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Picture Dust Cover
When you put a picture in a frame You need to put a dust cover on the back. Turn the picture face down on a table and apply double stick tape to the back of the frame, then put
paper (kraft paper works well) on the back and trim just inside the outer edge of the frame. The
double stick tape will hold the paper firmly and the paper will help
keep dust and moisture away from the framed picture to help preserve the framed picture for many, many years.
Finishes, Paints and Stains
We had a good question - that fits nicely in our Finishes, Paints and Stains section
I am interested in your thoughts on water base versus oil base products and the pros and cons of both. Thank you, Cathy
Reply - Overall there are some good water base finish, paints and stains, but as a
traditionalist and since I have a great interest in antique
restoration, I generally use the natural and older type products when
working with furniture.
Paint
is a different story, I would never use an oil base paint inside for
several reasons. Water base paint will dry quicker and has far less
odor than oil paint does. If you get a high solid, name brand water
base paint you can figure on good coverage, good washability and no
problems. You can figure the same way with oil base paint, but with
high odor, which can cause illness in some people and a long drying
time, which makes it a good bug catcher.
I've tried using water base stain
when I had a rush job and for a touch up in a small area the water base
stain is ok, but for staining large areas it's a real pain. Water base
dries too quickly, doesn't have the clarity of oil base and is very
difficult to spread smoothly and evenly. Extenders have made water base
stain quite a bit easier to use, but if you're working with antiques
you won't find any that have any water base products on them. I've been
told by some people that they prefer the water base, so it's more a
matter of personal preference and what works best for you, except with
antiques.
You can apply oil base stain just about any way you can think of, wipe the excess and let it dry and if you've paid attention to surface preparation,
you've got a good stain job. I always recommend oil base stain to first
time stainers so they can be encouraged with a good job on their first
try, then if they want to branch out with other products it's up to
them to find what works for them.
I can't say much about water base clear finishes, because I'm a
died-in-the-wool lacquer fan and it's about the only finish I use. I
have tried water base clear finishes just to have had the experience
with them and they seem to work ok. Brushing lacquer is almost fool
proof, but I've been told by some people that they've had a very
difficult time working with regular lacquer. I've made thousands of
spray applications with lacquer and it's just like everything else,
when you do it a lot it becomes easy and trouble free.
With oil base products you need lots of good ventilation. With water
base you need ventilation, but not as crucially as with oil base.
With oil base products you need to use great care to have a metal waste can
with a lid to contain rags and other materials that have been used,
because spontaneous combustion isn't just a possibility, but is a
definite danger when you get a pile going.
Rags and other materials used with water base products can make a heck
of a mess if you leave them laying around, but are less dangerous. It's
still a good idea to use the metal container though as manufacturers
have discovered that straight water base has drawbacks and have started
mixing oil and water with emulsifiers, which improve the product, but
leaves us with the spontaneous combustion problem.
Environmentalists will say that water base products are far superior to oil base.
Wood finishers will generally say that oil base products are easiest to use.
It's always good to try different kinds of products and different
brands of products in the same category. There's not a lot of
difference between oil stains of different brands, except that colors
vary tremendously. Mahogany may be pinkish in one product, quite red in
another and blackish red in another.
Water base stains have a world of difference in color and workability
in different brands, so experimentation is best to see which is the
easiest and most pleasing product for each person to use.
Polishing ForksWhen you're polishing the antique silver, or
any other silver or flatware you can polish inside the tines of a fork or tight places of any kind
easily by using a piece of string dipped in polish.
Tack Cloth
question - which to use on which clear sealers? tack cloth or rag w. mineral spirits on
it? which to use in between coats of brushing lacquer after light
sanding(240 paper). or doesn't it matter much.
thank you. you're newsletter is great.
answer - Any time you sand it's a good idea to clean up with a Tack Cloth.
They're just a little stickier than flypaper and with refolding and
using new surfaces a tack cloth will pick up just about every speck of sanding dust.
Tack cloths won't leave any of themselves on the surface.
Mineral spirits may leave some residue, which could cause a problem
with the next coat of finish not sticking properly or could leave
enough sanding dust to cause roughness in the next coat. Depending on
humidity and temperature the mineral spirits could leave a whitish
appearance too, which could effect the next coat.
