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Tool Store | Dictionary of Woodworking
Finishing Characteristics of Common Cabinet Woods
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CLASSIC FINISHING TECHNIQUES

"Allen takes great pains in instructing woodworkers with some skill how to apply centuries-old finishes...So critical are the processes discovered many hundreds of years ago that the author both incorporates certain steps into his contemporary interpretation of techniques and writes down original formulas and equipment lists" -- Booklist.
"...demonstrates how to use French polish, varnishes, oil and wax finishes, natural and chemical stains, fumed finishes, and milk paint...to achieve classic finishes. Allen, an expert in the field, provides good directions and helpful color illustrations...His excellent text is appropriate for meeting special needs...Recommended..." -- Library Journal "Classic Finishing Techniques is a first-rate production, with clear photographs and an appeal design. It's a must for anyone interested in finishing or refinishing antiques and reproductions in an authentic manner." -- Jack Warner, Cox News Service
128 pages 159 color photosorder on-line

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: Types of Classic Finish

French Polish 10; Varnishes 12; Oil Finishes 12; Wax Finishes 13;
Stains 23; Chemical Stains and Fumed Finishes 13; Milk Paint 14;
Sample Case 14; Necessary Equipment 15

Chapter Two: Preparing Wood for a Classic Finish

Planes 16; Sharpening a Smooth Plane Iron 17; Planing
Procedure 18; Scrapers 18; Abrasives 20; Using Sandpaper 22

Chapter Three: French-Polishing Supplies

Shellac 24; Grades of Shellac 24; Seed-Lac 24; Button Lac 25;
Orange Shellac 26; Garnet Lac 26; Blonde Shellac 26; White
Shellac 26; Modified Shellac 27; Commercially Prepared French
Polish 28; Preparing French Polish 28; Solvents 28; Oil 29; Pad 30;
Pounce Bag 33

Chapter Four: The French-Polishing Process

Using the Rubber 35; The French Method 36; Filling 36;
Bodying 39; Stiffing 40; Spiriting Off 41; The British Method 41;
Fadding 42; Filling 43; Bodying 44; Stiffing 46; Spiriting Off 46

Chapter Five: Special French-Polishing Situations

Polishing Awkward Parts 47; Polishing into Corners 47; Polishing
Drawer Fronts and Legs 47; Polishing Turnings on the Lathe 48;
Polishing Edges 49; French-Polishing Variations 50; Polishing over
Oil 5O; Open-Pore Polish 51; Eggshell Gloss Polish 52; Coloring
French Polish 53; Ebonizing 53; Alcohol-Soluble Aniline Dye 53

Chapter Six: Correcting French-Polishing Defects

Sweating 54; Clouding 54; Dullness 54; Scratches 55; Cracks 55;
Repolishing 56; Reamalgamating 57

Chapter Seven: Varnishes

Spirit Varnish 61; Spirit-Varnish Ingredients 62; Alcohol 64;
Anime 66; Balsam 66; Benzoin 66; Copal 66; Elemi 66; Gum
Arabic ; Lavender Oil 66; Mastic 66; Rosin 66; Sandarac 66;
Shellac 67; Making Spirit Varnish 67; Stalker and Parker's White
Varnish 68; Roubo's White Varnish 68; The Cabinet-Maker's Guide
White-Hard Varnish 68; The Cabinet-Maker's Guide Copal
Varnish 68; Changing Varnish 68; Oil Varnishes 69; Driers 70;
Types of Oil Varnish 70; Long Oil Varnish 70; Medium Oil
Varnish 70; Short Oil Varnish 70; Applying Oil Varnish 70;
Filler 71; Brushing Technique 71; Rubbing Out Varnish 73

Chapter Eight: Oil Finishes

Types of Oil 77; Linseed Oil 77; Walnut Oil 77; Poppy-Seed
Oil 78; Tung Oil 78; Safflower Oil 78; Sunflower Oil 78; Soybean
Oil 78; Perilla Oil 78; Oiticica Oil 78; Applying an Oil Finish 78;
Open-Pore Oil Finish 79; High-Gloss Oil Finish 80; Oil-Finish
Variations 82; Oil and Beeswax 82; Red Oil 82; Tinted Oil 82

Chapter Nine: Wax Finishes

Types of Wax 84; Beeswax 84; Carnauba Wax 85; Candelilla
Wax 8S; Paraffin 85; Microcrystalline 85; Japan Wax 85;
Ouricury 85; Ozokerite 85; Montan 85; Lac Wax 86; Applying a
Wax Finish 86; Hard-Wax Polish 86; Roubo's Hard-Wax Polish 86;
Soft-Wax Polish 88; Beeswax and Balsam 88; Beeswax and Spirits of
Turpentine 89; Tinted Wax 90; Sheraton's Red Wax 90; Sheraton's
Wax Balls 91; Black Wax 91; Brown Wax 92; Wax Polishing on the
Lathe 92; Using Wax to Protect Other Finishes 93

