9
votes
Accepted
Fixing a door's edge properly
If the defect were in a location that was not subject to wear and abuse, you could fill the defect with wood putty. After it cured, you could sand it down, and finish to taste. Unfortunately, this ...
- 635
8
votes
Accepted
Is it a good idea to apply lacquer over shellac?
Yes, shellac is a great barrier coat and wash coat, lacquer works well over it. The flake mixed with DNA is better than the hardware store canned. That being said, the area could be spot repaired with ...
- 316
8
votes
Accepted
How can a bit brace handle be replaced?
Is it possible to change the handle and how?
Yes, you can replace the handle. But there's a decent chance you can repair the existing one strongly enough that the repair will last for many years if ...
- 59.2k
8
votes
How to find out what kind of finish is on a piece of furniture
Since they are very old, they are most likely lacquer or shellac. As previously noted, test for shellac with DNA, lacquer with lacquer thinner. If those don't soften the finish, then it's probably a ...
- 1,176
8
votes
Accepted
How can I match a finish on furniture when re-finishing?
The water stain on the desk looks like it could be blush in the lacquer itself rather than damage to the wood. Blushing is caused by moisture trapped in the finish. There are a number of ways to ...
- 7,413
7
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
When we stripped the paint in my house growing up we used a heat gun and paint scrapers. It was tedious but fairly effective.
- 5,394
6
votes
Removing Paint from Rough/Coarse Surfaced Beams
They have been painted though and I'm looking for a method to remove the paint, and let the natural wood stand out instead.
I live in an apartment building that used to be a large furniture factory. ...
- 12.1k
6
votes
Is it a good idea to apply lacquer over shellac?
It certainly isn't a bad idea, depending on what you want.
You might want to consider refreshing rather than completely stripping and refinishing. Since shellac dissolves into previous coats you can ...
- 9,121
6
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
I think your best bet would be to use dry ice blaster. It is sort of like sand blasting, but the way the dry ice works is it will destroy the paint and evaporate into CO2 before it will harm the sub-...
- 1,028
5
votes
Accepted
What type of hinge is this?
That looks like a "partial-wrap inset hinge". Places like Lee Valley have them.
- 6,194
5
votes
Which edge of the plane's mouth should I file if I want to open it up?
The front exclusively.
The rear surface of the mouth represents part of a reference/registration surface that works in conjunction with the frog's face to support the iron assembly, and if it's in ...
- 59.2k
4
votes
Any tips on reconditioning/using an old benchtop jointer?
If it were my choice to make... let me put it this way: I've actually spent a little time with a handheld power planer upside-down in a jig as a "micro jointer". I've come a long way, since I now have ...
- 311
4
votes
Any tips on reconditioning/using an old benchtop jointer?
I can only speak generally about restoring equipment:
When in doubt, so long as nothing structurally wrong with the machine (Check for alignment, cracks, bends, etc.)
It's typically a matter of ...
- 1,772
4
votes
How can I match a finish on furniture when re-finishing?
My guess, is that using a clear finish should leave it pretty close to what you are looking for. Pick one that has a good hard finish and put several coats on to make it thicker and stronger to ...
- 15.1k
4
votes
How to find out what kind of finish is on a piece of furniture
You can test the finish by applying different types of solvent in an inconspicuous location on the piece of furniture. For example, you can remove Shellac with denatured alcohol. Bob Vila's website ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
4
votes
Removing Paint from Rough/Coarse Surfaced Beams
Unfortunately there are no easy solutions to removing paint from rough wood in situ.
Methylene-chloride paint remover: Dont know how difficult that would be to remove the pain on the rough surface ...
- 59.2k
3
votes
Is it a good idea to apply lacquer over shellac?
Would a lacquer finish be the wrong approach?
Your basic idea here is sound; on furniture such as a coffee table that will be in regular use shellac is not a good final protective coat because of its ...
- 59.2k
3
votes
Can pressure-treated posts be restored, or better preserved?
I remembered a product my father made me use when working on some pressure treated framing for a gazebo. Pressure treating rarely penetrates 100%, so any cut ends or drilled holes tend to be the first ...
- 1,772
3
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
To completely remove the paint (nooks and crannys included), the wood will eventually have to be planed down. The majority could be removed with a heat gun and scraper, then planed to get the last ...
- 1,176
3
votes
How to remove and repair a crooked desk leg?
Given your lack of tooling I think the only reasonable way to address this is to flood the affected joints with epoxy. (Funny how many of my answers seem to be this solution lately.)
First, get some ...
- 5,510
3
votes
Accepted
What glue suits restoring this old (French?) chair?
What glue suits restoring this old (French?) chair?
Take your pick. In addition to there being some personal preference involved naturally, different jobs may require specific adhesives.
Although ...
- 59.2k
3
votes
Accepted
New varnish beading/crawling on refinished furniture [poss. silicone contamination]
This appears to be classic "fisheye", a defect caused by contamination of the surface by silicone oil. In a furniture context the chief source of this is modern furniture polishes, although ...
- 59.2k
3
votes
Need advice how to fill a screw hole in plywood
Alternatively, have you considered remaking / replacing the head?
After considering feedback and your desire to put the horse back into use it might not be possible to satisfactorily repair the ...
- 297
2
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
Another motorized solution would be to take a "veneer cut" off the face with a bandsaw. Less punishing to your tools than using a planer would be, and bandsaw blades are less hassle to replace if it ...
- 9,121
2
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
Speaking of Hades....I've actually used a planer (not a hand plane, but a motorized one) when my blades were on their last leg. I didn't care if the plane ruined them because I was about to replace ...
- 4,156
2
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
I have also considered grinding via wire brush; sanding with a belt or orbital sander; and planing it with a hand plane.
I would certainly make an attempt with a hand-plane (after sharpening the iron)...
- 1,834
2
votes
Accepted
Can pressure-treated posts be restored, or better preserved?
When I reinforced my carport, I added pressure-treated 2x4 bracing. The ends were cut at an angle, so I sprayed on a heavy coat of Copper-Green® Brown wood preservative on the exposed ends, and let ...
- 635
2
votes
Efficient paint removal from rough sawn wood
I use two ways to remove the paints:
Use a chemical for peeling of the paint. Since you do not want that we go to next step...
Use a heat gun and carefully hover over the wood (keep it at a proper ...
- 131
2
votes
Fixing a door's edge properly
you can clean up, flatten the damage, with a sander and then glue a similar type of wood piece to it. when it is cured then reform the edge to a square appearance, you may want to mix the dust from ...
- 239
2
votes
Accepted
Removing black stuff from polishing pads
The black stuff is iron particles that have been abraded from the table saw top. To remove them from your pads, you'll have to dissolve them.
The good news is, it appears that the festool cutting ...
- 2,396
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible