Time to do the ironing!

Hi,

This is job a that I carried out many years ago now and thought I should share it with you.

How about this beautiful rosewood circular table, that seems to have been used as an ironing board.

As you can see the shape left where the iron must have been laid, and the condensation that has gone into the surface and left its mark.

How did I get rid of this mark? I chose to strip off the old finish with a paint stripper to take it back to the wood.

Then as we do, I sanded the surface smooth in the direction of the grain, and after going through various grades of sandpaper, to eventually have a perfectly smooth surface on which to work.

Now came the stain, I used a rosewood fast-drying stain, that doesn't raise the grain, once dry, I had my spray gun ready with a Semi-Matt lacquer and sprayed over with several coats until I was happy that the grain had sufficient coats as to allow for the first few coats to sink onto the grain, and subsequent coats to build up the surface.

The pictures tell a thousand words. 

Look the way the grain has come out stunning!

Thank you for visiting my Blog site, I really appreciate it.

Mistaken for a Tramp

Mistaken for a Tramp

Recently, I was called to a very prestigious company that I have worked for many years now, and have always been treated with respect by every member of staff, however, this time things changed somewhat.

I had to arrive by 07: am.

I arrived a little earlier just in case I could be let into the company for an early start, however, no security was there as it was before 07: am but I did make polite conversation with a member of staff that I had met before also waiting to be let in.

Whilst waiting for the security to arrive, I sat on my polishing box just by the edge of the pavement and entrance to the company, I was just minding my own business and then suddenly several- security personnel arrived together, most of whom I know from my visits over the years.

Well, one of the security guards, told me to "Go and sit further up the Street", to which I replied, "Why do I need to sit further up the Street?"  He answered “You are blocking the entrance" I replied, "How am I blocking the entrance?" “There is plenty of room to pass;” this is when I realised that he thought that I was a tramp and using the entrance to sleep in.

So now, I realised what he was thinking I could play on this and show him for the rude person he must be.

To play along one of the guards took from his pocket a wedge of twenty-pound notes and proceeded to give them to me so-as to leave their entrance and go elsewhere. "I said no thanks for the money I have my pride".

Well, I thought I should tell the guard that I was there to work!  He looked surprised and asked, "Whom I was to see?" When I replied to a "Senior member of staff" he was I think blown away and must have felt deflated.

Other guards that I know spoke up to tell this rude guard that they knew me but he was set to show himself off as some sort of Well, you decide.

I hate rudeness from wherever it comes from there is never any good reason to talk to people like dirt.

Eventually, the senior staff member that I was to meet came along, he was informed as to what had happened, and he stated, "That he would be having words with that guard."

Other guards apologised for his rudeness there was no need for him to behave in the way he did.

I hope that he will have learnt something that morning, never judge anyone, you do not know, especially those you think are having hard times and difficulties in their lives, for one day it could just be you or I in that situation.

Always remember it is not what you see on the outside, it is what; is on the inside of a person that matters.

Thanks for stopping by.

Regards,

Andrew.

Work Top Refurbishment

Yet another difficult job for me to take on as you will see the poor condition of the three worktops.

I wish that I had taken a picture of the centre island top before I started work that's just me wanting to jump in and get started, however, at least I managed to take some pictures to be able to show you the before and after works completed.

The tops are made of solid Walnut and had the usual black burnt ring marks caused by pans being placed straight onto the wooden surface instead of putting them onto a protective base.

Well, I scraped off the old surface using a very sharp blade made of tungsten carbide; a blade made of this material lasts many times longer than a steel blade.

Once all the old finish had been removed, it was now time to start to sandpaper off the entire remaining residue.

Thankfully whilst sanding the surface luckily for me the ring marks finally disappeared, I was so pleased that this had happened, as I knew that my Client would be delighted with my work, therefore, another satisfied customer.

Just had to go over the surface, I used Danish oil as this penetrates the surface and gives a long-lasting finish, and so easy to maintain for my client, after a quick explanation and then let my client have a go at oiling the surface to see how easy it really is.

Do not forget any oiled rags used must be wetted and placed in an outside rubbish bin, as they can be prone to self-combustion if not properly dealt with.

See for yourselves, the standards I set for my work.

Thank you for visiting my Blogsite.

