Timbre Surfer
15th June 2007, 10:22 AM
G'day all
my latest project, and the history are as follows
My wife recently got given her mothers old rocking chair (35+years old). My Mom-in-law had started to do it up - 5 years ago - and had used an orbital to sand it back while it was still together. Because of this, there was a number of flat spots on the turned spindles, and because it had been sanded so long ago and left in the weather, the chair had in places started to look like the drift wood, white and weathered. What has become obvious is the fact that this isn't the first time it has been done, underneath the black paint is a reddish stain.
what i have done so far -
pulled it apart (completely, only broke one bit:doh: ), stripped all paint off using stripper and sanded the majority of the chair back to almost pure wood, left some stain in parts as i think it accentuates the grain, but also i don't want to make it too thin. I have had to turn one bit to match, and i have placed all spindles (?) in the lathe to sand back and to try to remove flat spots from previous "doing up" attempts. The seat is in 4 pieces, i have glued back together using original dowel holes, redrilled and glue removed. The Glue i used for this is an aquadhere product, but the more expensive poly one that is clear and required damp porous surfaces to bond. I have also made new feet, using a different wood but the same profile, as the old ones had worn and rotted beyond repair. I have filled some cracks in the headboard (?) with resin, i believe these small cracks are a result of weathering. After going to all this trouble, i am going to clear coat it right or wrong :), i also believe it is silky oak.
Problems i need advice for -
some of the spindles ends have started to rot where they were joined to the seat/other parts from being in the weather, what should i do with that?
after glueing the seat together no amount of clamping during the glueing process could close the gap completely and i am left with a 2mm gap (which i think was there prior). Could i fill with resin (plenty of clear polyester resin as i shape surfboards) or just allow the paint/varnish/finish coat to fill it?
If i use resins, what finish will adhere to them as well as the wood? I know from surfboard experience that i can't use oil based paints with them they just won't bond. I had thought of doing the old boat builders trick of thinning down the resin with acetone for one or two coats to soak it into the wood, then do a gloss coat over the whole chair, but i don't know how well that would stand up to dings would it crack?
also, do you finish the base of the feet? as it will just wear anyway?
thanks in advance for your input. feel free to tell me where i have gone wrong, the mother in law reckons i should have just thrown it out.....:no:
my latest project, and the history are as follows
My wife recently got given her mothers old rocking chair (35+years old). My Mom-in-law had started to do it up - 5 years ago - and had used an orbital to sand it back while it was still together. Because of this, there was a number of flat spots on the turned spindles, and because it had been sanded so long ago and left in the weather, the chair had in places started to look like the drift wood, white and weathered. What has become obvious is the fact that this isn't the first time it has been done, underneath the black paint is a reddish stain.
what i have done so far -
pulled it apart (completely, only broke one bit:doh: ), stripped all paint off using stripper and sanded the majority of the chair back to almost pure wood, left some stain in parts as i think it accentuates the grain, but also i don't want to make it too thin. I have had to turn one bit to match, and i have placed all spindles (?) in the lathe to sand back and to try to remove flat spots from previous "doing up" attempts. The seat is in 4 pieces, i have glued back together using original dowel holes, redrilled and glue removed. The Glue i used for this is an aquadhere product, but the more expensive poly one that is clear and required damp porous surfaces to bond. I have also made new feet, using a different wood but the same profile, as the old ones had worn and rotted beyond repair. I have filled some cracks in the headboard (?) with resin, i believe these small cracks are a result of weathering. After going to all this trouble, i am going to clear coat it right or wrong :), i also believe it is silky oak.
Problems i need advice for -
some of the spindles ends have started to rot where they were joined to the seat/other parts from being in the weather, what should i do with that?
after glueing the seat together no amount of clamping during the glueing process could close the gap completely and i am left with a 2mm gap (which i think was there prior). Could i fill with resin (plenty of clear polyester resin as i shape surfboards) or just allow the paint/varnish/finish coat to fill it?
If i use resins, what finish will adhere to them as well as the wood? I know from surfboard experience that i can't use oil based paints with them they just won't bond. I had thought of doing the old boat builders trick of thinning down the resin with acetone for one or two coats to soak it into the wood, then do a gloss coat over the whole chair, but i don't know how well that would stand up to dings would it crack?
also, do you finish the base of the feet? as it will just wear anyway?
thanks in advance for your input. feel free to tell me where i have gone wrong, the mother in law reckons i should have just thrown it out.....:no: