Restoring a blackwood deco table - first-timer!

[MissCassy]

Hi
I recently found a gorgeous blackwood art deco dining table which has been stripped back but requires a little restoration. It generally appears ot be in pretty good nick. I've never restored anything before but have always been keen to give it a go.
Can anyone give me some advice? I'm clearly a total novice...
I think I'd just like to sand and oil it, but it will be our main dining table so I'd love some advice regarding appropriate finishes. I want the timber to look natural and not glossy.
The legs are not solid, and are not blackwood, but I'm not sure what timber they are. I've seen a similar table restored before and the legs were pine ply.
Anyway, I'd love some simple advice so I hope you can help.
Many thanks
MC

[Antipodes]

A photo or two would help immensely.

If you're going to be totally period accurate (unless it was a very unusual example) the table would have (had) a shellac finish Shellac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A high-end finish would be "French polished", a sophisticated, reasonably time-consuming technique requiring quite a bit of patience and practice (though still do-able for a comparative novice if you have the right mindset and are prepared to experience a couple of false starts) which should end up giving you a mirror-like finish.

For this you use a rubber (not what you're thinking - it's usually balls of cotton wool or similar wrapped in some sort of fine material - old sheeting, for example) - you put your shellac into the cotton wool and it comes through the surrounding material in a very fine and manageable quantity, giving you a super thing layer of shellac. The classic method is to do alternating layers of back and forth (using the rubber rather like a plane touching down then taking off again at the end of the table) and then figures of eight (which disguise the fine lines made by the previous technique). You do this forever (or at least for a very long time).

The alternative is to .......... (and here I'm at a loss because I learnt how to do this stuff in Sweden and only know the term in Swedish) where you essentially take the rubber and just do the backwards and forwards thing.

This is a very, very superficial overview of how you'd do it - I'm sure there's much better explanations in here and on the interweb.

Upside to shellac is it can work very well with the older existing shellac (if it's actually still there) so you can, after a certain amount of basic prep, go straight over the old stuff and it's very forgiving if you stuff up.

The downside is it is adversely affected by alcohol, water, extremes of temperature and also takes quite some time to cure properly, meaning you can't put anything too heavy on it (particularly if it's French polished) for what seems like an eternity because you end up with an impression of the object left in the lacquer.

But, for me, it's the king of finishes - you'll also find many antique dealers (even those dealing with mid-century stuff when they were using modern lacquers) will sand stuff back and give it a few coats of shellac to make it look wonderful and saleable.

But nothing I've described here will give you a "natural" look as you've suggested. But, if it's a collectable piece, going "accurate" would be your best bet in regard to future value.

I'm sure others will come with some potential finishes which are more what you're after.

[Horsecroft88]

I agree with Antipodes on this one, the one thing re shellac is that this site (ubeaut) also sells a product termed hard shellac and I believe (as I have yet to try it out, though will be soon), that it is more resistant to the issues of heat, water, and alcohol.

But like Antipodes I am sold on shellac, and all of my tables to date have been finished with this, and so long as you treat with respect, you shouldn't have any major problems.

I would suggest, that if you wish to finish with shellac, then and while true French Polishing is perhaps the ultimate finish, a lower standard by padding on shellac (still produces an excellent finish), can definitely be achieved quite readily by a novice. See attached pic of a pine dining table that I re-polished (now sold on) like that.

The only other finishes I could suggest might be something like organoil hard burnishing oil, but again if you are to do this properly takes some work. Other finishes such as Linseed oil for a dining table I probably would recommend. Danish oil, or possibly pure tung oil could be ok. Wax finishing with a decent bees wax polish with what ever finish you use also is worth while.

[Chief012]

If it's a Deco piece it might not be shellac it might have a nitrocellulose lacquer finish,..just a thought considering the era and finishes used at the time.

Hard to beat a good shellac finish though

[Antipodes]

A line ball on this.

Nitro was invented in the 1920s which puts it firmly in Art Deco territory but, as far as I'm aware, it was used mainly on cars.

I can't recall having seen it on any of the more decorative furniture from the pre-war era but it wouldn't surprise me if some of those upstart modernist/functionalist radicals weren't starting to use it by the time the war started.

But by war's end.....nitro all the way pretty much.

Easiest way to find out is to put some metho on an inconspicuous part of it - if it becomes unstable, it's shellac.

Bet Miss Cassy hadn't realised the debate she'd start.

[Chief012]

Agree with you Antipodes,...maybe it's not nitro I am thinking of - I just don't think all deco furniture was finished with shellac.

As you point out, one easy way to find out!

[Horsecroft88]

OOps just re-read my post, where I mentioned Linseed, what I had meant to say was I wouldn't recommend for indoor furniture such as a dinning table. By all means use it for the outdoor table setting, although you will need to re-apply regularly.

Re: organoils, I noticed that there is also a fine finishing one, as opposed to just burnishing oils and I from what I read it too can produce impressive results.

Yep, know what you mean Antipodes !!