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A good friend of mine, David McDonald, who operates Tara Schoolhouse
Antiques, in Sunnyside,
Georgia,
has been very instrumental in my attitudes about my construction and finish
techniques. At one time during my career I would use the most
advanced synthetic glues and finishes.
David has taught me one important lesson. And that is if you
build a piece of furniture to LAST more than one generation, sooner or
latter, the finish will need repair. And if the piece lasts more than
150 years, chances are the wood will dry out to the point that the glue
joints will loosen and need repair.
With this in mind, I utilize both glues and finishes that have:
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years of proven performance,
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repeatable and predictable results,
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properties that allow them to be repaired without destroying the
original piece.
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Another important consideration is in today's world, the cost of
materials is small compared to the amount of time to build a period piece
of furniture. For this reason, a crafts person should use the best
materials available to them. When the original period furniture was
built, the labor market was significantly different. Apprentices
provided a nearly free source of labor. Materials were more costly
relative to the final price of a piece than the total labor. A very
good deceased friend of mine, Carl Kempf was a strong proponent of this
approach. I owe a great deal to Carl and his approach to woodworking
and to life.
Today, the value of our time has increased relative to the cost of
the materials. For this reason, only the best available
products and supplies should be used.
GLUE
I found hide glue meets and/or exceeds most furniture
applications. Hide glue has been used since the time of the
Egyptians. It is made from animal proteins and has excellent
properties. It can be repaired without removing all the previous glue
from the joint. Attempting to remove old deposits of synthetic glues
almost always results in removing some small amounts of wood which weaken
the joint.
While some people consider hide glue to be messy and it does require
a method to heat the mixture to the proper temperature, it produces
excellent bonds. The strength is similar to most all modern
glues. Hide glues provide excellent bonding properties and has some
gap filling properties as well.
Note that pre-mixed hide glue does not exhibit the same properties as
fresh mixed glue. And it is important to note that when using hide
glue, it has a limited shelf life once mixed and can only be reheated a few
times before its properties begin to deteriorate.
FINISH
My finish of choice is shellac. While his finish has gotten some
bad press in the past about its inability to handle alcohol and water,
those claims are not completely accurate. Additionally, the type
furniture I make is not what the owners would allow alcohol or water to
stand for extended periods of time. Shellac produces a more natural
and "warm" finish. It can be finished to a high luster or a
matte surface. The finish may be applied with a rag, brush or spray
equipment. It is very forgiving and can be repaired at nearly any
phase of the process.
Shellac should be used from fresh mixture. Purchase a good
quality dry shellac flakes or seed lac and mix with denatured
alcohol. Pre-mixed solutions are not as effective. I have
started using grain alcohol as an experiment. I discovered that in
the 18th century that is what would have been used. More than one
finisher is reported to have taken a drink of their shellac mix. I
would not recommend this even though all the ingredients of grain alcohol
and shellac are natural and non-poisonous. Denatured alcohol is very
poisonous and should never be consumed.
Shellac is the critical ingredient in French Polishing.
French polishing was used by the period furniture makers and is considered
the "high end" finish. It is very labor intensive and does
require more than just basic skill but can be learned quickly if practiced
under proper supervision. For an excellent tutorial on the methods of
French polishing visit Milburn
Guitars.
Wood
The wood used in any project should be of the highest quality the
maker can afford. As mentioned earlier, today's makers time is
usually more valuable than the cost of the piece. Whether the piece
is made of a medium grade of secondary wood or the best available walnut,
cherry or Mahogany, the labor is the same. A piece made with more
desirable wood will have a greater initial value, be more desirable, retain
value over time, and generally be more pleasing to the eye and touch.
Sustainable forest practices are making these woods available in a
responsible way that was not previously possible. (more on this subject
in the future)
c/o Ken Johnson
Marietta, Georgia
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