Bureau Restoration

Today, I would like to show you a Bureau that I have just restored

Once again I had to remove the old finish and as this Bureau caucus was made of solid Oak this allowed me to sandpaper off the surface, however, the fall was veneered so I had been very careful not to sand through the surface.

Sanding saved some time and also removed the surface scratches and stain marks etc.

Then onto the staining, the choice best suited was Medium Oak as this brings out the beauty of the wood.

Once repairs were completed, then over to a spray finish for a longer and I felt tougher finish for an everyday used item.

This item would not have been French polished due to its relative modern production.

Comments are most welcome!

Beyond Transfiguration!

Well, today, this is not just a Transfiguration but I think a Resurrection.

This Oak Desk was in such a poor state that it took most of my skills and patience to bring it back to life.

Once again I had to remove all of the old finish back to the wood, stain to a medium Oak colour, and as with my previous desk I spray finished it with a durable lacquer.

I took me days to get it to this standard but I think it has been worth it.

See what you think.

Once again thanks for your support and encouragement, feedback most welcome.

Not just restoration this is a transfiguration!

With this Sapele Desk as you can see, I had to bring it back from the brink of destruction.

With the top, I used a small sharp blade to scrape off the grime and surface coating due to the surface being veneered.

On this occasion, I stained it Rosewood the client’s choice.

And for a durable working surface, I sprayed it over with a 70% lacquer.

Coal Scuttle Restoration!

Today, I will show you this very sad and in a poor condition Coal Scuttle.

It has been lying around my friend's workshop for years and for the most part, it was in pieces however, my friend decided that he no longer needed it and as it was in such a poor state polishing wise, He thought it would not be worth, spending the time and effort on it.

However, I decided that being the optimist that I am, I would restore the scuttle and try and sell it.

Firstly I had to sand down the entire surface to try and make the surface flat, using my sander, then after lots of sanding, I had to go over again using a sanding block and fine sandpaper to remove the fine marks left by the sander.

Once that was done, I chose the colour Dark Mahogany as the wood is already Mahogany.

 The stain added some new life to a much-needed piece.

For the finish and durability, I decided to spray the scuttle with a modern lacquer as this finish will last much longer than French polish.

So as you can see from the photographs it has come out looking somewhat different.

 Therefore I just thought that I should share with you, just what can be done with a little hard work and lots of patience; let’s hope I can auction it and get some money back for all my hard efforts.

Thank you for taking the time to read and view my posts.

Elephants came to Town!

I thought that you might be just interested.

Well how about this Table something different for a change, as you can see that this has been very badly broken and looks like somebody has sat on it.

Various stages during the repairs:

Table Top removed for access

This broken trunk supports the Tabletop

  Support removed ready for glueing

    Here you  can see two trunks to repair

   Under surgery

   After surgery & Wood-finishing

All complete!

This is a very good example, of the wide, varied and for me interesting items to work on as this requires me to use my furniture repair skills that I have built up over the years and makes a change from the usual mundane workshop items.

Thanks for taking the time to come to my blog, I hope that
 you enjoy it and find that it is of help to you.

Feedback is most welcome.

French polishing as a career!

French polishing as a career!

Well, this is something that I have asked myself many times over the years, was it financially worth the time and effort spending four and half years as an apprentice to learn the basics and then have to spend more years to learn and increase my skills and knowledge.

yearsears to learn and increase my skillls nd then have to spend years Or would I have been better off choosing another career?  With a steady income with holiday & sick pay included. 

I can never know the answer to my own question, but one thing that I am sure about, and that is for work satisfaction for me French polishing is second to none as I have a finished item that looks good for years and is treasured by its owners.

How many jobs can boast that?  Many people when they have finished their working day have only a paper trail left on their desk ready for the next day etc.

I have to say that if you are looking for a career that will give you good job satisfaction, but not always a steady income unless you choose to work for an employer however, if like me you choose to work for yourself then you are probably going to struggle to make a good living all year round why?  It seems that with the economic climate and the way things are people are not choosing to spend their hard-earned money on having their furniture restored.

Also, it will take time to build up a good reputation and have customers that come back as and when they are in need of your French polishing services.

My thoughts are that the Schools have a great deal to play in the training of the young skilled trades people of the future however, now the emphasis is on getting the highest Grades in School and to reach the best University this is all well and good, if you are lucky enough to be academic and or rich enough to pay the extortionate costs incurred and only to find as many Graduates do upon leaving that it is very hard to gain employment in their chosen fields of work.

Therefore, you must consider your options very carefully, as this decision will be one of the most important that you will ever make for your future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Your feedback is most welcome.

How can I determine what finish is already on the furniture?

This is very important for should you apply the wrong coating, you could come up against some serious adhesion problems, as not all finishes can sit easily on top of each other and therefore, it is very important to get this process right as it could save you a lot of problems further down the line.

French polished surfaces:

Well, to find out if the surface is French polished?  Or not you will need to carry out some tests.  Firstly you will need to apply some Methylated spirits to an unobtrusive area of the furniture, once applied the surface should become tacky if it does feel sticky to the touch then you have determined that the surface is French polished and can now be polished over with further rubbers as required.

Lacquered surfaces:

Well, you will need to carry out the same as above only using Cellulose thinners and once again if the surface becomes tacky to the touch then you know that you have a lacquered surface and can safely go over with additional coats of lacquer.

Varnished surfaces:

Once again the same process as above only this time you will need to use White spirits or Turpentine lookout to see if the surface starts to soften and if it does you can be sure that you have identified that you have a varnished surface on which to apply additional coats as required.

However, if you are still unable to decide what finish you have to work on, I would suggest that you strip off the old surface and then you can be sure that you know what product and finish you are applying, and in doing so will avoid any risk of product incompatibility.

Well, I hope that this will be of some help to you, as and when you have to identify the various finishes.

Feedback is most welcome!

This table hand French polished using a rubber & shellac.