Refinishing Antiques

This article is from Kitchen-Klatter Magazine, March, 1952:

Refinishing Antiques

Refinishing Antiques
By Ethel Broendel

Many articles have been written about refinishing furniture, but most that I have read sound like messy, puttering jobs. Removing varnish is not a pleasant task, and I can’t imagine why anyone would want to drag it out any longer than necessary. One should be able to clean any chair in 45 minutes or an hour.

The best place to do the job is in the basement right by the floor drain. Spread several thicknesses of newspaper on the floor to catch the thick accumulation of old varnish that will slough off with the varnish remover. Open the windows wide to insure plenty of ventilation, for the fumes are poisonous and highly volatile. However, with plenty of ventilation you have nothing to worry about. We have been doing this work for years and have suffered no ill effects.

The removing can be done outside if you prefer, but the sun and air causes a rapid evaporation of the remover, making the job difficult.

If your article of furniture is weak and wobbly, take it all apart before getting started on the removing. If it is firm, take off all doors, drawer pulls, knobs — everything that is loose — to eliminate corners to clean around.

Use the cheapest remover. It will do as good a job as the more expensive brands, which are not superior in performance, although some are nonvolatile. They do contain more solids which, of course, means you will have more scum to wash away.

So buy the cheapest and use plenty of it. Wear rubber gloves, and with a wide brush apply the remover generously to the pieces of furniture, again and again, as the varnish absorbs it. Continue the process, coating the pieces one after the other until the varnish is loose and runs off onto the newspaper with the varnish remover.

Examine the article closely when you think it is clean, for when the wood is wet it is often deceptive, appearing to be free of varnish when it is not. You don’t want to have to do the job over, so be thorough, get into all the corners, and NEVER use a putty knife. A putty knife will cause damage and never do any good. Let the remover do the work.

Removing paint takes a little longer, but give it time and plenty of remover. The procedure is the same.

When all the old finish is off, scrub the pieces with a No. 2 steel wool pad using a solution of Oakite, Soilax (formula B), or other similar soda, a cupful to a pail of hot water. Do a thorough job, getting into all corners and crevices, cleaning all surfaces, undersides, insides of cabinets and drawers so that if the article is ever turned over and examined in any way it will present a clean appearance.

Veneers or veneer overlays will not come loose in the varnish removing process, but are liable to from the hot water, so do not let them lay wet any longer than necessary. Rinse the pieces quickly with hot water through the garden hose, and dry immediately with a clean rag. Set them in the sun to dry. They will not dry in the basement unless the heat is turned on.

When perfectly dry, in about 24 hours, sandpaper all surfaces until perfectly smooth, removing all nicks and scratches, sanding with the grain in the wood. This is the time to do any repair work, and let no one tell you that an antique should have nicks, cracks and chunks out. The oldtime cabinetmakers took pride in their work, and in justice to them, an antique should be restored to as near its original beauty as possible. The repairing is the most important part of the restoration; it can make or “break” the appearance of the finished job.

Reglue the article, if you had taken it apart, using casein glue, pulling the parts together with clamps, and let it stand undisturbed until the glue is dry, about 24 hours.

Do not patch an antique with a new piece of wood. Get an old piece from somewhere, for old wood and new wood do not match. For example, old walnut has a reddish color; new walnut is dark brown. The same principle applies to maple, white pine or any other wood. There are many tricks of the trade and short cuts one can make, but space does not permit me to go into that here.

NEVER stain or oil a piece of mahogany or walnut, for it will turn black. And don’t think that because your antique was dark as pitch before you removed the varnish, that is the way it should look again. If you wanted it black, you should have left it that way! A natural finish has the beauty of depth. In a stained job, you have put a dark film over the surface of the lumber, causing it to lack depth.

If the article is of maple, birch or other light colored wood, and you want it a walnut or mahogany finish, use an oil stain, using the heavier part near the bottom of the can, for hard woods resist staining. Never attempt to use a varnish-stain (or stain-in-varnish). They are only for use over old finishes, and then with a spray gun; never for a new finish.

When the article is assembled, repaired and sandpapered to a perfect smoothness, apply shellac diluted according to the directions on the can. It will dry in a short time. Then, using OO sandpaper go over the entire piece, with the grain of the wood, again making it nice and smooth. Dust it well, preferably with a brush. Then apply a coat of gloss varnish. Allow it to dry over night. Now run your hand over it and if there are any rough spots smooth them out lightly with OO sandpaper. Again remove every vestige of dust or grit. The finish will look scratched, but don’t worry about it. Apply a coat of dull varnish, being sure to cover all previous varnished surfaces. Let the article set a few days for the varnish to harden. If you have done a good job your finish will be smooth, with a hand-rubbed appearance.

Step back and admire!

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