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MMD > Archives > October 1995 > 1995.10.21 > 03Prev  Next


Re: Great Hoosier Find?
By Terry Smythe

Forwarded Message:

The following was in response to a message posted in rec.antiques about refinishing hoosier cabinets. In addition to the drum table example I mention below, I've had the same problem with an old player piano painted white, and dealt with the problem the same way, with equally good results.

Terry Smythe

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 From: smythe            To: DIANN@ALLDIGITAL.COM      Orig: MBNET
Subj: Re: Great Hoosier Find? I Area: 3-rec.antiques Date: 10/21/95
====================================================================
To: diann@alldigital.com

Diann@alldigital.com stated:

D >Both were oak under all of the glop, so the paint didn't
D >sink too deeply into the wood. With a pine cabinet, it is
D >likely that you'll have "paint in the grain" and
D >need to strip it down as far as possible, sand lightly and
D >then repaint.

I too had a similar situation, not with a hoosier, but with a mahogany drum table, with a shattered pedestal, abandoned on the street for weekly garbage pickup. It had been painted with a sickly pink barn paint, or whatever. It was a mess.

After stripping with a powerful paint & varnish remover, I was still left with "paint in the grain". I then tried something different, a fresh sloppy coat of paint remover instantly followed by equally sloppy methyl hydrate (alcohol). the combination seems to provoke a chemical reaction that literally boils most of the remaining paint and varnish out of the grain. But even after this treatment, there was still speckles of paint visible in the grain.

Then I had a brain wave which in this unique set of circumstances worked out just fine. I stopped trying to remove the last few speckles of paint, but instead sloshed all over the surface a local cheap pigment style stain, reasonably close in tone and colour, wiping vigorously against the grain, using ever more paper towels until no more pigment stain came off.

Surprise! Surpise! All the little speckles of remaining paint had mysteriously vanished! In fact, they were still there, but had been tinted by the pigment stain. I was left with basically clean wood, ready for final finishing in a natural wood finish. The finished result is gorgeous, and not a hint of those speckles of paint anywhere!

Something to consider........

Regards

Terry Smythe            *Sounds of Yesteryear*
55 Rowand Avenue  Restoration and enjoyment of vintage
Winnipeg, MB R3J 2N6  automatic musical instruments
(204) 832-3982  email: smythe@mbnet.mb.ca

(Message sent Sat 21 Oct 1995, 16:49:09 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Find, Great, Hoosier

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