zeke
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« on: April 23, 2009, 11:58:32 AM » |
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I often see burl on Victorian furniture that has a dry look to it and I'm wondering if anyone here can tell me some tips to freshen it up a bit short of refinishing. The piece I'm picturing is a burl panel from a headboard. The bed is in great condition and original finish and I have no problem cleaning and polishing the plain walnut but I do not wish to harm the burl. My gut feeling is just to put some old English on it and it will look good, but a lot of the people that read these boards have a lot more experience than I do. I appreciate greatly any tips. http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/zekenstein/burl.jpg |
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Michadi Antiques
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« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2009, 01:55:57 AM » |
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As a restorer I frequently encounter pieces that have received many treatments of Old English and it is the bane of my existence. Basically it is a combination of stain and mineral oil. The stain acts as a scratch remover and the mineral oil provides temporary lubrication. Old English will significantly darken the finish over time, to the point where all the grain pattern is lost. I can detect a piece with Old English on it just by the smell. The problem most often seen with burl is lifting of the veneer and Old English will not improve that. Actually the oil is providing an accelerated path for the breakdown of the hide glue, and is to be avoided. If after a century or more the glue is still stable and solid, you really don't want to do anything to change that situation. In other words if it aint broke, don't fix it. If the veneer is lifting, you will want to have that reattached if possible, as it has a tendency to snag on clothing or other items and break off. A light coat of furniture paste wax (no silicone as in Pledge) used very infrequently (once a year of less) would be your best bet, but personally I would leave the burl alone unless there is a specific problem you are trying to fix.
Michael
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Rare Victorian
www.RareVictorian.com
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« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2009, 02:10:23 PM » |
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I may have committed a retorer's sin, but I have used Restor-a-finish on burl before with good success if it is beat up. Otherwise, I use a furniture wax (non-silicone) which greatly lessens the dry look.
If it's one of my better pieces, I hand it over to a professional.
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Michadi Antiques
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« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2009, 03:15:19 PM » |
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Zeke,
The best way to correct this particular problem you are seeing is a refinish to just the burl panel. The "dry look" you are seeing in the photograph, which is very evident in the crusty yellowish areas, is clearly the breakdown of the original shellac finish and nothing you can do will fix that short of a refinish. Often times one can remelt the old shellac to blend in well with a new application through the alcohol present in the fresh shellac. Your case however appears rather severe, and requires stripping that panel and applying fresh shellac. Assuming the remainder of the finish on your headboard is OK, this is a relatively simple process, as it can be stripped with a little patience and nothing more than denatured alcohol itself. What you are shooting for is just a thorough removal of those areas of broken down shellac. Fresh shellac can then be reapplied using the padding technique. If you can find someone competent in the application of shellac, the whole job can be completed in a couple of hours. Really pretty simple from a restorers point of view and should not be very expensive.
Michael
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JohnRVR
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« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2009, 02:16:50 PM » |
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I am in total agreement with Michael!
John, RVR
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Peakangus
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Love Meeks, Belter, learning Oriel and Horner
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« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2009, 07:08:20 PM » |
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Guys: as we talk about this subject of burl, when encountering a burl panel that is not yet broken or missing pieces but just "blistering" where the glue has turned loose in some spots, is there a technique you know of to re-attach the blisters to the substrate...thinking making the area more pliable and then injecting glue under the blister with a hypo needle type arrangement and then applying pressure to let it cure? Your thoughts in this area? Thanks. Charles.
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woodwright
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« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2009, 03:56:36 AM » |
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If you inject a glue - make sure it is a water based glue (to soften the old waterbased glue and create a bond). When re gluing something, you need to be able to re amalgamate the old glue, or remove it. Gluing over old hard, dried glue is never a good solution and will probably not hold for long at all. If it is an antique, untouched and has never been re glued w/ another glue of unknown type - it will almost certainly be glued down w/ a hot hide glue, which is very sensitive to moisture and heat and can be reactivated (w/ moisture & heat). If you plan to refinish the burl after reglueing it, you could remove the finish first (a cabinet scraper would work well on the flat areas, w/o the mess of dissolving the finish w/ a solvent or stripper - so you can selectively strip the burl only. Careful scraping, sanding or a solvent like denatured alcohol - if it's shellac on the raised or puckered areas of veneer). After the finish has been removed (leaving it on will inhibit the penetration of moisture & it will most likely be damaged by adding heat & moisture/ steam), lay a well dampened cloth on the veneer and place a warm iron (med - med high heat - don't use low or high settings - avoid scorching the veneer) on the cloth which will create steam from the damp cloth which will soften the veneer and make it more flexible. Do this several times to penetrate the veneer (burl veneer is quite porous). The veneer will soften and the moisture & heat should reactivate the original glue underneath. If you can have it in a horizontal position - and place something flat and heavy enough very quickly after the iron is removed to press it flat while the glue sets/ cures (hot hide glue sets quite quickly - but give it an hour or so to be safe. Wax paper is a good barrier to insure nothing will stick or leave any marks when weighing it down). If you can't have it in a horizontal position to weight it down, then it can be rubbed firmly for a short while after the glue is reactivated w/ something smooth and hard that will not scratch the surface (known as hammer veneering - done using a veneer hammer - which is for rubbing, not pounding http://www.fine-tools.com/G302306.htm ). Sand if needed, and refinish the veneer. woodwright |
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« Last Edit: June 16, 2009, 01:47:43 PM by woodwright »
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Canadian maple
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« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2009, 08:34:20 AM » |
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I have freshened up plain and figured black walnut using walnut meats....I buy the whole walnut meats at the grocery store and rub the pulp into the wood with my fingers, wipe off the excess and let it dry. Then apply paste wax.
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JohnRVR
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« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2009, 02:31:55 PM » |
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Interesting note about the 'walnut meat' of the nut. Does it add color, or just the fat/oil? At our shop, every late autumn, we make our own walnut stain, from the husks of the nuts, gathered from the zillion walnut trees here in S.E. Pa. The color is a very natural brown, with a hint of green; which is very good for sun faded, yellow, woods.
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Canadian maple
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« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2009, 09:56:29 AM » |
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When I've used the walnut meats, they don't add colour. The oil seems to just bring out the colour that is already there.
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JohnRVR
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« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2009, 03:59:10 PM » |
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That is what I figured, thanks for the tip. We keep a bottle of 'raw walnut oil,' found in health food stores/good grocery stores, in the shop. I am interested to see the cost breakdown of buying the 'meat of the nut' versus the prepackaged and processed oil. Will keep you posted! John, RVR
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