Posts
24444
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
Edited Date/Time
11/20/2017 5:09pm
Picked up a very old Hamilton Mfg. printers chest to make my wife a jewelry box out of. Twenty one drawers with all the original matching handles and an angled top for her to lay things out on. Should be pretty cool, I hope, when done. Looking for info on what the absolute best paint/ varnish stripper available is and any tips for getting the best surface ready for fresh stain and satin clear.
Next up is the hardware. Removed the cast iron handles and all the screws and tossed them in Evaporust for a day. Upon removal I have scrubbed any remaining residue off of them with two different wire brushes. A brass brush leaves a nice bronze sheen to the cast iron and a stainless brush leaves a natural fresh cast iron finish. These will be clear coated with a matte finish automotive grade urethane clear. Question for the hive would be which one looks best?
Next question, what do I need to know about wood putty for repairing small holes and imperfections on something I plan to stain?
Next up is the hardware. Removed the cast iron handles and all the screws and tossed them in Evaporust for a day. Upon removal I have scrubbed any remaining residue off of them with two different wire brushes. A brass brush leaves a nice bronze sheen to the cast iron and a stainless brush leaves a natural fresh cast iron finish. These will be clear coated with a matte finish automotive grade urethane clear. Question for the hive would be which one looks best?
Next question, what do I need to know about wood putty for repairing small holes and imperfections on something I plan to stain?
Can’t wait to see how yours turns out. Looks like a great start!
The Shop
About 10 years went by and I just never had the time. So at that point we were getting ready to move and I was really just considering putting it out to the trash. It’s Heavy. And I didn’t want to move a hammered desk to the new house which was 4 HRs away.
I kept it.
I decided to pay someone to refinish it and wanted it stained darker to match most of our other furniture.
I paid a mint. Make no mistake.
But it turned out better then I ever thought possible. Thing is a frickin family piece to be passed down to my kids. Just turned out great.
You cann’t find this quality and size in any furniture stores.
I’m happy I kept it. And yeah I paid a fortune to restore it but I think it was worth it.
Wish I could get good enough at dovetail to make some drawer fronts like those.
Interested to hearing the ideas. I'm pretty excited because I was informed by my grandmother she is giving my great grandfathers desk. Just have to make my way to Georgia to pick it up this weekend. It has "character" like the "accidental" cigar burn from my grandfather, but I haven't decided if I want to restore or leave the history.
Pit Row
I’ve seen some people stain mahogany which begs to question, why didn’t you just use pine and stain it whatever color you wanted.
Post a reply to: Any woodworkers/furniture restorers in the house?