't come off, you could always try another stain finish on top, that table would look pretty good with a deep coffee stain IMHO.
This is a nice example of the colour, looks really nice in the flesh. https://www.oikifurniture.co.uk/product-page/mid-century-modern-sideboard-with-drinks-cupboard

 

[JoeS]

Just remember that once you strip off the finish, you may well not be left with the perfect grain pattern you were looking for. Tables which were due to be stained were often made from bits of timber which weren't as perfect as the blonde ones were. You may even find some filled knots etc in my experience.

 

[--Tom--]

This was the Golden Ercol finish that I was able to refinish by careful sanding and scraping. Take your time and I found regularly wiping over with solvent on a rag (I had IPA to hand) helped with tracking progress and cleaning out the pores.

Table top will be nicer to do as big and flat. I have our dining table to do, but like the richer colour it has from years of UV, so still looking at how to tint it post sanding. Currently thinking a sampler pack of Rubio is in my future

 

[Fordgate1]

I stripped an Ercol Settee and two matching chairs, all elm, that had been finished in dark Ercol Varnish. I blistered the varnish with a not air gun, then scraped and wire wooled of the remaining detritus.I then used Nitromors and washed of with wire wool. I finished the surface with fine wire wool, then coated with several coats of clear polyurethane , rubbing down in between. A long process, but well worth it. 34 years later the elm settee is still in excellent condition.

 

[woobl]

If you had told me the hardest part of restoring an Ercol table would be that 50% of the hinge screws had stripped and required hours of extracting, I'm not sure I would have believed you! Finally ready for the first strip.