Restorer's dream.

[Framer Dave]

Hello Col,

Chestnut Spirit Stains are a very high quality product which I can throughly recommend. They are the only stains I use in my professional wood finishing and I use gallons of them.

I am a little concerned about your proposed method of use though, if I understand you rightly, you are going to seal the grain with shellac and then stain the cross-banding. As the stain works by penetrating into the wood, might not the shellac block this action? Conversly, might the spirit base of the stain dissolve the shellac and lead to the creeping problem you fear?

No doubt your fertile mind will already have considered these aspects, but as this is a specialist area of mine, I am most interested in your progress at this stage and can't help sticking my oar in!

Kind regards,

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks once again Dave and you are most welcome to stick your oar in as is anyone like you that have more experience than me as I’m always willing to learn. I certainly don’t have all the answers regarding finishing this cabinet and could still make a mess of it; I’m trying ideas out and experimenting as work progresses and thankfully to date most of my ideas have turned out OK.

Yes you are correct; I intend to fully seal all the grain on the veneers using shellac then flat the cabinet off using abrasive paper to leave all the surfaces “matt”, I’ll ensure that the grain is fully filled without any tiny voids whatsoever giving me a nice fully sealed non absorbent surface. I want to isolate the stain from the wood.

Before adding the stringing to both side panels I stained the cross banding on each using the stringing groove I cut with the router as a natural break or division between the cross banding and the centre inlaid panels preventing contamination of the centre panels which I masked just to be on the safe side. This worked extremely well but then I glued in the stringing and once the glue dried I used a cabinet scraper to bring the stringing flush with adjoining veneers; scraping not only brought the stringing flush but levelled the adjoining veneers as well; this wasn’t a problem with the centre panels of Pommele or the stringing but now became a major problem with the cross banding because as the action of the cabinet scraper removed the top skin it also removed large areas of stain. I expected the stain to penetrate deeper than it actually did. Of course with hindsight I could have bought dark coloured veneer but I thought I was safe with staining the way I did.

The reason I now have so much trouble is as my test samples of stain revealed; staining bare veneer the stain is very searching and has absolutely no problem in creeping beneath masking tape; this also applied to my test with shellac; my stringing is made up of both light and dark coloured veneers with the light on the outer sides; if I mask the stringing whilst the wood is still bare there is absolutely no doubt that staining the adjacent cross banding will badly contaminate the light coloured sections of the stringing which is what I’m going to so much trouble to avoid. Right at the beginning I knew this would be a problem and even then I knew if I pre-stained the cross banding veneer before laying it would give me grief; if I used water stain this stain would react once I started to lay the veneer using the hide glue which is water based; if I used white spirit based stain this should have been OK with the hide glue but would possibly seal the veneer from the glue or allow the veneer to buckle badly as it was being laid; I did not know what the reaction would have been by applying the hot iron. I tried to think of every problem and had the stain penetrated deeper after lay up I would be home and dry by now.

I now need to find a way of adding colour but preventing the colour from creeping ruining the stringing or/and the inlaid panels. This is why I came up with the idea of totally sealing the entire surfaces; cross banding; stringing and inlaid panels using shellac, this hopefully will give an impervious barrier between the stain and wood. Hopefully this will completely remove the problem of stain creeping along the grain under the masking. This now throws up yet another problem; how do I change the colour of the cross banding and other quartered Sapele to the desired shade of Jacobean oak?

This is totally new to me but I see it as a challenge and came up with the idea of applying the colour very much paint fashion; I would very carefully mask the stringing and centre panels and by experimenting either mix pigment or dye colour to shellac or cellulose; if to shellac I could then apply this by brush or rubber; if to cellulose I could possibly use my air brush to spray it on in mist coats allowing each light coat to flash off before adding more to bring up the desired shade. This is as far as I’ve got and I’ve already put a great deal of thought into it; Bronwyn likes the colour of the cabinet as it now is but as I stated; I wanted darker cross banding right from the start and now by completely sealing the veneers with shellac I hope I will be safe as any mistake can be flatted out although to be safe I’ll run some test samples first on prepared offcuts of MDF or plywood.

This is my aim Dave and if I fail at least I’ll give it my best shot; I’m just too stupid to quit!!

