I doubt that I am alone in this but I HATE FINISHING my woodwork projects. I love designing, obtaining, choosing and dressing the timber, making components, assembling and even sanding but I HATE FINISHING.
Last weekend, while Helen was away, I started a new piece of furniture for me to store my clothes and get them up from the USL (Universal Storage Location = the floor).
I made it out of porta radiata panels and a couple of storage systems from Howards Storage Solutions. Some of you know that my house is full of old chinese furniture, the bedroom is no different, and so this piece had an old Chinese cupboard to match. I had completed it, except for the drawers, by Sunday morning and then I was faced with finishing and, I don't know if I've told you before, but I HATE FINISHING!
I had recently had a bad experience with my old favourite Wattyl stain but they had the colour I needed, traditional cedar, so I bought a fresh tin and stirred and shook and paddled it and slapped it on and rubbed it back. Sunday was stinking hot, my perspiration dropped onto the workpiece, some stain splashed and spilt and the blobs didn't get seen or wiped off until too late. By this stage ALL humour had disappeared!
Once the staining debacle was finished and rubbed back, there were dark patches under the stain from my sweat and/or unseen spills of stain. I looked carefully at the centuries old chinese cupboard, yup, dark patches under the stain, but this cupboard had matured to this state over hundreds of years and not in the last hour like the new cupboard.
Now, for the clear coat, my new favourite Minwax wipe-on poly, 3 coats always give me a great result ... but apparently not when the temp is 42degC (108degF for our American pals).:doh: The 3 coats of wipe-on were still sticky hours later
Hmmmm, reach for another old friend, steel wool and Danish oil, rub it in and rub it out. Now it is a smooth as a baby's bottom, right colour, dark blobs under the stain ... and already looks like it is well on its way to 400 years old, an interesting juxtaposition with the 21st Century storage system!!
Fast forward to Monday night, the stickyness is gone, still smooth, blobs still there and more appearing, neighbour has gone out, so I carry it up the house by myself, the dings against assorted trees. steps, brick corners all adding to the 'rich patina of life' and making it look older and more used than the original chinese cupboard.
I finally get it through the front door, the traditional cedar marks on the carpet must have come from left over, unsealed stain under the feet :C, the traditional cedar stains on my arms and chest soon blossom into the deep purple bruises that they really are, it travels past the chinese cupboard which says hello to the new piece that it now regards as being older and more reverential than it, and the new piece settles into it's corner .... at least it fits!
Is there anyone in Sydney who actually likes finishing and would take my creations and return them finished?
Fletty
