Woodworkers, please help...

[Antipodes]

...to restore an old wooden shaving bowl.

I must have a thing about bowls, perhaps because the first one was molded on Aphrodite's breast. I have a multi-piece one from the Phillipines and a beautiful laquered beech one from Muhle.

While cleaning out my Father's garage I found a very old but intact Yardley bowl which I would like to restore.
It is a very light brown, almost chalky white color, which is boring and unattractive.

How please can I -
1 make it a better color
2 bring out the grain more
3 protect it from light bathroom use?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cheech]

How please can I -
1 make it a better color
2 bring out the grain more
3 protect it from light bathroom use?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I'll defer to others with more fine woodworking skills, but you could try:

1. Staining works well, and you retain the natural grain
2. Use two stains, which (if done correctly) can highlight the grain nicely
3. There are a few things to use such which offer varying degrees of protection. I'm guessing people will chime in shortly with what has worked for them.

And there's nothing strange about it. Wood has a humanity, a warmth, that just isn't present in plastics or metals.

 

[flycbyrd]

1st off you want to get a can of stripper and strip the finish completely bare, then find a stain you like and apply it with a rag.then get wipe on polly apply several coats. and you will get a great outcome.

 

[MikeyAces]

Your first order of business is going to be sanding off the old finish. To speed the process, you could use a belt sander on the outside of the bowl. Since you're looking to accentuate the grain, I'd just sand the whole thing with 220 grit and call it a day. After the old finish is removed, rub the bowl with a grain filler. Grain filler is available in several different shades, and it will do two things: level the surface completely by filling in the pores of the wood and bring out the natural grain of the wood. Once you've applied the grain filler, sand again with 400 grit paper. Then, apply a nice hard finish. While a water based polyurethane is your best bet, I'd avoid it. Spray finishing is an art form, and it's even more difficult to apply a pro finish with an aerosol can. If you've never done it, the results you get will likely be less than ideal. I'd use a rub on finish, like tung oil or danish oil. They'll protect the wood, give it a nice rustic finish, and it's very easy to achieve great results. Best of luck, post pictures!

 

[Blue_2]

I agree with the poly finish. How about some Minwax wipe on poly? I'd think that would be a lot more durable than a Danish or a tung finish, it would just look different.

 

[Uncle Erik]

You'll want to remove the old finish, if any is left. Use a chemical stripper and steel wool to take it off. Next, neutralize the stripper with either denatured alcohol or spirits. You can find all of this at a hardware store. I usually go with denatured alcohol since it's a little cleaner. After that, sand it by with increasingly finer grits. Since you
probably don't have much to sand out (scratches, jagged edges) start with 220, go to 320, 400, and 600. This will give you a glassy smooth finish.

Next, you'll want to raise the grain. Use a sponge or paper towel to rub hot water over the bowl and let dry. The grain should come up a little and make it feel rough. Sand it down again, and then raise the grain a second time and sand smooth. Twice usually takes care of it. Apply the denatured alcohol a few more times to get it really clean.

At this point, you can apply stain, but I usually don't. Stain fades and changes over timw and wood is beautiful enough without.

Oh, the denatured alcohol will give you a good idea of how it will look with finish. I usually take a bottle to the wood shop when picking out sticks of wood. It lets me see the grain and color. The nice part is that it doesn't damage the wood, so it dries and everything is fine.

If you're going to use this bowl for shaving, etc., you are going to want a non-toxic finish. Anything else can leach into your soap. Pick one of the salad bowl finishes. Those are designed for wooden bowls, spoons, etc., so you can eat with them. They're perfect for this sort of thing.

Finally, post some pics of your bowl! We will want to see your work.

 

[mrmoonbeam]

Kudos to what has already been stated, but I would stick with Tung Oil if you could.
It will take multiple coats and a longer drying time than with other finishes, but protects immensely well against water damage once it has dried and been rubbed into the wood.

 

[MikeyAces]

I'd also avoid chemical stripping at all costs. It will save you a little bit of time, but it's ridiculously toxic. Last time I used chemicals to strip a finish my garage smelled like the apocalypse for about a week. They do make less toxic/less dangerous paint strippers, but in my experience, they don't work 1/10th as well.

 

[flycbyrd]

I agree with the poly finish. How about some Minwax wipe on poly? I'd think that would be a lot more durable than a Danish or a tung finish, it would just look different.

yes the wipe on poly. it works wonders. you just need to use 2x as many coats as reg poly because its twice as thin. I have used it to restore a brush its awesome.

