Thread: Restoration old silky oak wardrobe

A nice soft one. and the best quality brushes you can afford! But dont fly to Siberia in search of a sable to use,...you probably dont need to go to that level!

I have used a 2 inch brush before, and got good results. You may need to rub it down with 0000 grade steel wool between coats to remove any flaws or excessive build up. Take it slow and dont try and apply too much or too many coats at once.

Vielen Dank Chief012 . I purchased a 2 inch purdy brush today, which seem to be of good quality (nice and soft). The next step is to order the white shellac (can only get it over the internet/U-beaut). But I'm not in a hurry, still have to do some cleaning/sanding on the cupboard before I can apply the shellac. Is there a trick to 'extend' the drying time of the metho/shellac mixture(adding something) to it) ?

Ahh, just read that nylon brushes are not recommended for shellac.
Hmm, the brush I bought is a nylon/polyester blend (Purdy 2" XL-Sprig). Any thoughts ?

The speccy grain you're seeing there is medullary rays from the quartersawn cut, not fiddleback figure. Very nice Silky.

i would have thought that using a rubber with simple straight strokes might be the best approach. Will save having to think about brush stroke marks.

Rubbing, using a pad, might be a bit difficult, considering the groves, curves ect.(see photo). Not sure myself what's the best approach.

Thanks mic-d for your comment. Interesting, didn't know that.

Considering the size of the wardrobe it would not be a quick job however I would use a "wad" or rubber to apply the shellac. It would be a ok on the curves and grooves, and there has been furniture finished for centuries with this method.

There are a few ways to achieve a similar result, depends which one you are comfortable with.

I dont know of any way to extend the drying time. My experience is that the weaker the mixture, ie more metho, the easier it is to apply as it is thinner and less chance of uneven build up. Hope this helps

Thanks Chief012. What is a 'wad' or a rubber. Is there a difference between them ?

Wad or rubber is the same thing, basically it's the device that applies the shellac to the furniture. I just did a quick google and this is a reasonable summation:

"A very good one is from a piece of cotton t-shirt or similar material and a good healthy wad of gauze. Wad the gauze into a ball about the size of a walnut and put it inside the t-shirt material and fold the sides and corners up to make a nice handle. The pad is savable and reusable as long as it's kept sealed in a jar with a tight lid. If it gets left out and dries it should be thrown away though and a new pad made."

Ahh, excellent, thank you Chief012. Now, waiting for the white shellac to arrive and then off it goes...rub-rub, pad-pad

Photos photos photos!

I certainly will.
BTW did you fill the pores and grain of the wood with pumice powder after the first application of shellac ? Perhaps it depends on the sort of wood..... silky oak doesn't appear very porous and might not this sort of 'pre treatment'.

Excellent!

I have never used pumice as I have never done what I would consider to be "French polishing" I have only ever applied shellac and then wax polished it or applied shellac and a wipe on polly over the top. One day I would like to learn though!

Good luck