Singer Cabinet No. 40 project - part 3
>> Sunday, August 24, 2008
This is how the pieces looked after scrubbing off the Remover and letting it dry. So the next step was to sand a little bit and get them smooth and completely bare. I used a medium sandpaper then finished with 220 - which is very fine.
This is how they looked when I finished the sanding.
I couldn't find my tack cloth so I just barely misted some paper towels with water to wipe off the dust - since they would be drying overnight anyway. These are the boards ready to stain this morning:
I used Benjamin Moore stain in a colour recommended by the local shop. I just took in one of the small boards and he picked the colour: Royal Mahogany. He had a leaflet of sample stains but I decided to just skip agonizing over the exact colour and trust him.
This stage is fun and easy, I used an old sock and some of those white latex gloves to protect my hands. And it's very gratifying to see the pale dry wood suddenly take on a rich colour.
I was worried it was a little too dark - and of course when it dries it looks a little dull. Here are the boards with their stain and ready for varnish:
So the final step of course is the varnish. I used some polyurethane I already had handy in the shed.
And it made all the difference. It brings out the grain which seemed dulled by the stain, and the glossiness makes the colours glow a bit more and look so much better. The best part is it turned out to be a perfect match to the original finish on the rest of the cabinet!
It's drying now and tomorrow I'm going to do another sand and coat of varnish, then I can show the finished cabinet. I also recovered the bench with new fabric... that was the easiest bit.
6 comments:
wow, the refinished wood really sings! it's such hard work stripping and refinishing wood. i started to strip the wooden window frames in my bedroom at one point of the 18 layers of paint on them, but with all the detail and carved bits, I totally regretted it. I ended up stripping away most of the paint to get a less 'chunky' look and then repainted the frames, to end the project as quickly as possible.
i can't wait to see the finished cabinet and the fabric you chose for the bench!
The wood looks just gorgeous! Well worth the effort, I'm sure.
Thanks for sharing that project. I think your hard work really paid off and I look forward to seeing the finished cabinet in your sewing studio space. I liked the part about not angsting over the color - it's so important to leave those details to the experts!
Thank you so much for the comments (and sympathy) it was a lot of work but well worth it!
Hi Claire:
Wow, that top is turning out VERY nicely!! Great job. I do love that Singer cabinet...it really has class :-). I have a Queen Anne style cabinet in my kitchen at the moment and I think I have two of these No 40 cabinets in the basement awaiting a cleaning. They won't be a refinishing project, but they are very dirty and scratched. I use a product called Dr. Woodwell Elixer if the finish is just scratched and that really does a great job. Looking forward to seeing the finished cabinet and the machine residing in it :-).
Jacqui
Wow what an incredible amount of work!!
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