Pye MM

[Retired]

Hi,

Well done Joe the cabinet looks much improved by your TLC and hopefully you will be doing more cabinetwork to share with us.

I would never criticise how anyone finishes a cabinet nor the type of finish they apply because I believe both are for the owner to decide upon; there are already too many critics willing to pick fault but unable to do the work themselves in fact most of these critics never actually show anything they have done.

I've used Danish Oil successfully on furniture but I would never use it on a vintage cabinet of my own; I agree that it is extremely easy to apply; a five year old would have no trouble applying it. I've seen many lovely cabinet restorations finished in Danish Oil.

Years ago I re-finished a cabinet in French Polish (shellac) but had to firstly remove the thick layer of electric pink household gloss applied by a previous owner. The owner liked the pink and that was fine by me in fact I don't mind sets being painted in this way because the paint although messy to remove protects the cabinet allowing future restoration to be carried out. The cabinet came up very well indeed but unfortunately I didn't have a digital camera at the time.

I also agree with you Joe regarding varnish; if applied with care varnish is an excellent finish; I use varnish on furniture I make and it looks the business; no one would know it was varnish unless I told them; so for anyone afraid of attempting a French polishing job varnish to me is a very good alternative. Varnish is slow drying but in warm weather it dries overnight. I prefer the varnish which is thinned with white spirit or turps and used to buy it from Wickes. I've also used water based varnish (Wickes) on bedroom panelling and found it most pleasant due to not knocking me out with fumes.

Another excellent finish is of course lacquer but lacquer really needs spraying whether from spray cans or a compressor and spray gun. Lacquer is the fastest finish to apply as it dries rapidly and can be sprayed wet on wet which I've done many times whilst spraying autos and machinery. Warmth and ventilation are required whilst spraying as otherwise there is a high risk of explosion also personal health needs consideration as a respirator is a must. HVLP self contained spray outfits are available new for as little as something like £60 and these are excellent; I've used such outfits with success for spraying cars.

Over the years I've tried most finishes but I'm not an expert on any of them; I finally decided to learn French polishing due to our climate; I have a number of compressors and assorted spray guns ranging from a small air brush compressor outfit up to the industrial type of spray gun but every time I want to use them it is either pouring with rain; freezing or just too windy. I can French polish all year round in my small workshop and the smell isn't too objectionable; I French polished my recent TV restoration in the kitchen.

My chum David has just moved into veneering and made a splendid job of veneering a box he made using oak veneer; success at the very first attempt which highly impressed me and I'm sure delighted David.

Veneering and French polishing are not as difficult as the stories make them appear to be; once the basics are learnt the learning curve is rapid and I'm sure David will agree with me on this.

Regarding this MM though Joe it does look a great deal better for your efforts and I bet it gave you much enjoyment whilst you spent some quality time working on it; isn't it a wonderful feeling not only to stand back and admire your work but also be able to share it on the forum. Now it's up to Alan to sort out the chassis and hopefully the finished restoration will be posted in the near future.

Kind regards, Col.