Restoring silky oak wardrobe

[Vonnie]

Hi guys, I picked up this wardrobe and will it be my first real project. It's a very solid piece with no veneer. As I know nothing (yet) about dating furniture; there is something interesting about it. I discovered newspaper visible beneath damaged parts the mirror. I can't make it out properly, but is definitely talking about Germany's movements and ww11. So, maybe its closer in age to pre-war 1930's than 1940's. Perhaps art deco with art nouveau influences? Can't wait to read the whole article when the mirror is removed! I do have some questions before I start.
1. Advice on removing the mirror and products to restore it.
2. It's very dirty with no varnish to be seen. There are watermarks (storage in an old shed for more than 60 yrs.) Do I sand, and what grade of paper required?
3. Best products (shellac colour) for restoration.
4. The handles are very rusty, advice on replace or how to restore.

So many questions and so much to learn.... Thanks so much, any wisdom, advice, links etc is most appreciated.
Regards Vonnie

7

[Vonnie]

Hi, So I took the time this morning to read old threads and realised I should have done this before my original post. It must be tiresome for experts to keep repeating yourselves! I'll start with the metho clean down and take it from there. I'll post my progress with pictures. Maybe I should try the ubeaut restore product rather than jumping in to using shellac?; ... but I would really like it to look pristine. and I would still appreciate it if someone could help date the piece. BTW a friend saw it and like me fell in love with it. She said "paint it white and it would be gorgeous" - blasphemy!! I look forward to any comments and advice as I progress. Oh, I'm a little wacky - I've named her Tallula !!

Thanks folks, Vonnie

[Lyle]

For the metal parts (steel) try a slow method.
Molasses. I use it a lot for old stuff I buy at garage sales.
Make a 20 part mixture, 19 parts water to 1 part molasses.
Clean old part of oil grease and then scrub with a wire brush to remove as much rust as possible.
This is a 'suck it and see' process. Too much and you'll destroy and markings/features etc.
Then drop it into the mixture and leave it in there for a few days.
You'll know it is working by the froth on the top. This is a shellate apparently as the molasses reacts to the rust.
Take it out and clean it again.
Check if your happy, or after a gently scrub with the wire brush again, chuck it back in for a few days.
Repeat until you are happy.
When finished give the parts a good clean in hot soapy water and dry quickly. The steel will rust again very quickly if not dried thoroughly and quickly (that is why I said hot water!).

Finish by apply any of the rust inhibiting finishes eg paint, wax etc. Your choice.

Hope this helps.
Lyle.

[Vonnie]

Thank you so much Lyle. Of all things to refurbish metal, I would never have thought of molasses. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

The title is a guide in a nutshell. As Lyle has said it is easy clean up the metal parts and it is much better to keep them I recommend. IMO repro ones tend to look new and out of place. Likewise with the finish, less is best for old furniture (except "elbow grease"!).

Sometimes a good clean with warm soapy water, wiped off to dry asap (old towels are great for that) can make a world of difference. Try not to sand at all if possible. A restorer/cleaner mix (either ready made or make your own - see below) with some 0000 steel wool often cleans up what's left after the soap and water wash. A basic cleaner mix: Mix one part vinegar, one part boiled linseed oil and one part "natural" turps, shake well to form an emulsion and work gently over the surfaces. use in a well ventilated area as the turps smells lovely but can remove your memory (I'm told, can't remember who by ...). Rub the mix off well afterwards (more old towels) as the oil leaves the timber looking good but can go sticky and attract dirt. If there is too much oil left wipe over with something like white spirit (well ventilated spaces!!!)

Finish: Don't use orange flake shellac (IMO it is ugly stuff) have a look at what UBeaut sells and Neil is happy to give advice. I would use brown button shellac and make my own solutions but that may be too much of a hassle to find, filter and make when you can buy ready-made. I find Bunnings cheap metho works as well as the much more expensive stuff.

Old mirrors often have flaws. That is part of being old. As soon as you re-mirror or re-silver you reduce the value of your piece of furniture. One of my early mirrors has about a quarter of it corroded but I think it looks great (and it has been included in a book about furniture because it has retained its patina and age).

Age? probably 1920's would be my guess.

Good luck with it.

David

[Vonnie]

Thank you David, I've been working working with the metho and I'm amazed at how well the surface is improving. I agree about the sanding, as the old shellac is removed, it looks like there is no need. I also will try to avoid changing the handles, new handles would look out of place. I'm concerned about the water marks, any advice?
About the mirror, I'm feeling like I would like it to have no flaws but understand your point, so I'll leave that till everything else is done and then decide. I think my hesitation may be more about reading the old newspaper article (intrigued by the history) and my ingrained preference to have perfection!
I've not got the time to devote more than a couple of hours a day, but still am enjoying each slow improvement. Thanks for the the advice a and taking the time to reply. I'll post photos soon. 1920, yep, sounds about right!
Regards Vonnie

[Horsecroft88]

The title is a guide in a nutshell. As Lyle has said it is easy clean up the metal parts and it is much better to keep them I recommend. IMO repro ones tend to look new and out of place. Likewise with the finish, less is best for old furniture (except "elbow grease"!).

Sometimes a good clean with warm soapy water, wiped off to dry asap (old towels are great for that) can make a world of difference. Try not to sand at all if possible. A restorer/cleaner mix (either ready made or make your own - see below) with some 0000 steel wool often cleans up what's left after the soap and water wash. A basic cleaner mix: Mix one part vinegar, one part boiled linseed oil and one part "natural" turps, shake well to form an emulsion and work gently over the surfaces. use in a well ventilated area as the turps smells lovely but can remove your memory (I'm told, can't remember who by ...). Rub the mix off well afterwards (more old towels) as the oil leaves the timber looking good but can go sticky and attract dirt. If there is too much oil left wipe over with something like white spirit (well ventilated spaces!!!)

