Historically Inspired Wood Finishes' The Traditional Building Show Robert Chickey RCP Fine Finish

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Historically Inspired Wood Finishes.The
Traditional Building ShowRobert ChickeyRCP
Fine Finish

• April 27, 2005.

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Agenda.

• Materials.
• Oil and wax.
• Natural resins.
• Shellac.
• Chemicals and mordants.
• Dyes.
• How to use them.
• Common color issues.
• Modern top coats.
• Resources.

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Oil And Wax.
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Most Readily Available Oil Choices For Finishing
From 1700s Early 1800s.

• Walnut Oil and Poppyseed Oil.
• Did not darken wood significantly.
• Do not dry well.
• Cold Pressed Linseed Oil.
• Most commonly used.
• Tended to darken wood.

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Bees Wax Is The Wax Of Choice.

• Used alone or thinned with spirits of turpentine.
• Did not wear well or hide finger marks.

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Application Techniques.

• Oil.
• Thinned with spirit gums of turpentine, several
  coats.
• Excess oil removed with cloth.
• Several full strength coats applied, excess
  removed.
• After 1 day, wax applied and buffed.
• Wax.
• Thinned with spirits of turpentine.
• Several thin coats applied.
• Buffed.

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Natural Resins.
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Tree Resins.

• Used to create spirit or oil varnishes.
• Inexpensive compared to shellac.
• Harvested from a variety of trees and plants.

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Tree Resins.
Amber
Benzoin
Copals
Elemi
Dammar (s)
Dragons Blood
Mastic
Rosin
Sandarac
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Shellac.
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Created By The Lac Beetle.

• Found in Asia and India.
• Most basic form is Stick Lac.
• Many varieties and grades.
• Dewaxed Shellac.
• Waxy Shellac.

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The Harvesting Of Shellac.
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De-Waxed Shellac.
Garnet (Germany)
Blonde (Germany)
Blonde (India)
Orange (India)
Dark Garnet (India)
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Waxy Shellac.
Bysacki
Kusmi 1
Kusmi 2
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Making Shellac.

• A truly fresh shellac must be hand made and has a
  shelf life of six months.
• Cut of Shellac how many pounds of shellac to a
  gallon of alcohol.
• A wash coat will need ¾ lb. cut.
• A brushing coat will be no more than 1.5 lb. cut.

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Five Steps For Making Shellac.

• Crush or grind flakes into a fine particulate.
• Pour solvent, preferably 200 proof alcohol, in
  pail or large container do not use metal.
• Add shellac to alcohol and allow to dissolve.
• Depending on shellac, may take one to two days.
• To speed up the process, use an air driven mixer.

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Using The Right Brush Is Critical.

• Best brushes for applying shellac are water color
  brushes.
• Taklon filament.
• For first layer of shellac (bodying coat), use an
  ox-hair brush.

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Common Color Issues.

• How to create the depth and patina of an old
  finish.
• Usually solved by using natural dyes and
  mordants.
• One must design a theory to solve the problem.
• Knowledge of how wood reacts.
• What mordants will work best.
• How the process should unfold.

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Chemicals And Mordants.
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Chemicals And Mordants.

• Used since the times of ancient Egypt, the term
  mordant means to bite.
• Mineral salts actually change the color of the
  wood at the fiber.
• Can achieve colors that no man made product can
  match.
• Caution These chemicals and mordants are very
  toxic. Use extreme caution when handling and
  applying them. Wear good gloves, glasses and a
  respirator.

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Chemicals.
Copper Sulfate
Potassium Hydroxide
Tannic Acid
Potassium Dichromate
Potassium Carbonate
Potassium Permanganate
Not Pictured Iron Acetate.
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Chemical Stain Formulas (see handout).

• Browns on woods with high tannin content.
• Ammonia (wiped on or fumed) on White Oak, Walnut,
  Chestnut, and Mahogany.
• Potassium Dichromate wiped on and neutralized
  with vinegar solution when dry.
• Potassium Carbonate wiped on and neutralized
  when dry with vinegar.
• Potassium Permanganate followed by iron sulfate.
  Creates browns dark brown.
• Grey Brown (mahogany). Iron sulfate.
• Yellow Brown potassium dichromate and vinegar.

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Chemical Stain Formulas.

• Honey Pine on woods with low tannin content.
• Tannic acid followed by potassium hydroxide.
• Tannic acid followed by potassium dichromate.
• Blacks
• Apply iron acetate to high tannin woods. May take
  multiple coats.
• Iron sulfate and then iron acetate.

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Natural Stains and Dyes.

• Brazilwood.
• Produces colors ranging from reds, browns,
  crimsons, and purples, depending which mordant is
  used.
• Logwood.
• Produces colors from yellow, brown, grays,
  blacks, and blues, depending on which mordant is
  used.
• Walnut Husks (also known as Van Dyke crystals).
• Produces a warm brown dark brown color range.
  Is a great color on Fir and Pine.
• Alkanet Root.
• Roots of this plant must be chopped and soaked in
  alcohol or turpentine. When soaked in linseed oil
  it yields a red color. It gives a grey color when
  used with alum as a mordant.