I’ve had a mixed day today; we visited “Ask Tools” in Birstall as planned full of hope in obtaining the Chestnut Jacobean Stain only to be informed it was not stocked but kindly they offered to obtain it in three to five days for me; this is a Chestnut product stockist; we came away without placing the order; we then visited a large craft store in Batley and leaving there we drove to Dewsbury to visit an Auto Paint Supplier. I asked for half a litre of clear cellulose to be informed it isn’t stocked; they did however stock 1ltr clear lacquer so I wondered if this would accept the powdered dye or Chestnut stain so I said I would give it a try; a couple of minutes later I was informed it was out of stock. I‘m starting to think my guardian angel is not only on strike but on another planet. First it was the plywood problem now I’m having problems chasing cellulose and Chestnut stain.

Back home I thought I’ve had enough of all this so carried the cabinet into the kitchen and applied two brush coats of shellac; at least I’m now thinking more positively; it’s too cold to jump off a bridge anyway.

It never surprises me anymore how the simplest thing blows up in my face; I don’t care what this project throws at me it is going to get completed one way or another. All this trouble because I’m stubborn and want to add a bit of colour to the cabinet.

Kind regards, Col.

[Framer Dave]

Col,

If it is any help at all, PM me your address and I will send you a sample of Dark Jacobean stain from my stock.

Incidentally, (as you no doubt realise) the surface tension of these stains is very low, hence their ability to creep into a very tiny cavity. A bit like the way an elderly car radiator might leak in the winter with antifreeze added, but not in the summer with just water!

Regards,

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for your kind offer of a sample of stain Dave it is very good of you. If I get stuck I will certainly take you up on this but in the meantime I'm still banging my head against a wall. This morning I spent quite a while visiting stockist's websites as shown on the Chestnut website all without luck. I'm trying to locate a stockist who will accept PayPal. It would be so easy to accept your offer but I want to be able to post a stockist on this forum for future reference.

I've now applied two more brush coats of shellac to the cabinet and as expected it is now looking a bit rough but once flatted it should respond well. I'll let it dry overnight then have a go at flatting tomorrow; this will give the four coats of shellac plenty of time to fully dry.

I've just returned from Auto Paint International in Huddersfield where I asked for half a litre of clear cellulose but they don't stock this but suggested clear one pack lacquer so as this restoration has so far cost very little I thought I'd buy some to experiment with so bought 1 ltr of clear 1-Acryl Karlack at £11.25 plus VAT.

This clear lacquer appears to be well liked as there are many websites either selling it or offering information and advice. It is not user friendly so a respirator is required. I'll try dissolving some of the powder pigment in a drop and if it does dissolve I'l try using it with my air brush; it is marked as ready for spraying without thinning so it should be interesting playing around with it.

Kind regards, Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

This restoration was always going to be difficult right from the beginning because I can't afford to heat the workshop full time.

On Thursday and Friday I applied two brush coats of shellac each day putting plenty on; this was done in the kitchen; afterwards I would carry the cabinet placing it at my feet by the computer table were it is warm during the day. During the night the temperature drops like a stone from a sizzling high of 7 degrees during the day and when I inspected the cabinet this morning I found the shellac is still wet.

I've never suffered this problem before but this cabinet has put up a tremendous fight as it doesn't want to be restored and is fighting me at every opportunity by throwing up every problem possible.

I wanted to flat the cabinet off today but will now have to wait until the shellac dries and if it doesn't dry then I'll have a big job on my hands in washing it off with meths. The problem could even be caused by giving the cabinet a coat of raw linseed oil before applying the shellac; again I've previously done this many times without problem. The top panel is drying but both sides are still wet.

It's another wet miserable day outside; with a fully equipped workshop and garage too cold to play in frustration hardly covers my feelings. I'll give the shellac plenty of time to dry before proceeding. Working on the cabinet in the kitchen is a pain; I've completed the entire veneering and now applied shellac but it is very hard going; I have to keep breaking off because after all it is a kitchen that is in constant use for preparing meals etc. Bronwyn is brilliant and tries to help by delaying making meals in order to give me time to finish off; then I have to put everything away so I've been constantly setting everything up and then putting it all away again; work surfaces have had to be protected and any splashes of glue or shellac removed; new veneer has been damaged by coming into contact with the wall cabinet and working space has been cramped; I've worked the whole time in my own shadow and I wear bi-focal glasses that I detest. I think it would be a fair comment to say that if I ever pull this cabinet restoration off given these working conditions then anyone can restore a cabinet. I don't even have the option of waiting for better weather because last year it never arrived; during mid summer it took me over six weeks to paint the exterior of the bungalow; yes I'm totally fed up and highly frustrated but I'm far from being beaten.

