[Phono-L] Wood finishes

[Greg Bogantz]

    Many of the early oak finishes were done by using a very dark wood grain 
filler prior to putting on the shellac or lacquer final coating.  This made 
the grain stand out more and is different from later techniques where a 
clear filler is commonly used such as untinted shellac.  The "fumed oak" 
finish was, indeed, accomplished by exposing the wood to a vapor cloud of 
ammonia for a period of time.  This produced a uniformly dark finish on the 
wood rather than just making the grain stand out dark.  You probably want to 
experiment with a dark filler.  If the cabinet is from the teens or earlier, 
the final finish was probably shellac, usually orange shellac which will 
produce a golden oak finish.  Cabinets in the late 1920s and later began 
using lacquer rather than shellac.

Greg Bogantz



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Jordan" <tomj33 at msn.com>
To: "'Tom Jordan'" <tomj33 at msn.com>; "'Antique Phonograph List'" 
<phono-l at oldcrank.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:29 PM
Subject: [Phono-L] Wood finishes


> Let me start me saying that this is a bit off of topic (I apologize in
> advance), but I need some advice from the experts.
>
> I am rebuilding and refinishing the case on an old machine for a friend.
> Some of the wood is dry rotted and can't be salvaged.  It will be a mix of
> original pieces and new replacements.
>
> The old finish was done in a way where the striations in the oak are very
> dark compared to the rest of the wood.  I have heard that this was done by
> tenting the wood with ammonia to obtain those results.  That sounds a bit
> out there to me, but wondered if any of you have heard of this or know of 
> a
> safer and less dangerous method of obtaining those results?
> Thanks,
> Tom
>
>
>
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