Lacquer will dissolve the very top of the previous coat and the new
coat will intermingle with the old, so that when you get several coats
on it's actually one good thick coat, so the surface should be just as
clean as possible. The tack cloth is definitely the best to use.
Tung Oil On Kitchen Cabinets
Question - Hi--
I happened on your site while researching tung oil to apply on new
cabinets we will be installing in the kitchen. We would like to
whitewash the cabinets to lighten the kitchen area. If we use an oil
based white wash before the tung oil, will the tung oil protect as it
should?
Answer - Tung Oil
over an oil white wash should work fine. Be sure to let the oil wash
dry thoroughly. Since tung oil isn't exceptionally hard and kitchens
are rough on finishes it would be good to use the heaviest duty tung
oil you can get.Chinawood oil is another name for tung oil, which originated in China.
Although tung oil isn't high on the hardness list it is durable and
easy to repair and maintain. If it gets scratched, for instance
fingernail scratches around kitchen cabinet door and drawer pulls, a quick rub with
0000 steel wool and another application of tung oil will take care of
it. A fresh light application of tung oil every few months will keep your kitchen cabinets
looking like new.
A Mirror Trick
If you have a scratch or a small hole in the silvering of a mirror, try
taping a piece of aluminum foil over the area on the back of the
mirror. It's not the perfect repair, but will help some.
Scratches on Dining Room Table
question - Hello this site is great!!!
Ok
i have a problem that just happened last night. I went out with my
husband and my kids stayed home and watched my brothers baby because he
went out with us too. The baby used a sharpe marker to draw and it went
through the paper and on to the Dining room table. In panic my son did
not call me and tell me in stead he used a brilo pad to get the marks
off. The marker marks are off now but theres about 100 small scratchs
together on the one part of the table. My question is Can i get rid of
those scratchs and if so what do i use or is there anything that can
cover it up? You cant see the scratchs unless in the light or if your
looking for them.
answer - It shouldn't be too much of a problem to fix since it's not too noticeable. You can rub the scratches out with either Rottenstone or Pumice.
The rotten stone is very fine powder and will give a high gloss, while
the pumice is more coarse and will give a normal gloss. They are both
abrasive, like sandpaper, but on a much finer scale and are used for
smoothing and shining, but they do wear through the finish while you're
using them, so you have to be careful as you work and check your
progress continuously.
They're both powder and have to be mixed with oil or water to use them.
Water will make them work a lot faster than oil, so since you don't do
this frequently I'd suggest the slower process with oil. Just about any
light oil will work, as it's main function is to lubricate so the
pumice or rottenstone powders can do their jobs. Don't use any spray lubricants, as they
would probably damage the finish.
After the damaged area is done you may have to rub the whole table top,
because the repaired area may have a different appearance.
A Vinyl No-No
It's best to stay away from oil base polishes and cleaners on vinyl, as they may harden the vinyl making it more
susceptible to cracking.
Staining Wood Filler
Question - I am restoring an old childs rocker and the veneered seat
required quite a bit of glue work and puddy, I used elmers carpenters
wood filler, (white). My question is what do you use to match the puddy
spots with your stain or glaze? or better yet what steps would I take
in doing so, do I stain first than try to blend in puddy to the same
color and what would I use to blend in the filler?? I need to know how
to work with furniture that has had a lot of restore work (which I can
do) but am having trouble with matching colors when staining and
glazing. Could you tell me the steps to take?
Thanks, Denise
Answer - I've never had luck getting Elmer's filler to take stain. As I
recall it's a vinyl filler, so dries as a plastic and isn't porous, so
it can't soak up stain. It's excellent for painting though.
You need a cellulose filler like Fix Wood Patch or Wunderfill Wood Filler.
Wunderfill has several different shades and will take an additional
amount of stain. Fix will suck up stain like a sponge. To use a
different filler just scrape the filler you have in now down below the
surface, it doesn't have to all come out. Leave it kind of rough so the
new filler has something to cling to. I think you'll find the job a lot
easier with a more cooperative filler.
It's easiest to stain everything first then work with the color on the
filled areas. If the filled areas are a little too dark, then sand
those areas with a finer sandpaper. The more smooth the filler is the
lighter the color will be, so you can do a lot toward matching just
with the smoothness, using the same stain.
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From our newsletter November 23 2002
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