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Natural Stains And Dyes.

• Annatto Seeds.
• Yields golds and oranges when used with alum,
  chrome, or tin, as mordants.
• Red Alzarin.
• Is the active component of Madder Root. It used
  to color spirit varnishes.
• Yellow Alzarin.
• Similar to red alizarin, but is used for making
  yellow resins for varnishes.

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Synthesized (man made) Dyes.

• This group of dyes is soluble in water, alcohol,
  and acetone.
• Orasol dyes
• Pure dyes form Ciba Geigy which have excellent
  light stability and are generally soluble in
  alcohols and ketones.
• Trans Fast Dyes.
• Powdered dyes that is soluble in either water or
  alcohol. Yield extraordinary colors.
• Arti Dyes.
• Have a line of safe water based dyes for toys and
  a great selection of aniline dyes for creating
  colors of aged woods.

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Synthesized (man made) Dyes.

• Trans Tint dyes.
• Are formulated from metalicized acid dyes which
  are very light stable. This dye can be mixed with
  either water or alcohol. Or added to shellac to
  make a toned color.
• Mixol Tint.
• Not a dye or stain. This group of tints in
  miscible with any medium. That includes lacquer,
  shellac, oil based products, or water based
  products. This is a high grade colorant system
  from Germany. These tints are considerably
  stronger than universal colors.

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Grain Filling.

• To replicate a historic finish, the color of the
  grain must be considered.
• Years of dirt and oils make them appear black and
  dark brown.
• If stained these pores become black during color
  phase.
• To recreate this age or patina, one must fill the
  grain.
• Partial fill can replicate the dirt and still
  have a somewhat open pore.

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Types Of Grain Fillers.

• Plaster of Paris.
• Pumice and oil.
• Both of these options require many coats to get
  the desired effects.
• Oil based grain fillers offer the best solution.
• Natural (tint to desired tone).
• Several different wood tones.
• Different values (light, medium, dark).

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Processes Basic.(Arts Crafts or Mission)

• Add some dark brown grain filler into the stain
  to create a slurry.
• Apply the oil based stain and remove the excess
  without pulling the filler out of the grain.
• Let dry, and apply one coat of dewaxed orange
  shellac.
• Scuff when dry and apply a tinted glaze coat for
  age. This glaze coat can be created by using oil
  based glaze medium and stain.
• Dry brush this mixture onto the woodwork. Do not
  leave brush marks.
• Apply your desired top coats.

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Processes Intermediate.

• Prepare wood by washing with a water and alcohol
  solution. When the grain has raised and the water
  has evaporated, lightly scuff the wood with 180
  grit sand paper.
• Then sand all woodwork to the desired level and
  wipe down with a pad full of alcohol. This
  alcohol wash will remove many of the broken
  fibers that are attached to the wood.
• Apply a natural dye (water based) and remove
  excess.
• Lightly scuff wood after dye (grain has risen).

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Processes Intermediate, cont.

• 5. Apply one layer of dewaxed shellac (color of
  your choice) and scuff when dry.
• 6. Apply grain filler to wood and wipe off
  excess. Continue to wipe residue off until it
  dries.
• 7. Apply an additional coat of shellac. Scuff
  when dry and apply an oil based glaze for patina
  (dry-brushed).
• 8. Finish with desired top coats.

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Processes Advanced.

• Prepare the wood (same as intermediate).
• Apply a mordant(s) and remove all excess. Do not
  leave any puddles or create overlaps.
• When dry, lightly scuff the surface.
• Clean and apply one coat of dewaxed shellac.
• Let dry, scuff, and clean.
• Apply grain filler and remove excess.
• Apply one coat of dewaxed shellac, scuff, and
  clean.
• Apply a glaze coat (dry-brushed) for age.
• Apply another coat of shellac, scuff, and clean.
• Apply finish coats of choice.

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Finish Coats.

• Tung oil varnishes.
• Offer a deeper and more natural look than alkyd
  based products.
• Waterlox is one choice of a tung-oil varnish.
• Sutherland Welles offers a wider range of tung
  oil products.
• Water Borne coatings.
• Have come along way in the last few years.
• Aqualux 423 Amber Urethane.
• A low voc coating that dries to a light amber
  color.
• Van Technologies.
• Offers many different products. They can be amber
  or clear in color. They are a truly superior
  coatings company.

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Handmade Finishes.

• Spirit varnishes with UV additives.
• A shellac coating with Tinuvin 282 UV blocker,
  will give the UV protection equal to ten times
  the amount in an ordinary lacquer.
• Alchemists Company.
• Makes a line of handmade spirit and oil varnishes
  to the exact specifications of the masters
  secret formulas.

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Resources.

• Suppliers.
• Links.
• www.rcpfinefinish.com
• Information/education/classes.
• www.woodfinish.org
• Contact
• Robert Chickey
• RCP Fine Finish
• robert_at_rcpfinefinish.com

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Questions.
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Thank You.