Oak cabinet top refurbishment

On this project, I was asked to strip off the old finish to get back to the wood as the client wanted the surface to match with the flooring.

Method:

I used a very sharp scraper to remove the old coating and this also helped to keep down any dust, as I swept with my dusting brush all the debris into a plastic bag.

Then I was given a two-part lacquer by the client I applied the first coat of lacquer and left it to dry overnight as per instructions then the next day applied the second coat of lacquer that went on shiny but later dried to a very matt finish again left to dry then returned the next day for the final coat.

As you can see the client had the remainder of the unit painted not by me as shown not sure that I like that but it does not belong to me!

The customer is always right…

Please note the date year on the pictures should show the year 2014

Comments and feedback are very welcome.

Rubber pressure & application!

Hello,

Today, I would like to talk to you about a common problem that I have observed whilst carrying out my duties as a French polishing tutor, recently I have noticed that some of my learners are not polishing with a correctly made up rubber and therefore, unable to shape their rubber to be able to obtain a flat and even surface.

Once you have made your polishing rubber correctly, you should use clean white paper or rag gently bang the rubber down onto the paper or rag so as to establish a flat surface on your rubber.

If you don’t polish with a flat rubber surface, you will and as I have recently observed during the polishing process not be able to transfer sufficient polish and the visible oil streaks will appear much thinner like crescent lines on the polished surface.

Instead the rubber whilst in use should leave behind a wide oil pattern as wide as the rubber surface itself.

For further information regarding how to make a rubber please go to my post French polishing and Rubber making dated 31 / 01 / 2011 you can find this post by scrolling down on the right hand side until you come to posts written during 2011.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts!

 Regards,

Andrew.

Broken the 20,000 viewer barrier!

A big thank you all for helping me break the 20,000 reader score that I hoped would happen.

It makes me very happy to see the figures growing day by day, I shall continue to add useful tips and information that I think will be relevant to your needs.

Let me know if any of my information has been of use to you?  I have had some very good feedback from only a relatively few people since I started my blog.

 Seems you are happy with what I choose to write about.

I make no money from doing this, however; I can earn a very small amount if viewers should choose to click on the advertising video on the right-hand side of the page and just take time to view it.

Please only view the advert if you are interested in the subject.

I thought that you would be interested to know my top ten viewing Countries:

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My blog now goes out to 74 Countries around the World and seemingly growing all the time.

Thank you all.

Andrew.

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.