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ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATION DISCUSSION BOARD
Posted By: Bob Klein <bobklein1@cox.net> (ip68-1-111-93.pn.at.cox.net)
In Response To: varnish (j duke)
Date: 1/5/5 20:34
Varnishes have been used to coat wood since the 1700's. Wax finishes were very popular and widely sued as well. Simply put, a varnish is a resin dissolved in a solvent. In the 17 and 1800's the resins were dissolved in alcohols (spirit varnishes) and vegetable oils (fixed oil varnishes--essential oil varnishes). The resin could be any one of many; turpentine, amber, mastic, sandarac, elemi, copal, and shellac to name a few. Shellac was and is a spirit varnish by definition and came into use around 1800-1810. What you see, usually, in the 1900 furniture that has degraded and turned is most likely what was referred to as common brown varnish (copal/colophony resin). It was cheap to make and use but wasn't so very durable. Understand there are exceptions to everything but know that there were literally tens of thousands of furniture manufacturing companies in this country in the late 1800's. Not to count the individual furniture makers, and most likely many had their own secret receipt for cooking varnish. Read up on these things it is great history. A couple of sources-Robert D. Mussey, Donald C. Williams for starters.
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