replacing Fashion#4 finials

[KEYWIND]

I need some info on how to finish a set of replacement finials.The case has a nice patina to it with a yellow hue,(varnish?).The new finials look like one would expect,purple and brown.I have not tried anything yet,I'm not sure where to start. I'll turn this over to the experts.Thanks!

[KEYWIND]

I need some info on how to finish a set of replacement finials.The case has a nice patina to it with a yellow hue,(varnish?).The new finials look like one would expect,purple and brown.I have not tried anything yet,I'm not sure where to start. I'll turn this over to the experts.Thanks!

[craig]

Keywind,
This is where the fun begins: matching new to old!
Old walnut is a challenge to match. If your clock has a yellow/orange tone to the finish, and it has a slight alligator to it, I'd say you've got a shellac finish. If so, consider yourself lucky in the fact that you've got a nice piece.
Whatever the finish on the clock itself, you will very likely need to lighten the wood on your walnut finials. Even a water-clear finish will darken the wood to the point that the new walnut finials will be too dark and not match the old wood.
Here's what works for me.
Use a two-part bleach to lighten the finials. Two-part bleaches are made up of part A, sodium hydroxide (lye), and part B, hydrogen peroxide.
Occasionally the sodium hydroxide can cause staining. A subsequent application of part B, hydrogen peroxide, will remove stains caused by part A, sodium hydroxide. Neutralize with 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water. Allow the wood to dry overnight.
Using a rag with denatured alcohol, wipe the finial to wet it. The color that appears is going to be slightly lighter than when the shellac finish is applied. If the color is now too light, you can darken it by adding some Transtint dye to shellac. I'd mix a drop of Dark Walnut and two drops of Honey Amber Transtint dye into roughly 3 tablespoons of shellac for the right color. Once you get the right color with a coat of shellac and the toner (dye), pad on straight orange shellac on the finials.
When padding on shellac, use a pre-washed muslin cloth (I use my worn out pin-point oxford dress shirts for shellac pads). When you apply the shellac, it takes a "feel" to know when to stop and let the finish cure a little.
Apply the shellac until you've filled the wood grain, which is about 5-6 good coats. You can use pumice and shellac or hide glue as a shortcut to filling the grain. However, with walnut, the pores are not as pronounced as oak or mahogany so filling the grain is easy.

When you've gotten several coats, allow to dry for a few hours. Then go over the surface with 400-grit wet-or-dry using oil as a lubricant, which prevents the sandpaper from getting corns. I use mineral oil like 3-in-1, but baby oil, olive oil, or paraffin oil (lamp oil) also works fine.
The sanding is just a smoothing step, which also allows me to check the grain-filling status. Use naphtha to remove the oil, and then apply a couple more coats of shellac. This is where the finish should be complete.

After the shellac finish has cured overnight, I use 0000 steel wool lubed with pigmented wax to even out the sheen. Pate Dugay wax in the Rustique Brun color is my favorite.

If I want a good shine, I get out the oil again and using an old t-shirt, rub the finish out with rottenstone.

I attach finials with a single drop of hide glue.

Sources of supply that I use are as follows:
Homestead Finishing (http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/) for shellac flakes, Transtint dye; local paint store for 2-part bleach; Settler's Hardware in Houston for Pate Dugay wax;
Home Depot carries Kleen Strip denatured alcohol for mixing shellac.
Store your mixed shellac in a 16-oz. wide mouth canning jar. Don't store shellac in a metal can as it will react with the metal and darken.

To make shellac, I put approximately 1/2 cup of flakes in the 16-oz. canning jar. Then I fill the jar to about 3/4 full of denatured alcohol. Shake several times over the next hour or so to prevent a clump at the bottom. It will be ready in about 2-3 hours. Shellac is the most forgiving finish. If you don't like it, wipe it off with denatured alcohol and start over.
This should get your winter project restoration well on its way.

Have fun!

[David 62]

I would expect the new wood finials to be too light,and in need of stain prior to the application of any finish.I would try putting alcohol,or mineral spirits on the new wood to judge the shade prior to bleaching the wood.Once you have the new wood stained to the right shade,a schellac finish is appropriate.The hard part is getting the new parts to have the crackled look.
David

[craig]

David,
Right, and sometimes that's the case. If so, I'd skip the bleach step.

From my experience, the older species of walnut, especially the veneer, is lighter than the modern species of solid walnut. The last time I had to replace finials for a walnut ST/Fashion calendar, I told myself I'd bleach the finials first. Experience is a good teacher.

Keywind....if you've got some modern walnut, you may want to experiment a little with the color and see if you're satisfied with the color match.

[David 62]

Craig,

If stain is needed to darken the new wood to match the old,I would advise him to stain the wood with a product such as Zar.When it is determined that the shade is about right,then apply the shellac.Trying to tint the shellac to change the shade can lead to many coats of shellac and an opaque finish.I like Zar rosewood stain as it is dark brown rather than red/brown.I have applied the final coat of shellac by dabbing it on with a sponge to give a faux old mottled finish.

David

[lamarw]

This is obvious, and I think everyone already knows it. But just in case, Fashion 4 would be in walnut. I have done one set for a Fashion 3 using the S. Larose replacement Fashion finials. I simply used a couple of applications of walnut stain. Looks good to me and I have several Fashions with original finials or at least very old finial, and the new ones match pretty good to the specific clock and the others I have. This was replacement unfinished finials I acquired about 4 or 5 years back.

[KEYWIND]

Craig, David, and Lamar, I am always amazed whenever I've posted a question in any of the forums. Some people's willingness to share their time and expertise still fascinates me. Thanks to all of you for your valuable time.

Curtis M. Estes
#0148690