I am both really excited and really frustrated by my progress with this project at the moment. Excited because so much of the green has disappeared (hooray!) but frustrated, as I now realise I am going to have to detach the small drawer units to get the green paint off the insides. (You can see some paint on the right which I've stripped, but can't access to wipe off.) It's tricky work, and I've still got a lot of rust to scrub off the base before painting it glossy black.
What has pleasantly surprised me though, is the lovely grain of the wood coming through. This back part has a perfectly centred, feather-like design in the wood, which is a real treat.Now, a question for all of you playing at home: would you varnish this or polish it with an oil instead? I don't really want it too dark, and am leaning towards an oil at this stage. Any suggestions?
I don't know much about restoring but I like the idea of an oil rather than varnish because you have stripped so much off it, it would be somehow mete to have it as bare as possible.
ReplyDeleteHi, I've done a bit of furniture restoration. One of which is an old radio cabinet that had TONS of embellishments on it! Not to mention about 6 coats of paint and years of grease! It was in a kitchen being used as a cabinet right beside a stove!!! I used toothbrushes and tooth picks to get at the little bits of tight areas. Your sewing cabinet is really lovely. And the fact that it is something from your own family with a story is so great! You are very fortunate. Have you tried using Naval Jelly for the rust on the metal areas? I found that it works wonders on the rust removal. As for the wood... I ended up using Tung oil and it brought out the lovely wood grain and made it look really rich. What a lovely piece to pass on to your own family. P.S. write up a history on the piece and attach it to the bottom of the cabinet.
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