Record player restoration

I took this on knowing just how difficult it would be, and not being a cabinet maker I had to rely on the skills that I have picked up and developed over the years.

Firstly, I had to remove the veneer as it was in such a poor condition, then with the veneer, I didn't replace it that might have been the best thing to do well not for me!  I had to use the original veneer and doing so made it really difficult for me.

After cleaning and smoothing out the veneer and once it was dry, I applied lot's of glue to ensure good adhesion.

Once the clamps were applied and even pressure throughout I left it to dry throughout the night.

The next day, all the clamps were removed and hey presto!  The veneer was fixed evenly all over so that was a bonus.

After staining and extensive French polishing to mention nothing about the number of repairs needed to put this back in a good condition.

Well as you can see below, I think that I did a good job?  I know that my Customer was very pleased with the result.

You decide for yourself.

This was done years ago now, and after working on this, I was given a Table to work on in a similarly poor condition.
Thanks for viewing. 

Viewer Count

I'm just recording the number of viewers from around the World, that have visited my Blogsite to date.

As of 26th March 2018.  I have had 58,192 

I would like to thank you all for your loyalty and showing interest in French polishing and related subjects.

Regards,
Andrew.

Sofa Restoration

This was another job, that was in a poor state however, the framework was in a good sound condition, and like most furniture, made back in the day, it was built to last, unlike the furniture we see about today.


As you can see, this arm has had a lot of use, and now the frame needs to be scraped off and re-finished.

Looks nice Beech timber under all that sprayed on colour

I sanded off the lower rail, and the contrast is so great

After staining and hand French polishing

Beautifully, Upholstered, I don't do the fabric work, that was done by a very experienced Upholsterer

Thanks for reading my posts, if you like what you see?  Please tell others.

University Vs Apprenticeships

University Vs Apprenticeships.

These days young people are told that they must go to University when they leave college and get a good career in a high powered job, but what’s not made clear is that unless you come from a well-off background, you will be saddled with a very large student loan for the years to come and with interest to pay on top.

Even if you were to Graduate and eventually find a suitable job, you will have to be earning a very high wage to allow for the student loan money to be deducted from your wages every month until the full amount has been paid off.

Students are told that if and when they graduate, they will be able to earn on average much more than a none graduated person, however, with so many people applying for the same jobs, it's hard to determine if this holds true.

For your interest:

The rate will range from RPI for those earning up to £21,000 per Annum, up to a maximum of RPI + 3% at a salary of £41,000 and above. On average students with loans taken after September 2012 will have accrued £44,000 of Debt.

From my point of view, I think that Apprenticeships are far better for young people that did not get the chance to go to University or may not be academically inclined.

For those reasons alone, in my opinion, apprenticeships can and do certainly help young people to get a good trade skill under their belt that once mastered will stay with them for life and will always be in demand.

Speaking for myself, I never got the chance to go to university and had to make do with the skills I was given, luckily for me, I was offered an apprenticeship with a very large Company that sold high-end furniture and enjoying woodwork at School I felt that I should look for something in that field of work, I applied for a job to learn woodwork but there were no vacancies, however, there was a vacancy for an apprentice French polisher.

Well, I thought this may be a little easier than woodwork, so jumped at the opportunity and accepted to be a signed up apprentice for four and half years, and during that time I was to work hard and learn as much as I could from the highly skilled craftsmen that I worked with.

After my apprenticeship had ended it was expected of me to leave and gain more experience elsewhere, this I did and found it was really good for me to learn increased skills in the art of French polishing.

Eventually, I went back to where I had done my apprenticeship and now I was treated like an adult instead of just the Boy.

I was now on equal footing with the other skilled workers and that made me feel proud.

So my advice to all the young people out there, is to think long and hard about what are your best qualities? Do you have the skills for a career in academia or are you better suited to a skilled job?

Due to the skills shortage certainly in London, there is a high demand for skilled trades in all fields of work, and therefore, higher wages can be demanded.

University's do unwittingly teach young people to live independently whilst studying on campus, and the constant partying that goes on can be an attraction for some, and from what I have been told it's an experience not to be missed, however, there is no guarantee that you will get the job of your dreams after years spent reading books and developing your skills for the wider world.

Therefore, think carefully about your career path and once decided go for it and let no one stop you. Good luck whatever you choose.

Regards,

Andrew.