I am about done with a case piece that has brass locks and hinges that are mortised into a surface veneered with crotch walnut. I have cut the mortises which exposes an edge of brittle veneer which may be prone to chipping. When I finish the piece, it is it advisable to have the harware already installed to protect these edges and then mask the hardware with tape, or just leave the mortises empty and take my chances. ( Or would you have waited intil after finishing to cut the mortises and keyholes etc…)
I was planning to apply a dilute coat of linseed oil to pop the grain, fill the pores with por-o-pac (walnut color) and then spray shellac and rub out.
Thanks for the advice.
Jay
Replies
Jay,
I'd leave the hardware aside and finish as is. If you really really want you can use masking tape where the hardware would be, but I think it's uneccessary.
DR
I would leave the hardware out. I think you took the most practical approach by cutting your mortises et al before finishing. But, I would definitely leave the hardware off until you're done finishing. Not only is that going to be easier and faster in the long run, but it will help ensure the integrity of your shellac topcoat. The surface tension of any liquid will cause it to rise up to meet the higher point created by masking tape. Once the tape is removed you would be left with a permanent weak point in the topcoat.
This is commonly seen in repainted cars where trim is masked off rather than removed for the painting. Inevitably that paint will fail first right at the mask line.
It may be overkill, but I install all the hardware and make all the necessary adjustments on my unfinished pieces. When everything is dialed in and I'm ready to finish, I remove all the hardware placing it in ziploc bags with post-it notes describing it's location.
It's a little time consuming, but reassembly goes very quickly. Most of the time, I don't reassemble until the piece is delivered to the customer.
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