I'm pleased to add a picture of the cabinet after applying four brush coats of shellac; usually such a picture is not shown but as some members might like to have a go at French polishing they might be very disappointed having put in many hours work to see such a finish applied and tend to panic; it does look extremely poor but a transformation will occur with a good flatting using abrasive paper. The reason for applying the brush coats is to quickly fill the grain as I don't use grain filler; the shellac could also be applied with a French polishing rubber but I find by using a brush I can apply shellac into the tightest of corners; applying shellac by brush causes a lot of extra work in flatting but this is one part of a restoration I really enjoy and it is always such a pleasure to see a lovely "matt" surface gradually appear making it all worth while. With the brush coats of shellac applied and flatted completely filling the grain the final gloss finish is added by applying shellac with a rubber producing a mirror finish; this is what I'm working towards and every cabinet I've French polished has always given me great joy as the first wipe of the rubber goes onto the flatted surface; to see this happen is well worth all the previous frustrations and problems and is what drives me on.

Kind regards, Col.

[dominicbeesley]

Col, I had this trouble with it not drying before and tried blowing a fan heater onto the cabinet - that just made it dry wrinkly. In the end I found that blowing a fan heater into the void of the cabinet and out through the screen warmed the wood up until it was about 20C - this only takes about 1/2hr with the heater on intermittent.

Warm surfaces make the shellac work well and is considerably cheaper than trying to heat the whole workshop up to this temperature which in your case would probably require about 10 fan heaters for 24hrs!

I did this before each "session"...the wood retains enough heat while you apply a few coats with the rubber and then as soon as the surface starts to harden (i.e. a few minutes after the last rubbering) you can once again point the heater into the void again....


Dom

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for this most excellent tip Dom; I've used such a method many times in the garage whilst spraying lacquer; heat the item up; turn off the fan heater; spray; then heat up again being very careful not to ignite any vapours. It does work a treat and is well worth sharing so thanks for adding it. Another thing I do for spraying smallish items; I have a 2 foot square of old hardboard that is cupped; I place this on the garage floor and upon it place wooden blocks to lift the item being sprayed; this ensures I can easily spray right to the bottom of the item and at the same time because the hardboard is cupped it makes a splendid turntable.

I didn't want to try this fan heater method though with the cabinet because as you say there is some risk; in this case not only to the shellac but I did wonder about how all the new timber and veneers would react to the heat; could there be stresses in the cabinet; I don't know but I didn't want to risk it so the cabinet was allowed to sit in the hall all day yesterday were it is warm and thankfully the shellac is now just about dry but I'll leave it where it is until perhaps Tuesday when I have a full day free to start flatting it.

One thing for novices to be aware of whilst French polishing is that although the surface is dry the shellac might still be soft inside especially as in this case a number of heavy brush coats has been applied; it is better to err on the side of caution; after all what difference does a couple of days make allowing it to fully dry; to jump in too soon could end up making a great deal more work and be the cause of much frustration; French polishing is a slow process and after all we are not trying to make a living from it; I find it pays to relax and take as much time as needed; it pays in the long run.

I'll brush some shellac onto an offcut of MDF and this can be a test piece for experimenting with stain/dye.

Kind regards, Col.

[dominicbeesley]

Hi col, didn't mean to teach granny to suck eggs and all that!

I wouldn't worry about the heat - if it can't stand a fan heater slowly bringing it up to warm it really won't like all those valves bringing it up to hot once the back's back on!

Yes, I've been caught out by the dry on to - sticky underneath, this was the real problem in the cold! The other thing to point out though to novices is that the flip side of this with French polish is that things are rarely irreversible...a brush whetted in meths will get you back to square 1!

Dom

[Retired]

Hi,

The fan heater idea is a good one Dom so I'm pleased you brought it up; it's not obvious to those who have never tried it and it certainly works.

By the time this set ever fires up again I don't think I'll be worried about the cabinet as by that time it should be well and truly dried out; it's highly likely that I'm been far too cautious but I'm enjoying this restoration and once it's finished will only start another so I'm not in a hurry.

I fully agree with you Dom as it is difficult to really mess up with French polishing because however rough it goes on it will always flat out smooth with a bit of effort; the exception of course is flatting too much and cutting through to bare timber especially on edges and where the timber has been stained.

