Many of you I am certain have seen the beautiful grandfather clock made by lonnie Bird and featured in FWW. I am making a small mirror using curly maple and would like to get the same color and finsih. How did Lonnie get the finish and color.
Any formula for stain mix , ? Did he use aniline dyes etc?
I would like to get as close to that as I can.
Thanks
Replies
Hey, I'll go out on a limb and guess, dilute analine dye[4or 5 times normal]sanded with 220, regular strength analine sanded with 220, danish oil or simular, followed by shellac. If you check a good book on finishing you'll see how it is done.
Good luck,
Jim
I didn't buy the issues with the clock article, but I believe the color is very similar to a piece I made last year ( see attached photo). This color was achieved by dying it with Moser's Honey Amber Maple aniline dye. I put on a slightly more concentrated dye to accentuate the curl, and then sanded and applied a less intense dye.I sprayed the dye, but I think a brush would work just as well You'd have to experiment to come up with the proper ratio of water to dye powder. After that I put on a couple of coats of linseed oil with Japan drier in it. I put the oil on hot, to help it penetrate more. After that it got a coat of de-waxed dark shellac, and several coats of super blond shellac. I think the piece might have looked better if I had put a brown glaze, to make it look older and give it some depth.
Rob Millard
Wow, what a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. You are correct thart is the color and finish I am looking for.
The article suggest aniline dye and an amber shelllac.
Beautiful piece, Rob. I don't want to hijack the finishing thread, but I was curious about the difference in the flats above the base moulding on the front corners?
Wow. Gorgeous piece, sir. Thanks for putting up a pic.
Leon Jester, Roanoke VA
Q: How do you know when a politician is lying?
A: His lips are moving.
Beautifull work, trully amazing.
I've never heard of sanding between stains. Can someone briefly explain the theory behind it?
Thanks,
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
The reason for sanding between the coats of dyes is to enhance the curl in the maple. By putting on a darker or more intense dye and then sanding, the curls which are more porous, will appear darker, because the dye from the other areas will be sanded away (or nearly so). Following this with a more diluted dye, the "background" is colored, but still retaining the contrast between the curls.
I think this would only work with dyes, as opposed to stains.
Rob Millard
I have a question on the construction of the drawer fronts. Are these cut from solid stock or veneered. What method was used on the original ? thanks.
Robert
The drawer fronts were sawn from horizontally laminated stock and veneered. My customer was reluctant to go this route. I pointed out that while the description of the original did not specify that they were veneered, they obviously were, because the grain dose not display the stretched/compressed pattern typical of solid wood construction, when sawn to a serpentine shape. You can see this effect on the base molding and the edge of the top. I Don't see that effect on the grain pattern as being attractive in curly maple, but it looks great in mahogany.
Rob Millard
Thanks for the reply, I have made curved aprons with the stacked brick method, but have not yet attempted a curved or serpentine drawer. I look forward to your post, always a great source of inspiration. Have you ever built a bombe chest ?
Robert
Rob,
It looks wonderful, you truly do beautiful work..
Rob the piece looks great to me. Wondering about the finish steps. You mention putting some shellac over the dried linseed. I know about that but my question comes after the shellac: Can you put glaze on after the shellac if you still want more color? I seem to remember this is an option as the shellac is still acting as a sealer. What are your thoughts?
Yes, you can add a glaze after shellac, in fact it is the best time to do it, because it offers the most control over the final look. Having said that I, usually put the glaze on after the oil and follow it with shellac. I do this so the glaze has as many coats of shellac over it as possible, without creating a "heavy" look. To my eye curly maple looks best with film finish that is as thin as possible. That thin film makes rubbing out a challenge, and that is only complicated by the glaze. A rub through is always difficult to fix, but even more so in a piece that has been glazed. <!----><!----><!---->
Since I made that bureau, I have changed my finishing schedule for curly maple pieces.<!----><!---->
You can see a description of my current method at the link below.<!----><!---->
I have also attached a photo of a piece finished as described in the link.<!----><!---->
http://americanfederalperiod.com/cof1.htm
Rob Millard<!----><!---->
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Spit,
You can go the dye route as has been suggested, but another thing you can try which has been very successful for me is three or four coats of orange or garnet shellac. It will bring out the figure in the curly maple and provide a nice color as well and is certainly more uniform than dye. Not to mention a lot easier. Try it on some cutoffs from the project and see how you like it. If you want a harder finish you can always topcoat it with lacquer or varnish.
Thanks professor,
I have not used aniline dyes before so I may try your suggestion on some scrap pieces.
Can I apply a hand rubber finsih of 1/3 linseed oil 1/3 turpentien and 1/3 varnish over that????
I remember Fine Woodworking had an article a few years back about finishing curly maple, I think the project was a Armoire.
Robert
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