Cracks in veneer

[Maqua]

Have just purchased a bedside chest with burr-walnut veneer on the drawers. Claimed to be English, 1870s.

There is some slight (fine) cracking of the veneer, but no evidence of any lifting.

Would appreciate advice on how to treat the cracks to prevent further deterioration, or possibly even to close them up, at least visually.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

[Woodwould]

Burr veneered furniture of that vintage usually has plenty of filler in the irregularities already. It could well be that the original beaumontage has fallen out in some places and this is what you're seeing. I would fill any defects with fresh beaumontage.

[Maqua]

Thanks Woodwould, will do as you suggest. Do you know of a commercially available beaumontage, or would you start from the basic ingredients?

[Woodwould]

If you have the ingredients and the inclination, it's certainly rewarding to make your own beaumontage, but if not, you should be able to purchase some ready made sticks from any good restoration supply shop (and even some of the bad ones too! ).

[Maqua]

Thanks again, Woodwould. I won't ask you to name names, so we can protect the guilty!

[Woodwould]

Really, I was joking. I'm not aware of any bad restoration supply shops. Not that I know too many anyway. I'll stop digging now.

[prozac]

What is beaumontage and how is it used/applied? I got the gist of it but would hate to only know the half of it.

[Woodwould]

Beaumontage is an old-fashioned stopping and I only recommend it as that's most likely what's already in the veneer in places.

Beaumontage consists of equal parts of beeswax and rosin with a small amount of shellac flakes. The whole lot is melted in a tin or small pan and poured into a mould (I had a small wooden mould which I lined with tin foil). The mixture can be coloured to match any wood with the addition of dry pigments.

To apply it, heat a knife, or soldering iron and melt the beaumontage into the cracks or blemishes. Any surplus can be pared off with a sharp chisel.

[prozac]

Thanks Woodwould.