Refinish the wood (surface) on my Olhausen table

[tjlmbklr]

OK, I will try asking this question here since the woodworking forums aren't answering my question.

I have an Olhausen that will be coming apart soon to renegotiate the pocket angles (because they rattle too many shots) and re-cloth the surface with 860HR. The rails have been scratched and I want to refinish them without going too in depth. I won't say how the scratches got there but they were not from me (you know who you are; and I am sure you feel bad! :ignore

The scratches aren't too deep and are only in the top finish and not in the wood/veneer. I will attach some pictures. How would one go about prepping it? Steel wool, scotch brite, sand paper. Should I try to remove all the finish (gosh, I hope not) or just scuff the surface? What is a good finish to use, how do I apply it, brush, rag? What's the best type of brush...etc, etc!

Thanks in advance and I hope to meet some of you in IL for Glens class...if I make it!

 

[singletrackmind]

Refinish

Well, I am more of a woodworker than a table machanic so I will chime in. Here's the deal, if you decide to bring it down to bare wood you will most likely find that you will need to dye the wood back to the color needed to match. You can find this out by sanding a small spot on the underside of the rail. I wouldn't recommend going down to bare wood unless your rails are in very poor shape.
Many pieces of furniture are created with a birch or other inexpensive hardwood and died to the desired color to give the look of mahogony, cherry, walnut, etc. If you sand on the rails too much in one spot or hit the edge you may burn thorugh the dye and end up with light spots. It's best to block sand to keep from creating valies and uneven spots, but you may have to just fold up a piece and sand diagonal if the rails have any inconsistancies. If you use a water based top coat stay away from steel wool, it rusts quckly.

You most likely will be able to get away with hand sanding them with 220 and putting a coat of clear on followed by hand sanding with 220 or 320 and putting another coat. You can repeat this process as many times as you like. I wouldnt bother trying for a mirror finish though unless you are really into it.

If you have a compressor I would highly recomend a high volume sprayer. You can pick one up for 75 - 100 bucks at your local home store. You will get the best results spraying. Should you decide to brush use a high quality brush like a Purdy (brand name). Stay away from the throw aways, they will just cause you greef, create streaks, etc. You need a fair amount of skill with the brush. Your strokes should be from dry to wet to keep from streaking and you should be careful not to over brush. Get it on and walk away or when the top coat starts to tack it will streak. (go get a spray gun). Don't paint from the can. Put a small amount in a clean container. Most important, after sanding spay off with compressed are, then use a tack cloth to remove all dust or you will end up with little bumps all over your finish.

The loaded question here is what type of clear to use. Obviously harder is better. Hi Gloss, semi gloss is personal preference if you aren't matching anything. Chances are it's an oil based finish already (again you can test a spot under the rail with spirits to see how it reacts, a google search will give you loads of info on how to determine if its oil or water but a factory finish is most likely oil based). Visit your local woodcraft, rockler, or even a Sherman Williams, or Porter Paints for help choosing a good top coat.

 

[Tom334]

When I restored my old Brunswick I asked a lot of questions at the local wood shops. I was lucky and had a Woodcraft store 20 minutes away. They were great and I have found that most stores like that are that way. Good luck...:smile:

 

[tjlmbklr]

Thanks you to both of you. I have started to receive ideas all over the place after a few days. I am going to try simple approaches first if I am not happy I will lightly sand. That s the idea I had originally but need the reassurance of more qualified persons. I definitely will not be taking down to the bare wood I just really intend to scuff the surface. Spraying was my personal choice if I do decide to refinish them

Thanks again!