Kind regards, Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

Yesterday afternoon the weather was beautiful and the first day for many months I could work outside with my sleeves rolled up. I started to flat the cabinet in the garage but it was too cold so I carried it outside into the warm sunshine and this was the first time I had ever seen the cabinet in good light.

As I worked our neighbour Terry popped over to see what I was doing; Terry had seen this cabinet when I first got it and it was untouched; he was amazed by the transformation and thought I had bought ready veneered panels to replace the original sides with. I’m pleased I hadn’t stained this cabinet because whilst being distracted talking to Terry I cut through to bare timber whilst flatting; fortunately this isn’t a problem and more shellac will cover it.

I felt a bit disappointed at cutting through the shellac so put the cabinet away; I’m not usually so careless but thought I’d done enough damage for one day.

Normally I would add at least eight brush coats of shellac before doing any serious flatting but as the weather was so nice decided to make the best of it and whereas I would use 600 grit I used 240 grit abrasive paper lubricated with Talcum powder. This was extremely foolish of me and I should have known better; the 240 grit was much too aggressive and with only four brush coats of shellac there was not sufficient thickness to fully fill the grain giving me yet another problem; as I dusted the talc off some remained embedded in the grain showing up pure white; I deserved to have bare timber and white talc grinning at me so last night I was thinking about how to resolve the talc problem.

Today I tried to use an artist’s brush to remove the unwanted talc and this was not a total success; I then carried the cabinet into the kitchen in the hope of using coloured filler. I mixed water based paste filler with some burnt umber pigment and thought it looked dark enough so commenced filling removing excess filler with a damp cloth. Once the filler dried it looked better until I flatted it with abrasive paper bringing up the light lines once again. This has never happened to me before and I found it to be highly frustrating; I was actually making the job worse.

Bronwyn came to my rescue offering me her artists brush and Reeves artist’s Acrylic Burnt Umber paint. I’m colour blind so mixing colours is not an option for me but I was surprised because this paint looked like a good match straight from the tube as I applied it and Bron confirmed it was now looking much better which cheered me up.

The centre joint of the inlaid Pommele veneer showed up as a continuous light coloured straight line drawing the eye to it; I only just managed to remember to take a picture of this line before I completely covered it with paint hence the paint is still wet in the picture making it appear darker. by roughly painting with the acrylic this blended the line much better; I am now much more hopeful that this has been a success. Once the paint dried which was rapid I asked Bron what she thought about the idea of me wiping over the entire panel with a damp cloth coloured with the acrylic and she thought it might work in order to eliminate the remaining talc that was showing in the grain. I diluted a quantity of the acrylic and quickly rubbed it onto the panel taking care not to leave tide marks; this obviously changed the original colour of the veneer slightly but as it is only a colour wash I hope light flatting will regain the colour whilst leaving the talc in the grain still coloured; if this works I’ve learned another technique.

This has been a warning to me to ignore the weather and take my time in future avoiding making all this extra work. In a way I’m happy these problems arose because now I know never to try flatting using talc as a lubricant unless the grain is fully filled and also I now know acrylic burnt umber is a very useful colour to have in the workshop.

The pictures show before and after colouring and to me the cabinet looks a lot better for the bit of extra work. Two of the pictures were taken in bright sunlight making the cabinet colour appear a lot different from the other two.

Kind regards, Col.

[Aerodyne]

Oooh... disaster averted, Col. Can we breathe now? I'm speaking for all when I say that if willing a project to success could work, you've no worries.
Clever use of the burnt umber. I did use some, in fact, a good few years ago when refinishing a cabinet and it was very effective along exposed ply edge joints. I also used artist's oil colours to swirl-mix with clear resin for 'artistic' repairs to Bakelite cabinets.
-Tony

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Tony for the kind sentiments and useful tips; yes it was a near miss and I was starting to worry in case I ended up by scraping all over once again.

I gave the cabinet another brush coat of shellac yesterday and allowed it to dry overnight and have already given it another brush coat this morning as I was keen to make progress. If ever I use burr veneer again I'll take the trouble to obtain the correct colour grain filler paste because this Sapele Pommele has very deep grain and it is taking a lot of filing using shellac; paste filler would have also filled the slight imperfections such as veneer joints but the cabinet is now back on track much to my relief and the shellac thickness is building nicely. Once I reach the stage of having flatted and completely filled the grain I'll be almost home because the final stage of applying the finishing/gloss coats of shellac using a French polishing rubber is a quick process.

