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ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATION DISCUSSION BOARD
Posted By: Greg Scholl <beatkat@adelphia.net> (67-22-200-210.albyny.adelphia.net)
In Response To: Stripping and re-finishing a mahogany mantel (Pam Brandon)
Date: 8/22/5 23:23
Hi Pam, these type of ornate carved pieces are very difficult to strip cleanly, and to succeed with the task it is extremely messy and time consuming. Persistance is the name of the game here, you have to work in small sections applying stripper to an area and letting it do the work, and then once it has liquified the paint you can scrub it off with steel wool, bristle brushes, crab picks, dentist tools, tooth brushes, etc,etc. The dating of the piece also puts you into the periods of Casein and/or Lead based paints, so care must be taken, and these paints are notoriously difficult to strip...and you'll need to cover everything in a 10 foot radius around the work area...sometimes it's worth removing the mantle and having it done professionally, be aware that you could easily spend 20-30+ hours on a project like this doing it by hand...and that's just stripping and prep for finishing....As far as refinishing it when you're ready, you'll likely have bit's of paint in the grain in spots in the carvings...so a gel stain is probably a good bet here. You can also use a second application of a darker glaze stain to accentuate and "antique" the carved and detailed areas...and then finish with Shellac, varnish, or wax...depending on the final look you're after...
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