Expert: Eileen Cronk - 3/8/2007

Question

Eileen, Thanks for the advise. One final question. Have applied stain and it turned out darker than on my test piece. Is there any way to lighten up before applying tung oil without starting whole process over. Thanks again. James
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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Am preparing to TRY and refinish my mothers antique sewing cabinet that I just inherited. It appears to have a veneer finish. Any suggestions for stripping and re-staining to restore original beauty?
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Hi James
Nice to hear from you.
These old sewing machines are lovely when refinished, and really fairly simple.
A few of these things you probably know James but in case you don't here they are.
You must remove the machine from the cabinet (if it has one in it), and then turn the cabinet upside down and remove the metal base.
You can spray paint the metal base if its in bad shape.
I always use flat black Tremclad paint for this.
The wood parts are fairly straight forward.
And veneer is no different to strip than solid wood.
James I am including my stripping and finishing instructions for you in case you do not know the process.

This should be a fairly easy  project for you to attempt.
The first thing you must do is assemble the material to do the job.
The stripper is the most important item.
The stripper I use is my Home Hardware house brand, but I think that you would not have Home Hardware if you are in the states.
I am hoping you could have CIRCA brand paint and varnish remover there.

MATERIAL LIST For the stripping stage.
1 gallon stripper
6 boxes of Bull Dog steel wool in medium grade.
One 3 inch oil based paint brush.
Rubber gloves (like you do dishes with)
An empty large coffee can. (for the stripper)
A couple of old tooth brushes.
Lots of old rags (I like t-shirts or cotton but for this first stage whatever you have)
Lots of newspaper to protect the garage floor
That's all you need to get started…not much is it?
The stripper will be the most expensive item on the list..In Canada it runs around $25.00 a gallon. The stain and finish will only be around $20.00
HERES WHAT YOU DO...
Work in sections.
Brush on the stripper with the brush. Stripper will quit working if it dries, so keep it wet till the finish softens.
Then take a rag and wipe this mess off.
Then another coat of stripper, rag off again, then while the wood is still wet, take the steel wool and rub with the grain till the wood is nice and clean.
Use the toothbrush in crevices.
Thats all there is to it...move to another section and continue.
No other prep is necessary...and DO NOT SAND THIS piece. When the stripping is complete, stain with Minwax stain applied with a rag, then 3 coats of low lustre tung oil also applied with a rag.
Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear.
Good Luck
Eileen

Thank you very much for the quick response. However I have a short follow up. I have already done some light sanding. However, I have not went through the veneer. Is this going to create a problem? If so what can I do to correct. Thanks. James

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Hi again James.
Any follow ups are fine with me.
I want you to be happy with the job.
OK..you lightly sanded. At this point just carry on.
The reason I always say no sanding is because in most cases its just not necessary and destroys the patina of the mellowed old wood.
Always remember that the person who made this old piece already sanded it very well.
And all we want to do is replace the finish not destroy the aged look old things aquire.
Glad to hear you never went through the veneer. As you know this would have ruined your cabinet.
I'll bet you have (and I know I have) seen many lovely old pieces destroyed by a refinishers heavy hand.
Also James, there are cases when its absolutely necessary to sand. This is usually on tops of furniture that get abuse, but you will know in future when its necessary.
If it's not broke don't fix it LOL.
Good luck and never hesitate to get back to me.
Eileen

Answer
Hi again James
I'm so glad you contacted me again.
I was thinking about how the machine may be coming along.
It may be possible to get a bit of the stain off using a rag lightly dipped in paint thinner, but I can't recall an instance where I ever had to do this.
What color stain did you use?
I'm also thinking that after the paint thinner dries well, you should apply a lighter color stain.
Wood is unpredictable stuff, and absorbs differently in differently parts of the wood. The thinner will do this too, so I suggest the restain for overall color consistency only if you use the thinner.
Now heres another tid bit LOL....did you know that when you apply tung oil with your rag you will actually remove any stain that the piece did not absorb.
So this means the cabinet could be somewhat lighter just applying tung oil.
But you must really rub well and change cloths as they become dirty with stain.
And remember James, this only applies to the first coat of oil.
Once your first coat of oil dries, your color is set.
As always try a test with the thinner before proceeding.
Keep me posted
Eileen