I've now got a number of options on how to darken the quartered Sapele veneers; add stain/dye to the clear acrylic; use the Raw Umber Hue applying both with the air brush or something I hadn't really considered before but so obvious; use Garnet shellac; I can add pigment to Garnet shellac to darken it further if required; it's funny how the obvious is always the last I think of but it's prompted me into trying the air brush once again otherwise I would have a £60 air brush kit sitting in its box doing nothing becoming a total waste of money. I'll also have a look for some Sellotape magic tape as suggested by Dave as I've never heard of this product before.

Last night I ordered a small 1oz jar of Golden Air Brush Acrylic Lacquer in Raw Umber Hue this being transparent. I'm pleased I don't intend to paint the garage doors using this at £4.68 per 1oz jar but I want to have a practice using my air brush kit and assume a little paint goes a long way?

It's wet; dark; windy and cold again this morning so once again I'm working in the kitchen but finding it difficult to see what I'm doing; I have to turn the cabinet on the work surface so that I can see the reflection of the new shellac as I apply it; to apply shellac to the top panel I have to sit the cabinet on the floor otherwise I can't reach it with the brush.

This afternoon I'll apply two more brush coats of shellac then let the cabinet sit overnight to allow the shellac to dry; depending on what time I add the second coat I might use Dom's tip and play the fan heater on the cabinet to speed up the drying as it turns cold in the night which caused the previous problems with drying.

It's easy to lose the fact that this is only a TV cabinet because at times it turns into a huge monster threatening me with disaster; it has taken over my thoughts and life and I'll be very sorry to see it finished.

Kind regards, Col.

[Retired]

Hi,

At last the brush coats of shellac are finally on the cabinet; yesterday I decided to only add two coats and I've added another two coats today bringing the total up to nine brush coats of shellac.

With the exception of only one cabinet all my previous cabinet restorations have involved removing the original finish by scraping and as originally the grain had been filled adding brush coats of shellac quickly built up a good base to allow flatting bringing the surface to dead "Matt".

This cabinet is different as all the veneer is brand new and the Sapele Pommele has a very open grain thirsty for shellac hence it has taken a lot of shellac to build up a good base to flat; I won't know until I start flatting if the grain is fully filled but it is now looking good. Many years ago all the best work was shellac filled but it cost more due to the extra time involved; filling the grain with shellac avoids any possible problems which may arise if filler had been used; one obvious problem is for filler to show up as a different colour in the grain and if traditional plaster of Paris is used this can show up pure white causing trouble.

I like using Talcum Powder as a lubricant whilst flatting and find the talc most pleasant whilst preventing the abrasive paper from being coated or clogged with shellac. However even as much as I like using talc I suffered problems whilst using it on this cabinet as I attempted to flat too soon before adding sufficient thickness of shellac to fill the grain allowing the talc to collect in the grain causing me quite a bit of trouble so this is worth knowing for future reference; talc is brilliant to use once the grain is filled so when I start flatting again this time I'll only try a small area first.

The jar of air brush paint arrived as expected today and for art materials I can highly recommend Artifolk;

http://www.artifolk.co.uk/catalog/pr...paint_15ml.htm

Bron and I are delighted with the excellent service and if we order and pay by PayPal the items are delivered the day after so we are returning customers.

The weather has changed; today I dare not open the garage doors or leave the car on the drive due to terrific wind coming up the valley with the benefit of showers to keep the dust down!!

Once the shellac dries I need to flat it which throws up a problem; where to do the flatting? The workshop is still like an ice box and I can't even get into the garage today; I could use our front bedroom but the garage is the best option; if I sit the cabinet on the bench then it is too high to reach and if I sit the cabinet on the floor it will be too low giving me backache; at the moment I have nothing to stand the cabinet on to bring it up to a comfortable working height and surprise surprise the rotten weather is preventing me getting into the garage to make anything to stand it on. I prefer to do flatting on an horizontal surface placing a clean old towel under it for protection against damage. This weekend could be yet another challenge.

Kind regards, Col.

[Jason Pero]

I suggest wait till shellac dries completely and put more coats between extrended drying then flatten later. Right now too early to do the flatting as you had seen.

