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If there is just some silvering missing you won't need to remove the rest of it
and if there are a few stains along with missing silvering, they add to the
character of the piece, but if you need to remove the old silver you can scrape
the old silver off with a razor scraper (be sure it's a safe scraper and not
just a razor blade) or remove it chemically.
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Be sure to dispose of the residue
properly, because it will contain mercury and other dangerous elements. Wear a
dust mask if you scrape the old silver off.
Next you will need an inexpensive piece of 1/8" mirror large enough to put
against the back of the original mirror. If the mirror is square or
rectangular the job is done. If the original mirror is shaped, then lay the
original mirror on top of the new mirror and trace around the original mirror.
If the mark is larger than the original mirror, be sure to remove the original
mirror and reduce the size of the marked area so it will fit inside the rabbet
of the frame. Next, using a glass cutter remove the excess mirror.
If you haven't cut glass before, ask for some scrap pieces where you buy the
mirror to practice on. If you aren't too successful with your glass cutting,
then have the glass shop cut the shape for you. They will charge a fee which
will be considerably less than resilvering or replacing a shaped, beveled
mirror.
Quick Tip. When cutting glass only make one pass with the glass cutter. When
the cutting tool scores the glass it sets up a vibration of the molecules of
the glass throughout the thickness of the glass and the vibrating molecules are
what makes the glass break where it does, not the score. If you score the
glass and let it sit while you go have a cup of coffee the vibration will have
stopped and the glass will break wherever the notion strikes it rather than on
the score. If you make two passes with the cutting tool it will set up two
sets of vibrations and the break will probably jump from one vibrating row to
the next and it may follow the other vibration, or since it deviated from its
original path, may take off for the north 40 outside of the vibrating line.
Wicker Repair Is Finally Here
The wicker section is finally here. Lots of information about weaving wicker, repairing wicker, chair caning and more wicker, rattan and cane information.
Beetles
If you have a problem with beetles infesting your flour, cereal and other
items, the best way to get rid of them is to get rid of the infested items.
The beetle larvae will look for any natural cracks and crevices to get into to
pupate and if there aren't any natural places they will bore into cork,
styrofoam, wood or any other soft material for protection until they become
adult beetles. Replace any corks and remove styrofoam or any other soft
materials they may be in, then after a thorough cleaning, use an approved
insecticide, then paint the insides of your cupboards.
You'll want to seal up any cracks and crannies or previous beetle holes, so
it's best to go over the whole interior area with
liquid deglosser
to be sure that the paint will stick to every possible surface. Then an
undercoat, Kilz is a very good one, especially for kitchen surfaces. Kilz will
cover anything including wax and oily cooking residue which floats in the air
every time you cook. Be sure to daub into any cracks, so that they will get
filled.
Cleaning alone will eliminate some beetle pupae, then an insecticide will take
care of a large amount, the liquid deglosser will get some more that may be
hardy types. If any real hardy chest pounders make it through all that they
will generally meet their demise when they are sealed into Kilz.
After the Kilz, apply a coat of washable semi-gloss paint.
When you're eliminating places for the beetles to pupate, be sure to check
things like labels, some bottles have thin foam labels to protect the bottles
and would make good nesting places. Replace the labels with self sticking
labels you can write on. Put anything else you can in plastic bags that will
zip shut, at least until you're sure that you've gotten rid of the little bugs.
Try not to be too grossed out by the bugs, remember that there are cultures
where bugs are a delicacy. (Bleck!)
Patina
When it comes to antiques never use the word refinish, unless it has been
painted. Always
restore
an antique.
Patina is that appearance or essence of a piece of old furniture or old wood,
that can never be replaced if it's gone.
A very basic example of patina is weathered pine. Unfinished pine will turn
gray as it ages. The gray appearance is very mellow and a more pleasant
appearance than a piece of pine stained gray. If you put a clear finish on the
grayed pine it will enhance the appearance and preserve it. If you sand the
gray color off the pine it looks like a brand new board that you just got from
the lumber yard.
The same thing happens to an antique if you sand it.
If a piece is 100 years old and you sand the patina off it won't look the same
as before sanding for another 100 years. Patina can't be faked! Many have
tried it with antique replicas, but it just can't be done. Only time can cause
patina.
Clean
your antique first, I'm sure you'll be amazed at the difference in appearance
when you remove years of old dirt and wax. Every time you wax or polish a
piece of furniture you add a thin layer of dust along with the wax or polish.
After many years, although the surface looks good and it has a nice shine, it's
much darker than it would be if it was cleaned down to the finish. Lots of
times there's a pattern in the grain that you didn't realize was there. Don't
get over zealous with your cleaning and damage the finish though.
If you do come to a finish that is damaged and covered with wax, don't despair
and don't strip and refinish, just add a new coat of finish (not polyurethane).
See
finish
for more information.
Wood Types
Some times it's very difficult to know what type of wood you're working on if
you're not around different types frequently. It helps to have pictures of the
wood types to look at. There are several types of wood pictured at
this location
which you may find in furniture making. We'll see if we can find more like
this to cover all the different types of wood.
Wooden Patio Furniture
Now is a good time to think about fixing up the patio furniture.
The first order of business is to check all the joints for tightness and
tighten any screws or replace any missing nails. Most wooden outdoor furniture
is constructed differently than indoor furniture. More joints are nailed and
screwed rather than glued on outdoor furniture. To add a little glue to loose
joints that are nailed or screwed is a good idea too. Most manufacturers don't
use glue to save money.
Next thing to do is
clean
the surface real well. After cleaning a new fresh coat of paint will enhance
your outdoor furniture even if the old paint is in good shape. Repainting a
solid surface could save a lot of work later.
Liquid Sandpaper or Liquid Deglosser
(available at most paint or hardware stores) makes surface preparation easy.
Use it to treat the old finish before painting and your new paint will stick
better.
There is lots more information about
sanding and painting,painted patio furniture,and clear finish patio furniture on the web site.
Warning - - Something To Watch For Newsletter reader Michelle passed on the following information:
" . . . I used Formby's Face Lift on my
table. I don't know if the kit was old but the results weren't exactly
stellar. Phase 3 left the leaf that I used looking pretty awful. Big hazy
streaks and the rest kind of sticky . . . "
I'm not familiar with Formby's Face Lift, but we'll try to find out more about
the product and pass the information on. In the meantime, if you use the
product, try it in a small inconspicuous place first to be sure that it will
have the effect that you want.
Thanks for the information Michelle.
Less mess dust collector
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I'm not familiar with Formby's Face Lift, but we'll try to find out more about
the product and pass the information on. In the meantime, if you use the
product, try it in a small inconspicuous place first to be sure that it will
have the effect that you want.
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