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Reed writes:
Thank you for all the replies, sorry for my slow return.
This is a cool desk. Given to me by one of my Boston based clients. He
bought another company to add to his list and no longer need the desk that
lived in the former owner's office. Raised panels throughout, missing some
parts and heavily used. Machine made and refinished and repaired in the
past. I have re-glued the carcasses and all the drawers and have parts to
make yet. I have now about 75 hours in this thing, this would be a very
expensive project.
I called this "Cuban" mahogany because, as you can see in the photos, it is
quite brown, with a very tight grain, this simply hand sanded with 220 grit
after stripping. The close up shows the piece wetted with denatured
alcohol, simply a beautiful color all by itself!. So it might be that this
wood is something other than Cuban, and Bob Olesen's reasoning that the use
of 'Cuban' means 'the best' is the use here. When I sand the drawer fronts,
though you will see that a much pinker wood appears. This desk was heavily
used/abused by someone who did not keep their nails trimmed and did not care
about scratching the wood under the pulls. So I started with 100 grit to
remove this. The drawer front here is sanded up to 220 and ready for some
color work. I will let the experts in wood identification take that argument
from here.
The mahogany identification problem is pervasive. Just last week I was in a
home center that has a really nice selection of hardwoods from all over the
world, it's fun to look, feel and smell the woods. The bin labeled Honduran
Mahogany had at least 5 different woods right on the top! Be careful with
your selection.
Bob, you have given me only the second reason I ever have had to go to
Florida. The first was for some glass that a fellow telescope maker was
selling, some 1 inch thick by 20 inch squares of quartz glass, I missed that
deal. Cuban Mahogany, the real stuff! That could make me want to build
some furniture. But a state with no mountains.
Finish schedule
I have used Minwax Golden oak on walnut and mahogany in the past and do like
the results. But is seems to me that the Golden oak available today is not
the same product. Golden oak from Minwax use to be a dye only, nothing to
stir up from the bottom of the can, not anymore, and the solvents in the
stain have changed, it smells like a lot more linseed oil, there is now a
linseed oil warning label on the lid and solids in the bottom and a
different color. I quit using it. Maybe I am a snob.
Because of the heavily damaged drawer fronts being sanded down to the white
wood, I really have 2 different schedules to develop. Well 3 or 4 because I
have had to make both the knee drawers (this is a partners desk) and one of
the 5 inch deep drawers and a frame to both support the knee drawers and
hold the two side of the desk together. These I made from some 'true'
mahogany as my supplier calls it with cherry for the drawer sides to match
the originals and maple for the secondary wood of the frame. I think it is
Honduran mahogany. And fourthly, there are some previous repairs that were
done with Philippine mahogany that will need to be disguised and blended in
with the rest.
Shellac will be the finish of choice, this in my desk, I will finish it
with my favorite. The Kushmi button is something that I did not think of, I
have a bit of it, I might try that. It is very dark, though. I was
thinking of a bit of garnet for color then top with some blond, I could then
French that smooth.
I have started with some yellow TransTint in denatured alcohol, brushed on
and wiped off after a minute or two, a bit stronger than, say, Miller
Highlife.
Next, to match the drawer fronts to the rest, I have a mix of TransTint in
Denatured alcohol, Brown mahogany and Dark Brown Maple. I will use a
reduced/thinned of the same dye on the less heavily sanded carcass to help
even out the tones.
I think I will use a bit of gilsonite somewhere in the finish, and surly
there will be some toners to match the new to the old, Philippine to the
Honduran to the 'cuban'.
Wood filler. All those raised panels. I would love to avoid that, but will
make a determination after the base color is down and the first coat of
button or garnet has dried. I have a glass top of the working surface of
the desk, so there will be no need of a perfect surface for writing ect, but
I also want to go for the right look.
Reed-to bad I could not get paid for this one-Spaulding
Getting ready for winter in Lancaster, NH