Cheers, Wizard

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thank's for the sound advice wizard it makes a lot of sense.

I've had the cabinet in a warm place and the extra brush coats of shellac have fully dried. In spite of the weather I've just spent the afternoon in the garage successfully flatting both side panels.

I used 420 grit and 600 grit wet or dry abrasive paper and now the grain is fully sealed I used talcum powder as a lubricant during flatting.

The pictures show what the nine brush coats of shellac look like before flatting; it looks terrible but in fact it clearly shows how the shellac sinks into the grain and that is what I'm trying to achieve and the close up shows after flatting. The shiny flecks in the shellac is where the shellac has sunk into and mostly filled the grain; from experience I know if I try to completely flat these flecks out I'll possibly break through to bare timber so a lot of restraint is called for together with plenty of patience.

Once the cabinet is fully flatted I'll decide whether to apply more brush coats of shellac or move onto using the rubber; I'm delighted to reach this stage of the cabinet restoration because all the big problems are behind me and success is within reach.

I hope the pictures are useful because this stage in a restoration is not usually shown but it is very important as the final finish depends upon it.

Kind regards, Col.

[Aerodyne]

The photos are worth a thousand words, Col. They really do show the problem you've outlined and I for one can't wait to see the final pictures. Fascinating and very informative thread, this.
-Tony

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks Tony for your continued encouragement and kind comments.

The cabinet is now fully flatted and I've got tired arms and sore fingers; I didn't know about the fingers until I put my hands into warm soapy water; then I certainly knew because they didn't half smart; I have worn my finger prints away due to all the flatting and should have worn gloves. It's so easy to get carried away when I'm enjoying myself on a rare warm afternoon in the garage with the doors wide open.

I also flatted the black framework around the screen ready for re-painting.

I've removed the talc with a dry cloth but I'll also give the cabinet a wipe over with a damp cloth before applying more shellac. The cabinet now feels silky smooth but I think I'll apply a few more brush coats of shellac to finally fill the remaining grain that is showing as shiny flecks then flat again; I've taken a great deal of trouble to do my best so don't want to rush just to finish it; a few more days won't hurt and hopefully the result will be a mirror finish.

Kind regards, Col.

[brianc]

Originally Posted by Retired

I have worn my finger prints away

Now's the time to do the raid on the bank, Col - or heating firm

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Brian; it had crossed my mind and I think the way the heating bill keeps rising it might make sense to burn money in a wood stove.

Compared to the many disasters abroad I have little to complain or moan about.

The patchy fog forecast for today must have been a big patch because we haven't been able to see across the valley all day; it's also been dark and wet so everything is normal with me working in the kitchen once again; I applied two brush coats of shellac to the cabinet this morning followed by two more after dinner and now the cabinet is at my feet where it is warm.

This cabinet has been carried around by me like a baby; I've worked in freezing conditions in the garage whilst machining timber; I've done the French polishing in the kitchen as I also did with the veneering; I've carried the cabinet back into the garage to do the flatting; I've also carried the cabinet many times between kitchen; front spare bedroom and the hall where I now sit and use as an office. Each time I carry it I'm worried about causing damage whilst going through all the door ways.

I've had to protect kitchen work surfaces and floor from hot hide glue and shellac; constantly setting up and taking down each time to allow Bronwyn into the kitchen to use the appliances; I've spent hours with a tumble drier and washer doing their thing and the washer at 1,400 revs on spin has also massaged my feet and ankles.

I'm far from an expert so have had to learn a great deal whilst working on the cabinet; although I felt confident there was no guarantee that my method of restoration would work; it's hard to believe a single TV cabinet would put me to so much time and trouble and it has put up a tremendous fight because it didn't want to be restored. Trying to buy cabinet grade plywood was a total waste of time and money involving a lot of driving around in icy conditions.

Tomorrow I plan to flat the cabinet once again assuming the fog has cleared and I can find my way into the garage; this time I'll wear latex gloves whilst flatting hopefully preventing me coming down from the ceiling once again after flatting and putting my hands into warm soapy water; I'm too old to cry.

I can heartily recommend restoring such a cabinet to anyone as it has been such a wonderful project so far.

Kind regards, Col.

[AlanBeckett]

Originally Posted by Retired

I can heartily recommend restoring such a cabinet to anyone as it has been such a wonderful project so far.

On the other hand, now that you know all about it, .........

Alan