Refinishing tips?

[butzla]

My brother brought over a very nice antique table in need of repair.  There's a few water marks on it and some wear spots.  He tried some steel wool on it to no avail.  I'm pretty sure I can match the stain if I get to bare wood.  It looks like a light honey maple with a coat or two of amber shellac.  I'm worried about how thick the veneers are and sanding through them.  It's not that they're that thin but they are an unknown thickness and uneven.
Could anyone lend some guidance?

 

[rizzoa13]

I'd start off stripping the top first to see how much of the damage is superficial to the finish. I've gotten into trouble sanding veneers so i err on the side of caution now.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=13pt]
If it is an Antique, as it appears, mishandling this project could seriously affect its aesthetic and financial value.

Before you pick up a sander please read these articles and any others you can find regarding furniture conservation.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiques_restoration

http://www.conservation-design.com/newsletter1_BA.html

 

[butzla]

I wasn't gonna sand it I was just gonna run it through my thickness planer.  No good?!

 

[Stephen B]

[size=12pt]Sorry that you seem to have taken offence at my post Jim, but you are the one that mentioned sanding it and getting it back to bare wood. Just trying to guide you in some other directions. At the end of the day it is your project.

http://askhlm.com/Home/HLMRedirect.aspx/Articles/ArticleViewPage/tabid/75/ArticleId/16/Shellac-Repair.aspx

I am certainly interested to see what others suggest.

[member=3220]Jim Kirkpatrick[/member]

Edit. [member=13337]Scott Burt[/member]

 

[butzla]

No offence [sic] taken,  I'm serious.  I think it'll come out piss-uh. [poke]  But before I do, maybe I'll try a light hand sanding and I do mean light, like 400g or better then try your advice and apply a little amber shellac.  The table is old but not well built, the value is sentimental.  He just wants it to look good.

 

[johntheoak]

Learn how to use a card scraper. I saw Tage Frid knock varnish using nothing but several scrapers. Read some of his books on woodworking. He truly was one of the giants.

 

[waho6o9]

johntheoak nailed it.

 

[roblg3]

if its indeed shellac, alcohol will "strip" it and shouldn't affect the colorant.  With the shellac removed, you can touch up any pigment issues.  I recommend top coating with a UV stabilized conversion varnish like Kem-Aqua Plus clear or comparable product.  Many spar varnishes are Uv stabilized as well.  Sunlight is a big assailant fading the "stain" and the uv stabilized products are like sunscreen for your woodwork.  Apply the top coat per manufacture specifications, too thin and moisture will cause movement.  Movement causes the finish to crack and more m0vement and more cracks....Too thick and you will get clarity issues.  $.02

 

[jbasen]

Before you refinish the piece I would try a product call Restor-a-finish by Howards. 

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Restor---Finish-Restore-Neutral/dp/B007SO1SGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434461619&sr=8-2&keywords=restorafinish

It comes in a variety of colors.  Since you have an array of different veneers you might want to just try the neutral.  My wife and I use this product periodically on our antique furniture and it is pretty amazing.  We found it years ago in an antique shop. If you have ever gone to an antique show or wandered through antique shops you will immediately recognize the smell as many dealers use it to spruce up pieces they have for sale.

 

[Brent Taylor]

Soak a couple layers of paper towel in alcohol and cover it with plastic wrap, leave it for a while.  If that doesn't work I use a card scraper, then hit with your sanders. I usually sand to 220 or 240 grit, then  get some  OSMO topcoat and two coats later your done. Peter Parfitt's videos on how to use the OSMO's if you  need  a tutorial. This is what works for me when I refinish pieces. Good luck and have fun. 

 

[butzla]

OK.  As it turned out, I was able to sneak an engineer's ruler in between some veneers to find they are over 8 mm's thick so I had some material to work with.  You antique purists may not want to read any further.  I ended up sanding the top down, starting with my RO150 and 120 Rubin, progressed through and finished with my ETS150 with 220g brilliant.

Some of the veneers were loose and certainly the sanding helped free them up so I glued them back in place:

I started with some Minwax stain in Colonial Maple tint and then I put about 12 coats of amber shellac french polish style.  I think it looks and feels 101% better.  [member=18233]jbasen[/member], thanks for the tip on the restor-a-finish.  I picked up a can at HD and used it on the base which cleaned it up nicely.

Again, here's the before picture:

Thanks to all your help to those who responded!

 

[tiralie]

Some of the veneers were loose and certainly the sanding helped free them up so I glued them back in place:

Jim:
Looks great.
When I first saw your post, my main concern was not about the finishing but about replacing the veneers that had shrunk and opened up. What did you do about the space between the veneers, how did you close them up? Did you make new pieces of veneer and fit them in?
Tim

 

[Cheese]

That came out really nice.

The different colors of the different woods become more obvious. The colors were pretty subdued in the originally finished piece.

 

[tbellemare]

That's gorgeous!

I'm going to guess it's a Depression Era piece... Apparently, they couldn't afford the other half.

Tom

 

[iamnothim]

Ridiculous !!

 

[butzla]

Some of the veneers were loose and certainly the sanding helped free them up so I glued them back in place:

Jim:
Looks great.
When I first saw your post, my main concern was not about the finishing but about replacing the veneers that had shrunk and opened up. What did you do about the space between the veneers, how did you close them up? Did you make new pieces of veneer and fit them in?
Tim

Tim,  I didn't know what the best way to fill the cracks in would be so I left them.  With my limited experience with filler, my thinking was the cracks would eventually open up again upon some contraction or worse, restrict movement on expansion.  I would like to hear some comments from anyone who has some experience with fillers and/or the best way to go about this.  One things for sure, it's a whole lot smoother now.  Each piece seemed to be a different thickness.  Whoever built it had no access to power sanders or thickness planers.  I would guess it's built at least 80 years ago.
It's a really nice piece, it's one built a few steps above my skill level.  I can't even take a gander on how to begin to plan this piece.  It's got me thinking about trying, though.  Would make a great pattern on a humidor.
Anyhoo, I think my bro will be happy with it. 
Thanks to you other guys for your praise and comments.

 

[Cheese]

I'm going to guess it's a Depression Era piece... Apparently, they couldn't afford the other half.

Tom

Really? Was that a common pratice at the time?

 

[rst]

That is a entry hall table.  It was common to put them inside the door to place things on as you entered the foyer.  It is made like that to place against a wall so as not to protrude into the space.

 

[tbellemare]

At least I entertain myself???

My mother, (born in '21), used to talk about the bottom of the barrel - of potatoes at the end of the winter in Fargo. It didn't sound very appetizing. Her mother, my grandmother, had a table made very similarly to this one though not as fancy. Perhaps they ate the other half to avoid the potatoes...

Tom