I'd also avoid chemical stripping at all costs. It will save you a little bit of time, but it's ridiculously toxic. Last time I used chemicals to strip a finish my garage smelled like the apocalypse for about a week. They do make less toxic/less dangerous paint strippers, but in my experience, they don't work 1/10th as well.

yes but nothing will show you what you have to work with better then chemical strip. and i myself like the smell. mine came in a spray can. it worked wonders. Its the only way to remove everything completely. sanding is not as effective as you dont know how much you will have to sand to get the stain out from the pores of the wood, it may be more then your willing to do. with that in mine, chemical strip is not safe in the mouth, inhaled, or in the eyes, but neither is gas and you put that in your car all the time....

Kudos to what has already been stated, but I would stick with Tung Oil if you could.
It will take multiple coats and a longer drying time than with other finishes, but protects immensely well against water damage once it has dried and been rubbed into the wood.

poly is way way way way more protective against water then tung.

 

[pz93c]

I've had good luck with CitriStrip. Just smells like orange peels for a week.

What state is the bowl in now? Very dry?

How would he check wood stability?

 

[flycbyrd]

I've had good luck with CitriStrip. Just smells like orange peels for a week.

What state is the bowl in now? Very dry?

How would he check wood stability?

if he is really wanting to make sure the bowl's wood has not become brittle or rotten, if it appears it has when he has finished stripping it, he could buy something called wood hardener. you rub it into the wood it goes into the pores of the wood and turns the inside into a hard resin, while still keeping all the characteristics as wood.It is made by minwax

 

[flycbyrd]

You'll want to remove the old finish, if any is left. Use a chemical stripper and steel wool to take it off. Next, neutralize the stripper with either denatured alcohol or spirits. You can find all of this at a hardware store. I usually go with denatured alcohol since it's a little cleaner. After that, sand it by with increasingly finer grits. Since you
probably don't have much to sand out (scratches, jagged edges) start with 220, go to 320, 400, and 600. This will give you a glassy smooth finish.

Next, you'll want to raise the grain. Use a sponge or paper towel to rub hot water over the bowl and let dry. The grain should come up a little and make it feel rough. Sand it down again, and then raise the grain a second time and sand smooth. Twice usually takes care of it. Apply the denatured alcohol a few more times to get it really clean.

At this point, you can apply stain, but I usually don't. Stain fades and changes over timw and wood is beautiful enough without.

Oh, the denatured alcohol will give you a good idea of how it will look with finish. I usually take a bottle to the wood shop when picking out sticks of wood. It lets me see the grain and color. The nice part is that it doesn't damage the wood, so it dries and everything is fine.

If you're going to use this bowl for shaving, etc., you are going to want a non-toxic finish. Anything else can leach into your soap. Pick one of the salad bowl finishes. Those are designed for wooden bowls, spoons, etc., so you can eat with them. They're perfect for this sort of thing.

Finally, post some pics of your bowl! We will want to see your work.

very very good information you have given, he knows what he is talking bout. I used mineral spirits where he used denatured alcohol which is just a personal preference, but everything else was useful information that i completely agree with except stain i would stain it to bring it back to what it would have looked like if you bought it the day it hit the shelf maybe a natural or golden pecan.+10

 

[stubblefree]

I live in INDIA and all of the stuff mentioned above by the honourable members of the board are not available here.

I would keep it simple and straighforward.

1. Sandpaper the existing surface with a 180 grade.

2. Again Sandpaper it with a 600 grade for that silky smooth finish.

3. Apply a thin coat of furniture polish two times after each coat dries.

You will clearly notice the natural grains now with a matty lustre.

If you want a shiny finish continue....

4. Finally apply a thin coat of lacquer varnish and repeat it the second time to get that original grain look.

It should look stunning and last you a life time

Vijay

 

[flycbyrd]

If you live in a place where you can by products that will help you such as chemical strip, and minwax stain and poly i then would use these products.

 

[Cheech]

I forgot about removing any existing finish. I would stay with stripper (double entendre not intended) and very fine abrasives. Sometimes medium, or even coarse, abrasives are warranted; but I say go as lightly as possible.

 

[flycbyrd]

I forgot about removing any existing finish. I would stay with stripper (double entendre not intended) and very fine abrasives. Sometimes medium, or even coarse, abrasives are warranted; but I say go as lightly as possible.

I would def stay with 120 or higher probably 220 would be a good one.