170yr old sideboard

I was sold this as 170 y old dresser but I think it is sideboard. Apparently it comes from Morningside, Queensland family and they could trace it back that far. So far I have been scraping layers of paint off to find what I think was one brown button shellac. Cleaning the shellac out of the groves on the drawers has been with punch (right shape but not sharp), followed by spraying metholated spirits and scrubbing out with steel wool. Plan is to have bottom section cleaned and refinished in either shellac and then Estapol or just Estapol. I thnk the original wood is 2 types of pine that I will show in later photo's.

I would happily appreciate any advice on clearing and refinishing.

Cheers, Nick
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Careful with the steel wool, particularly the finer grades as any fibers that get left behind in the grain can, depending on the final finish, develop into dark blotches due to rusting or reaction with components of the piece. Better to use bronze wool.

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Originally Posted by rob streeper

Better to use bronze wool.

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Great tip. Didn't know it existed. :2tsup:

Now, where to get some....:question:

Since the destroyer of local business has launched on your continent https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AXS0Q...a-309403482711.

Timbers with high tannin content such as oaks are particularly bad in this regard.

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Originally Posted by Blackout

I was sold this as 170 y old dresser but I think it is sideboard. Apparently it comes from Morningside, Queensland family and they could trace it back that far. So far I have been scraping layers of paint off to find what I think was one brown button shellac. Cleaning the shellac out of the groves on the drawers has been with punch (right shape but not sharp), followed by spraying metholated spirits and scrubbing out with steel wool. Plan is to have bottom section cleaned and refinished in either shellac and then Estapol or just Estapol. I thnk the original wood is 2 types of pine that I will show in later photo's.

I would happily appreciate any advice on clearing and refinishing.

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Hi Nick,

Please do not use Estapol on an antique - unless you want to totally remove its value!

• it is not 170 years old - it is from about 1895-1920
• That black finish maybe shellac with a black dye or it may be a shellac varnish. A lot of late 1890s furniture was finished black because Queen Victoria went totally black (in dress and furniture) when her husband died!
• If it is pine it does not have pores so steel wool will not be a problem. The issue that Rob Streeper refers to is for high-tannin timbers as well as very open-pored timbers (because the steel wool breaks off in the pores and rusts).
• Yes, steel wool is not the best for totally stripping to bare timber - but best not to do that anyway. Use synthetic abrasive pads instead of you really need to go to raw timber
• All antiques look better with patina - patina is faults and imperfections in surface, texture and finish.
• Do the minimum cleaning that you have to
• brush over with shellac (any type will do)
• wax with a good hard wax (I recommend and use Ubeaut Traditional wax, but a good wax from someone like Liberon will do NOT beeswax - it stays sticky)

Hope this helps

David

Steel wool or iron reacts with plenty of timbers , mostly when it comes into contact with water. It not that it rusts like the rust you know but the iron oxidises and you get an iron oxide stain happening . Iron oxidising is probably the same as rusting but you wont see orange rust but jet black stains. Just like you see on fences around nails . Its a pretty handy thing as well for when you want to stain things black. Woods that accept it well . You make an iron oxide stain . Just tip a spoonful of iron fillings or the stuff that accumulates around your grinder into a cheap bottle of vinegar and you have Iron oxide stain . Its almost a clear liquid when the iron dissolves , sometimes pale red , Rose. But when you put a drop on Oak or Blackwood you get an ink like jet black stain. If its a problem then Oxalic acid removes it thoroughly well .

Edit
Ebonizing something , colouring something black is sometimes done best by first wet sanding , then going over it with an Iron Oxide stain, then when dry using a Black oil or spirit stain , then doing the first seal coat of stained spirit Black shellac. Before finishing with a clear shellac or what ever the finish is.

Your piece looks like it could be red pine , common around the 1890s and that does react to steel wool getting a black stain , sometimes you will just get an all over grey affect though . sometimes that's not a problem . It kills the Red off in some things and that can be a good thing in times of Red being out of fashion .

If you want to shellac that then a blonde shellac will also help it not look to red and warm , more natural . The ubeut however its spelt ? is a blonde shellac . I usually mix a blonde with some orange flake or button to adjust the shellac colour in sometimes and strengthen the Blonde.

Rob

HI David,
I really appreciate the advice and guidance. It's slow going as I try different ways to speed the stripping but not damage the wood. After reading you post and auscab's post I went and looked at my last shellac application and I will do this. I would really like to bring the grain out a bit so will try something on the underside of a drawers and see how blonde with some red and then some blonde with dark colour in another spot to see how they look. I would like to have another look at the old dark colour on it but so much comes off with the paint flakes. I am taking a break from it for now as I bought a load of furniture off a friend who feels the need to cut back on the size of furniture he now works on. Gave him shed space and cash and saved me a lot of fuel and hours looking for pieces. It also helps me as he knows what to look for ad tells me what to do for reconditioning. I will put some more photo's of other pieces up soon. A bvusy year ahead :)

Thank you very much for the guidance of the dating.
Cheers,
Nick

Hidden repair reveals original side was not black but more like a blonde type of shellac applied. While further stripping the layers of paint I found the LHS had a repair cover over it. Once this was lifted I saw the original wood had split but the shellac was more of a blonde and I could see the grain very clearly. I have kept a lot of the shellac flakes that were sitting behind this panel. Now I feel after clearing the white paint off it I will restore with just shellac and not add a stain. The repair was really well done and had me fooled.Attachment 426846Attachment 426847Attachment 426848