Refinishing Materials

[lbmallett]

I have a friend (my boss actually) who wants to strip and refinish some antique furniture that, unfortunately, has some pretty serious scratches on it. I was under the impression that these scratches could be filled with dyed or tinted shellac sticks that were melted into the scratch and that a nearly perfect color match was possible. If I'm right about this, where is the best place in the Raleigh area for her to find the material and, more importantly, the expert advice she needs to get a nich finish on this obviously valuable furniture?

Not sure if this should be in the "Where Can I Find?" or the "Finishing" forum.

Thanks.

[Ray Martin]

Hey Larry...

Are they really scratches, with wood fibers torn out? Reason for the question is that some of what appears to be scratches is really indentations in the wood, where the fibers are compressed rather than torn out. If it's more of a dent or compression, many of these can be steamed out with a slightly damp cloth and a steam iron.

Steaming has to be done carefully, particularly on older finishes. Sometimes the finish itself is pretty easy to steam right off the wood.

Ray

[Ray Martin]

Forgot to finish the response before hitting the send button. I think Klingspoor has some of the reapir materials to melt into finishes for repair.

Word o warning... if value of the piece is of concern, refinishing will amost always decrease the value.

Ray

[lbmallett]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have asked her if the scratches are gouges or dents and she's promised to let me know. I don't think that decreasing the value of the pieces is a concern. Apparently they have been in her family for generations and she only wants to refinish them so that they can be passed down to several more generations. I'll have her check with Klingspoor to find out the best way to proceed.

Thanks again.

[jeff...]

I think what your looking for is "Burn in sticks" and you'll also need a burn in knife too. Keep in mind although touch up supplies are not too expensive, there not cheap either. Like anything else you get what you pay for, so beware of cheap POS (piece of 5hit) touchup and repair products. I would recommend Mohawk products any day. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/

I've used some other brands, nothing even comes close in quality to Mohawk.

I do furniture touch up and repair, part time at night, at a delivery warehouse for a major furniture store. I may be able to offer some assistance, if you have any questions.

Thanks