Finish: Don't use orange flake shellac (IMO it is ugly stuff) have a look at what UBeaut sells and Neil is happy to give advice. I would use brown button shellac and make my own solutions but that may be too much of a hassle to find, filter and make when you can buy ready-made. I find Bunnings cheap metho works as well as the much more expensive stuff.

Old mirrors often have flaws. That is part of being old. As soon as you re-mirror or re-silver you reduce the value of your piece of furniture. One of my early mirrors has about a quarter of it corroded but I think it looks great (and it has been included in a book about furniture because it has retained its patina and age).

Age? probably 1920's would be my guess.

Good luck with it.

David

I understand where David is coming from (well mostly) for largely from what I can tell, we are largely on the same page when it comes to preserving, respecting the integrity of the patina (that only comes with use and age) of an antique. Similarly, in respect of restoring antiques again I have a similar view, especially given my passion for pre 1900 (and preferably colonial furniture - especially cedar).

However, there is one little area that I do disagree completely with and it is based on my 25 years of restoring/re-polishing antique furniture and joinery and that is regards to the use of orange shellac flakes. From my experience, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this material. It produces a finish, which in my humble opinion is everything as good as any other kind of shellac. I don't strain it, I simply mix the flakes with metho (and yes from Bunnings or Mitre 10), allow to dissolve and use (either by brush or better still padding on), and cutting back between multiple coatings.

Normally I put on 3-4 coats and then lightly sand back, until I have applied at least 9-12 coats of shellac (slightly diluting the mix as I go) with a final cut back using 0000 superfine steel wool and wax polish. It works perfectly everytime for me, on cedar, baltic, huon, oregan, kauri, even Tas Oak etc. But that is my experience.

If you wish to check out the results of some work I have done on furniture, check out my latest thread (re the light restoration of a small chest of drawers) or my previous very long thread (wanting advice for some projects). This thread is now on the third page (last updated about a year ago or so) of the Restoration Section on the forum. On this thread I show the stripping back and re-polishing process on a range of projects I have undertaken (both furniture and old house joinery). I have attached some photos of a large early cedar chest I previously restored, you can also see the four panel door etc in the back ground, plus also the small chest I am currently completing. All have been polished using the same materials and techniques I always use. I am pretty pleased at how they appear.

All the best with your wardrobe restoration project.

[Vonnie]

Thank you Horsecroft88,

Your work is beautiful and has to be the best result I could ever hope to emulate. I thought I'd buy the restorer finish from this site to remove the watermarks. I've also decided to leave the mirror intact. I've not got the right to remove the mirror on an esthetic whim, and I'm afraid of damaging the piece. So, that little piece of history (newspaper article) will peek through. Now my plan of attack will be

Continue with the elbow grease and metho.
Apply the Restoring polish for watermark removal.
Then decide if the finish using restorer is good enough or to jump to using shellac.
The mirror stays untouched, the handles retain their natural paterna after molasses treatment.

I am so grateful for the time taken by members to help me. Isn't it interesting how I've had a complete turnaround on my initial (uninformed) plan!

Another question, was it usual to leave newspaper behind a mirror when it was first made? Why? I know I'm harping on about the mirror but I'm just fascinated.

As I've mentioned before, my time is limited so don't hold your breath waiting for a quick result.
This is a labour of love....

You guys are terrific. Many thanks, Vonnie.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi Vonnie,

Each to their own as regards shellac. I prefer brown shellac for Australian antiques as I believe that was what was used originally before the 1880's, and that is what I was taught to use by an Austrian cabinetmaker some 40 years ago. However, Horsecroft88's use of the flake is clearly excellent and no one could complain about the result. Unfortunately, too many people want a quick fix and paint the orange flake shellac on in a very strong solution using a coarse paintbrush. The result is a lumpy, ugly orange finish. So, I suppose my objection to it is partly its misuse rather than the stuff itself (though I still prefer the brown colour). There are many other, speciality shellacs produced and sold now that each have their place in the finishing world, but I cannot advise on them as I am a stick-in-the-mud with what I know and love.

The difference of opinion has a good outcome however, as it reminds me that the method of application is more critical to the result than the exact shellac used.

The secret with shellac is to use well diluted solutions and apply them as evenly as possible, preferably with a "rubber" (a pad of absorbent material like cotton wool with a smooth, lint-free outer cover of cotton) then rubbing back every few coats as Horsecroft88 describes. This takes much longer to get a result but you can see how good it can look from his photos. For carvings etc. one can use a brush but I prefer a very fine natural hair brush such as used by gilders. You can buy Leonhardy brand brushes from www.goldleaf.com.au.

In regards to newspaper behind the mirror. Yes, I have seen this very often, though not with the very earliest mirrors which seemed just to have very thin slices of timber behind them. When restoring an old house one finds old newspapers stuffed in all sorts of cavities, it was inexpensive and filled the spaces.

Try the U-Beaut restorer for the water marks. I have not used as I usually make up my own Oxalic Acid solutions from the crystals/powder form. You can but that on eBay and can make up any strength that you want. So, if the U-Beaut stuff doesn't do what you want you could try that. The U-Beaut restorer may contain Oxalic Acid too. As an acid it is gentle but like all acids is destructive to some extent so use with care.