Chapter Ten: Stains

Natural Dye Stains 96; Alkanet Root 97; Annatto Seeds 98;
Brazilwood 98; Buckthorn 98; Cutch 98; Dragon's Blood 98;
Fustic 98; Gamboge 98; Henna 98; Indigo 98; Logwood 98;
Madder 98; Sandalwood 98; Sumac Extract 99; Weld 99; Walnut
Husks 99; Yellowwood 99; Cochineal 99; Kermes 99; Lac 99;
Walnut Crystals 99; Making Natural Water Stains 99; Mordants 99;
Natural Water Stain Formulas 101; Walnut Crystal Stain 101;
Mahogany Red Stain 102; Bright Red Stain 102; Black Stain 102;
Making Natural Spirit Stains 102; Spirit-Stain Formulas 102;
Dragon's Blood Stain 103; Red Sandalwood Stain 103; Gamboge
Stain 103; Annatto Stain 103; Synthetic Stains 104; Aniline Water
Stain 104; Aniline Spirit Stain 105; Non-Grain-Raising Stain 105

Chapter Eleven: Chemical Stains and Fuming

Chemicals Used to Make Stains 10; Tannic Acid 106;
Ammonia 108; Potassium Carbonate 108; Potassium Hydroxide 108;
Sodium Hydroxide 108; Potassium Permanganate 108; Potassium
Dichromate 108; Iron Compounds 108; Copper Sulfate 109; Nitric
Acid 109; Sulphuric Acid 109; Muriatic Acid 109; Copper
Acetate 109; Alum 109; Cream of Tartar 109; Glauber's Salt 109;
Pyrogallic Acid 109; Tin Chloride 109; Vinegar 109; Oxalic
Acid 109; Chemical Stain Formulas 109; Chemical Stain #1 210;
Chemical Stain #2 110; Chemical Stain #3 110; Chemical Stain
#4 110; Chemical Stain #5 111; Chemical Stain #6 111; Chemical
Stain #7 111; Chemical Stain #8 212; Chemical Stain #9 112;
Chemical Stain #10 112; Chemical Bleaching 112; Fuming 113

Chapter Twelve: Milk Paint

Applying Milk Paint 118; Method One 119; Method Two 120;
Method Three 121; Method Four 122; Method Five 123; Method
Six 125

