Finishing took the better part of last week. After prep was complete, I used a water-based aniline dye to match the background color of the existing piece. A thin wash coat of shellac followed, and then grain filler tinted with japan color. After the next coat of shellac, I applied walnut crystals and a different aniline dye to approximate the color variations in the upper piece. Once this was done to my satisfaction, a few more coats of shellac were brushed on. Finally, I rubbed-out with steel wool, then waxed and buffed.
Thanks to Alan and Harold for their extensive help with this finish!
The client hasn't chosen hardware yet, if you're wondering how one opens the doors and drawers.
5 comments:
Hi Tim:
Came out super. Was the upper stripped or did you match an existing finish??
Very pretty piece. How did your customer end up with only the upper of the unit??? How was it used before you added your magic??
Thanks.......Neil
Thanks, Neil!
I never got the story on how the client wound up with only the upper. This is a case where there are a couple of levels between my shop and the actual end user. My guess is that it was sitting in a designer's storage space for a long time.
The upper case was not stripped--I had to match it, and closely. I am extremely indebted to the finisher, Alan, at the shop where I was trained in the 90's. There were a couple of challenges involved that his expertise really helped me through. You should check out that shop's web site: http://www.harrisonhigginsinc.com. They've done absolutely impeccable work for 30 years.
Thanks again!
-- Tim
Goodness, that really is amazing.
I think what strikes me the most is the feet.
Clay...the feet, that's what got me early on too.
Very difficult to build to an existing part. This is good work.
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