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Cabinet and Chassis Restoration and Refinishing For help with cabinet or chassis restoration (non-electrical), please leave a message here. |
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24th Dec 2011, 12:26 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Seaford, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 5,997
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Lakeone french polish restorer
This came in a box with some other furniture restoration products. It is colourless and appears to be an oil, alcohol and french polish mix. You need to treat it like french polish but it seems to work well over aged laquer, forms a good bond, fills cracks, and surprisingly soaks through to the veneer restoring the wood colour.
Suitable for cabinets where the finish is generally intact but there are fine surface cracks and apparent fading. In reality wood gains a patena with exposure to light and the finish will come up darker with more grain effect than original. Covers scratches pretty well too. |
24th Dec 2011, 4:35 pm | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Rye, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 1,647
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Re: Lakeone french polish restorer
Furniture restorers used to make their own 'restorer' to clense, shine and cover worn, damages surfaces. Its very easily made: equal parts of 'raw' linseed oil, turpentine (NOT white spirit !), household ammonia and methylated spirits, shaken not stirred. It doesn't contain French polish - as that is best applied when the surface is smooth and clean.
It does go sour in the bottle over time (it'll pong by then), so only make what you need. Shake well, and apply with a cotton 'rubber'. Stand back and admire! Barry |
24th Dec 2011, 6:16 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
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Re: Lakeone french polish restorer
I use white spirit, raw linseed oil and vinegar in equal parts. Needs shaking continuously.
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Mike. |
25th Dec 2011, 9:54 am | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Rye, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 1,647
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Re: Lakeone french polish restorer
Thanks Mike, I knew I had forgotten something from my recipe - white vinegar... but don't add salt!
All these recipes work in the same way; the alcohol/volatile liquids break down surface tension of the fatty compounds (dirt/grime) and lift them off; the meths breaks down the hard shellac to release grit/dust, while the linseed oil (make sure it is 'raw' not 'boiled' - both misnomers!) is left behind as a drying oil to impart a durable finish ready for a French polish touch up. Go very easy on the Meths on French polished and especially gold sized/isinglass transfers! And don't swig any of it!! Barry |
25th Dec 2011, 12:29 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 2,820
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Re: Lakeone french polish restorer
Hi,
this sounds handy, I'll have a look for some! I used Danish oil watered down with something (could have been IPA or white spirit) as an experiment on my Ferguson Personal TV, which worked quite well. It sorted out a large water stain on the top! Regards, Lloyd. |