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Repairing a Damaged Shellac Finish
Shellac has many advantages as a finish. It is non-toxic, dries quickly (provided that it is fresh), can be colored and is relatively easy to apply. There are also disadvantages, primarily that it scratches easily and isn’t...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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What To Do When Stain Dries Too Fast
Unlike oil stains, water-based stains and lacquer stains dry very fast. On large or complex surfaces you may have trouble getting the excess stain wiped off before it dries. If this happens, you’ll be left with streaks....
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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When to Use a Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner
A number of soft woods aren’t conducive to stained finishes. To help even out the color when working with new, bare woods such as pine, fir, maple and birch, try using a pre-stain wood conditioner. These conditioners...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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Finishing Cherry
Cherry has been one of the most popular furniture woods for the past two hundred years. It is one of the easiest hardwoods to work with either hand, machine or power tools and has a nice smell...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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How to Fix Paint Drips
When painting a woodworking project, one of the most frustrating problems that can occur is when you have a paint drip that you don’t catch in time to fix. Paint drips are usually caused by applying too...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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Stripping funiture
People who tackle the very labor intensive task of stripping surface finishes from cabinets and furniture know they are going to save major money when comparing there sweat equity to the cost of having a professional refinisher...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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Ebonizing Wood
When I’m going to ebonize a project, I start with a dark-colored wood, such as walnut. You can ebonize any wood, but a darker wood gets black more quickly. The process of ebonizing is as easy as...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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Making Your Own Oil Stain
Sometimes it’s impossible to find a stain that is the exact color you need. This is especially true if you are building a piece of furniture and want to match the color to an existing piece. No...
- Posted/Updated 6 years ago
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Beautiful Woodworking Finish with Shellac
A shellac finish has been used by woodworkers since the early 1800’s. It has many advantages: shellac is non-toxic, can be used as a sealer before applying a stain (to even out the stain’s application), can be...
- Posted/Updated 7 years ago
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Use Wood Shavings To Remove Stripper Gunk
Almost all old furniture is finished with either shellac or lacquer (shellac until the 1920s, lacquer since). Both of these finishes dissolve into a messy “gunk” when paint stripper is applied. On complex surfaces, such as turnings...
- Posted/Updated 7 years ago
