Walnut Veneer Finish

[ozPJ]

Howdy,

I am in the process of restoring a walnut veneer chest of drawers.
It is in moderate condition, so I'm not looking to restore it to showroom condition.

A friend has recommended Black Japan for it - which quite appeals to me. However I have a few questions about finishing.

The Feast Watson website says the surface (after paint stripped and sanded) should be coated with a blackproof tint, and then the black Japan and then a French Polish between Black Japan layers.

I would appreciate any thoughts on the above approach. (I intend to download and view Neils finishing video tonight)

[ozPJ]

Here is a picture of the drawers.

[rsser]

Hmm, well do you prefer the colour of the top or of the sides?

[ozPJ]

Thanks for the response Rsser
.

I was looking at the Black Japan due to the different colours as you point out. I don't want to end up with something that is two tone.

The real issue I have is if it is necessary to French Polish after each Black Japan coast - as per the Feast Watson website

[rsser]

Real issue? Well you can japan and see. I've used shellac over scorched timber and it darkens and lifts the finish dramatically.

But maybe the real issue is colouring wood .. and Neil's book remarks on the skill required to do this well.

I'd hasten very slowly ;-}

[s_m]

Can you post a pic of what it looks like well wet-down with meths?

I don't like shellac due to the need to treat the piece with kid-gloves forever more .

I refinished a teak veneer sideboard with Danish Oil and then Feast Watson DARK Carnauba Wax. The Danish Oil gives a lovely sheen and then the dark wax added a lovely richness to the colour (see pic).

Steph

[ozPJ]

Thanks for the replies.

I suppose I am a little (lot) naive on this front.

I presumed that if I Japaned the whole thing would came out looking the same. But you are probably right - it must be likely that the walnut laminated sections will be different to the non laminated sections.

I wonder if the tinting first will help with this....

I will get some shots of it wet down with meths

[munruben]

Hey Steph, thats a beaut finish you got there How many coats of Danish oil ?

[johnbudg57]

Howdy,

I am in the process of restoring a walnut veneer chest of drawers.
It is in moderate condition, so I'm not looking to restore it to showroom condition.

A friend has recommended Black Japan for it - which quite appeals to me. However I have a few questions about finishing.

The Feast Watson website says the surface (after paint stripped and sanded) should be coated with a blackproof tint, and then the black Japan and then a French Polish between Black Japan layers.

I would appreciate any thoughts on the above approach. (I intend to download and view Neils finishing video tonight)

hi, i am a french polisher with 45 years experiance.I have used black japan many times if you apply blackprof tint first you will end up with a pitch black colour and if you apply black japan between coats your finish will not be any darker black japan is not easy to apply it is very thick and when you apply you can get differenr colours ranging from dark brown to jet black depends on how much you apply and how many coats you apply when i use it i polish over the top of the stain when dry, i add black colour to the shellac not black japan as it will not mix with shellac as it is oil based shellac is spirit based and i apply with a rubber. any more advise contact me. john

[johnbudg57]

hi johnbudg again, i have just seen the photo of your chest of draws i have restored hundreds of them and there is no nead to stain it at all you can apply woodgrain filler and then polish over this to get a natural colour finish the colour is in the woodgrain filler a very easy and simple way to do it and it will look as it did new. one thing you must sand down well after stripping and before using woodgrain filler sand with 150 grit garnett paper and with the grain

[s_m]

Hey Steph, thats a beaut finish you got there How many coats of Danish oil

Thanks . Only two I think. And then the Feast Watson dark wax.

I was reading a mag yesterday at the newsagent - as you do - and there was an article in it about wax finishes which raved about how good dark wax finishes are and I have to say I agree. I've even tried it on some samples of mid-coloured timber (eg Sydney Blue Gum) and it looked good.

Steph

[ozPJ]

Here is a pic of one of the drawers wet down with meths

[ozPJ]

Thanks for the message Johnbudg57

The main reason I was thinking of going a dark colour (Japan) is due to the quality of the drawers being only moderate. There are a few chips and bits and pieces. I'm not really the right person to try and do a full restoration job.

The drawers are going to go into the babies room (my wife is 34 weeks pregnant) so time is a bit of a factor.

I have included a picture of the top before I stripped it, just as a reference

[s_m]

Oh but the grain on that drawer looks lovely. If you Black Japan it you won't see it!

Speaking from experience - by the time baby is toddler/preschooler there will no doubt be surface damage to the front and sides of the item so it doesn't matter if the drawers aren't perfect to start with. I was only looking at the front of my daughter's cupboard today and thinking I should give the drawer fronts some attention - they were freshly restored from bare timber less than 4y ago.

Incidentally have you asked your Other Half (well more like One-and-a-half) how she feels about a black chest of drawers in a baby's room? Can't say the concept grabs me...

Steph

[ozPJ]

Just to close this out so people can see how it all went.

Ended up avoiding the Japan - not so much because of the timber, but because I would have had to French Polish over the top of it, and then finish with a few coats.

So in the end I
-stripped (if I was doing this all over - I would have spent MUCH more time doing the properly)
- sanded with 180 grit
- two coats of feast watson black proof tint (as a pre cursor to he Japan)
- decided not to us Japan
- three coats of FW Satin finish (slight sand with 320 in between coats 1 and 2)

And this is what it came out looking like - including some cute Bear handles from Bunnings.

When Sydney finally dries up, I'll get a better shot of the timber - it actually looks like dark chocolate, as opposed to black.