Bibliography

Metric Equivalency Chart

Index

Index

Abrasives, 20-23

Alkanet root, 97, 98

Alum, 109

Amber. 69

Ammonia, 108, 113, 114

Aniline dye, 10

   alcohol soluble, 52

Aniline stains, 44

   spirit, 105

   water, 104, 105

Anime, 66

Annatto seeds, 98

Annatto stain, 104

Balsam, 66. 88, 89

Beeswax, 84, 85, 87

Benzoin, 66

Black stain, 102

Black wax, 91, 92

Blonde shellac, 26

Bloom, 71

Brazilwood, 98

Breaking the arrises, 23

Bright-red stain, 102

Brown wax, 92

Buckthorn, 98

Burnishing, 19

Button lac, 25

Cabinet scraper, 20

Camber, 17

Candelilla wax, 85

Carnauba wax, 85

Changing varnish, 68, 69

Chemical bleaching, 112,113

Chemical stains. 13, 14

   formulas, 109-112

   ingredients for, 106-109

China-wood oil, 78

Clouding. correction of, 54

Cochineal, 99

Cold-pressing oil, 77

Copal, 66

Copal varnish, 68

Copper acetate, 109

Copper sulfate, 109

Couille, 33, 36

Cream of tartar, 109

Cutch. 98

Dewaxed shellac, 27

Dragon's blood, 98

Dragon's blood stain, 103

Dullness, correction of, 54, 55

Dye stains, 95, 96-102

Ebonizing, 53

Eggshell gloss polish, 52

Elemi, 66

Equipment for finishing, 15

Ethyl alcohol, 28, 29

Felting down the varnish, 73

Fine rubbing, 74

Flowing on the varnish, 72

Fossil resins, 64

French polish

    coloring, 53

    commercially prepared

    definition of, 10-12

    preparation, 28

French-polishing process

   British method, 34,

      41-46

   for corners, 47

   defects, correction of,

      54-60. See also specific

      defects

   for drawer fronts, 47, 48

   for edges. 49. 50

   French method. 34,

      36-41

   historical background. 34

   humidity and, 35

   for lathe turnings, 48, 49

   for legs, 47, 48

   supplies for, 24-33

   use of rubber in, 35, 36

   variations of, 50-53

Fuming, 13, 14, 113-116

Fustic, 98

Gamboge. 98

Gamboge stain, 103

Garnet lac, 26

Glauber's salt, 109

Glazing, 49, 50

Gum arabic, 66

Hard lac resin (HLR), 27

Hard-wax polish, 86

Henna, 98

Holidays, 72

Indigo, 98

Iron compounds, 108, 109

lapan wax, 85

Kermes, 99

Lac, 99

Lac resin, 24

Lac wax, 86

Lavender oil, 66

Linseed oil, 30, 77

Logwood, 98

Long oil varnish, 70

Madder, 98

Mahogany red stain, 102

Mastic, 66

Meche. 49

Medium oil varnish, 70

Microcrystalline, 85

Milk paint. 14, 117, 118

   application of, 118-125

Modified shellac, 27, 28

Montan, 85, 86

Mordants, 99-101

Mortar and pestle, 15

Muriatic acid, 109

Natural stains

   dye, 96-102

   spirit, 102-104

   water, 99-102

Nitric acid, 109

Non-grain-raising stain

   (NGR stain), 105

Oil

   and beeswax, 82

   French-polishing over.

      50, 51

   for French-polishing pro-

      cess, 29, 30

Oil finishes, 12, 13, 83

   application of, 78, 79

   high-gloss, 80-82

   open-pore, 79, 80

   types, 77-78

   variations of, 82, 83

Oil of vitriol, 109

Oil rubbing, 74

Oil varnishes

   application of, 70-75

   driers for, 70

   historical background, 69,

      70

   rubbing out, 73-75

   types, 70

Oiticica oil, 78

Open-pore polish, 51

Orange shellac, 26

Oxalic acid, 109

Oxidation, 76

Ozokerite, 85

Pad, 30-33. See also

    Rubber; Tampon

Paraffin oil, 30, 37, 38

ParafF n wax, 85

Paste wax, 94

Penetrating oils, 77

Perilla oil, 78

Plaster of Paris, 43, 44

Polymerization, 76

Poppyseed oil, 78

Potassium carbonate, 108

Potassium dichromate, 108

Potassium hydroxide, 108

Potassium permanganate,108

Pounce bag, 33, 36

Preparation of wood

   abrasives for, 20-23

   planes and, 16-18

   scrapers for, 18-20

Pumice, 21, 73, 74

   for filling, 36-39

Pyrogallic acid, 109

Raised grain, 95

Reamalgamating, 57-60

Recent resins, 64

Red oil, 82

Red sandalwood stain, 103

Repolishing, 56, 57

Ropiness, 36

Rosin, 66

Rottenstone, 74

Rubber. 24, 30, 35, 36. See

   also Pad; Tampon

SaMower oil, 78

Sample case, 14, 15

Sandalwood, 98, 99

Sandarac, 66, 67

Sandleather, 20, 21

Sandpaper, 20, 22, 23

Scouring rush, 21

Scratches, correction of, 55

Seed-lac, 24, 25

Shellac, 10

   for French polishing, 24

   grades of, 24-30

   in spirit varnishes, 67

Short oil varnish, 70

Sleepy patches, 71

Sodium hydroxide, 108

Soft lac resin (SLR), 27

Soft-wax polish, 88-90

Soybean oil. 78

Spirits of turpentine, 66, 89, 90

Spirits of wine, 28

Spirit-stain formulas,103-104

Spirit varnishes. 10, 12, 61,62

   ingredients, 62-66, 67

   making, 67, 68

Spontaneous combustion, 72

Stains, 10. 13

   types, 95

Steel wool, 21, 22

Sulfuric acid, 109

Sumac extract, 99

Sunflower oil, 78

Sweating, correction of, 54

Synthetic finishes. 10

Synthetic finishing pads, 22

Synthetic stains, 104, 105

Tampon, 30, 36, 37. See

   also Pad; Rubber

Tannic acid, 106, 108

Tin chloride, 109

Tinted oil, 82

Tinted wax, 90, 91

Tipping off, 72, 73

Tung oil, 10, 78

Turpentine, 70

Turpentine oil, 66

Varnishes, 12

   historical background, 61.

      63, 64

   oil. See Oil varnishes

   spirit. See Spirit varnishes

Varnish stain, 68

Vinegar, 109

Walnut crystals, 90

Walnut crystal stain, 101,

    102

Walnut husks, 99

Walnut husk stain, 101

Walnut oil, 77

Wax finishes, 13

   advantages and disadvantages, 84

   application of, 86-92

   historical background, 86

   types of, 84-86

Weld, 99

White shellac. 26, 27

White varnish, recipes for, 68

Wiping stain, 96

Yellow wax, 85

Yellowwood, 99

Copyright Sam Allen 1998-2013

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