I am repairing an inlaid English Edwardian card chair (for want of a better word). 80% of the glue joints had failed, and I had to dismantle it to do a proper job of regluing. This involved removing several cross-grain plugs hiding screws. I have now replugged the holes, and I have to refinish the plug heads and a small area around the plugs.
The wood is a white hardwood that I don’t recognize. The finish is some sort of pigmented shellac or varnish in a reddish hue (to simulate mahogany?). Substantial parts are original, though there has been a lot of overpainting on the legs. I have spot stained the plug heads and surround to an approximate color match. Now, how can I spot refinish these areas?
I am more accustomed to sanding everything down and starting over, but I would like to preserve the patina and originality (such as it is).
Replies
Very likely the finish is shellac, try rubbing a hidden spot with a rag and some alcohol. If you're able to remove finish, you've got shellac.
If you do, your job is easy, just put several coats of orange shellac on, lightly sanding between coats, until you obtain a matching finish.
When Dick says "some alcohol" he means denatured alcohol. Also, I've run across some pieces with the really red "mahogany-like" look, and I'm pretty sure they were dyed originally. Just something to think about.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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