could use some assistance, as i need to repair several pieces of furniture. the repairs are mostly small nicks in fine furniture, mostly walnut.
knowledge of both books and courses available would be helpful.
thanks
could use some assistance, as i need to repair several pieces of furniture. the repairs are mostly small nicks in fine furniture, mostly walnut.
knowledge of both books and courses available would be helpful.
thanks
A rear addition provides a small-scale example of how to frame efficiently.
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Replies
eagjag,
are the nicks in the wood or just the finish? do you want to repair them or simply know what can be done?
the nicks are both in the finish and the wood, and yes i do want to repair them. thanks for the contact
wipe with linseed oil and thinner 50/50, try to apply only on damaged areas.Expert since 10 am.
Nicks in fine furniture are best fixed with burn-in sticks. I'm not sure of the exact material, but they look like hard plastic woodfill sticks. You use a hot knife to melt the material into the nick and then smooth it out. After filling the space, you touch up the finish to match. I've seen sets of this for sale at Woodcraft.
http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?query=shellac+sticks
Unfortunately, this approach is more of an art than just a skill. I worked at a high end furniture store for years. We had a couple of guys that specialized in furniture repair. I tried to do what they do, it takes a lot of practice. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
thanks for the information
If the nicks are in areas that don't get a lot of wear or are not too visible try crayons. Minwax makes them in several furniture colors and they work very well. You don't need too much skill either.
JM
Shellac sticks, and yes there is a knack to using them.
Doug
I figured out that they were made from shellac after I went to the Woodcraft site, but I was too lazy to change my post.
They work great, every color and they can even be opaque or somewhat transluscent. The guys I new would just use these as the base color and then paint in the grain if needed. We sold a lot of mission oak furniture from Stickley. It was hard to dent but when it did get dented it usually was fairly noticable. “The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Yes,
Stick shellac. The old way of doing it was with a small alcohol lamp and special knives.
I have my fathers set of lamps and tools . He was pretty proficient at it. Colors can be mixed to some extent.
Just for whatever, people who learn that skill set can demand their price for repairing high end architectural work. Not many around who really know how to do it right.
You might have more luck with this thread over at Knots. They are more into furniture over there...
Can't help with fixing it, but distressed furniture is very trendy now.
I say drag a log chain across the rest of it, stab it with an awl a few times, and round of some of the square edges.
My painter also owns a furniture store and I can't believe what they do to brand new furniture, but it looks amazing when it is done.
Legal Disclaimer: The preceeding comments are for entertainment purposes only and are in no way to be construed as professional advice. The reader of these comments agrees to hold harmless the poster, EJCinc, from any and all claims that EJCinc offered professional advice, ideas, or comments to the reader that may or may not have resulted in the damage, injury, or death to the readers property or person.
did you get the answer you were looking for?
“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
Bruce Johnson's book "The Weekend Refinisher" deals with just this topic and is exceptional. Should be at a nearby library and will give you a huge leg up on all kinds of furniture repair - mainly in finish but also structural.
Best of luck
Brian