What's the finish?

[Bill Edwards]

Here’s a puzzle for your curious minds.
What do members think the finish is on this cabinet?

I ask because in the near future I will be making a cabinet and would like to finish it to be a close match for the one pictured.
I was thinking it might have been a wiping stain followed by button lac, but nothing I have tried comes close. Any suggestions?

I'd like to say there's candy floss on a stick for the one who comes closest in finish, but that would just be teasing. :roll:

Bill.

 

[thetyreman]

looks like some kind of dye to me, then shellac, then wax, that's my best guess.

 

[kinsella]

Any idea of how old it is? the oak pieces I've historically reclaimed (pre 1940's mostly) are fumed oak with a french polish finish. Its dark enough to look fumed?

 

[RobinBHM]

Spray on wipe off stain followed by pre cat if its a fairly modern cabinet.

Movac now do a stain concentrate, you mix the percentage required to get the depth of colour.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Van **** crystals, shellac then wax is my guess.

Matt

 

[Bill Edwards]

Thanks for your replies.
Cabinet dates from the early sixties, though looks older.
To my eye, it has a very nice orangy appearance with some parts more worn looking than others. I guess the finisher rubbed those worn areas more than others.

 

[custard]

It's "Jacobethan" repro, there was masses of it churned out before that whole fashion died in the 70's and 80's when Habitat came along.

It's better than most in that they've used very nice quarter sawn Oak (it's common to see Beech or Ash stained to resemble Oak), there's every chance it was originally stained and then sprayed with lacquer. I hesitate before saying that's a banker's bet, because fifty years later the lacquer's normally starting to flake off, which clearly isn't happening here. Was it refinished by any chance?

 

[Bill Edwards]

Wow! now I have a name for it. Didn't know that. Thanks Custard.
It hasn't been refinished, just polished with beeswax every now and then. The inside has a lovely old oak/old book smell to it.