Distressing

[Kees Heiden]

Probably sacrilege to some, but how about distessing some projects? I really like antiques, I also like to build furniture, but I don't like antique reproductions that look like new. So untill now I have mostly made contemporary looking furniture and I have bought some antique stuff. But for an upcoming project I'd like to make some stuff in 16th/17th century style and I would really like them to look like they have been well preserved antiques. Buying real antiques isn't going to work, because the pieces I need weren't available back then. And if they were available they would be way too expensive for me. My project is going to be "in the style of", not close copies of existing pieces.

So, does anyone have some tips? How to get new wood looking pretty darn old? I will probably use cherry, so it will have to get a suntan for a while at least. The examples I've seen on the internet when I search for distressing aren't always very convincing.

[David Weaver]

I think it's usually done on cheaper furniture here, with the exception being the kind of stuff zach or george might do at the request of someone.

It usually has to do with wearing edges around here (based on what I see floating around boutique shops that have simple furniture that's been distressed). If I were going to do it, I'd want something more authentic, like taking a picture of a piece of used furniture and actually imitating what's on it. The dents and things of that sort on most furniture are a lot more subtle than the volume aging around here (where people do something like lay a screw on a piece of furniture and hit it with a hammer).

It's probably worth making a tool kit of aging items so you can make subtle dents and things that would appear if someone accidentally sat on their keys or whatever and slid off of a chair getting up..anyway, I can't think of anything better than copying the actual wear on a real piece vs. just following simplified methods of rubbing rope across corners and sanding off paint or banging screws into something.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm horrified that people make brand new furniture made to look old.

It's sacrilege.
It's also the only line of furniture my mentor can sell.

* sigh *

[george wilson]

Distressing PROPERLY is one of the most difficult parts of making accurate antique reproductions to master.

Staining things and beating them with chains just doesn't cut it. You have to put a lot of thought into exactly how and where surfaces should be handled. I can't tell you how to do it. Each case can be quite different. For me,boxwood has been the most difficult thing to properly age.

I have taken years to learn how to do it correctly,so that my most demanding customer,she with the micrometer eyes has to ask "Which is the original"? Ageing metal,wood,ivory and boxwood takes time,thought,and practice.

You might ruin a number of projects before you get it right. Good luck in your endeavor.

I have posted these before. They are one example of the kind of parts I have had to learn to make and then properly age. Boxwood,iron,brass and ivory are in this bobbin and flyer set. The little layer of soot,very faint until compared to new ivory,had to be applied. Old antiques all have it from being in wood or coal heated houses for many decades. Getting a realistic color on various metals has to be figured out.

[Kees Heiden]

Yes I know Jim, but I am differently inclined in this. And it's my furniture, for my own home, not wanting to make counterfeits.

I think you have a good point David, immitating existing wear. But how about the color and texture of the wood? I've seen some simple tips, like using tea, but also seen quite drastic chemicals that I would have trouble to aquire. This is something I would really like to see some tips on, especially regarding cherry.

[Kees Heiden]

Thanks George. I've got the perfect practice object now in the form of a small carved box that I am not quite happy with anyway. How about some ideas to give me a start?

[David Weaver]

Can you get lye over there? I have never used lye to age wood, but I made soap once and used a cherry stir stick and the wood was instantly aged. I don't know what happens to the lye on the stick when everything is done, though. It is converted in the soap, and is thus not something I worry about using.

What about tinting for aging in a glaze rather than on the wood - are you looking for the look where someone has spilled something on furniture?

(we've got - well not we, my parents have a lot of furniture that is in the range of 200+ years old and is hand painted, and it doesn't have much ruinous discoloration(from things like spills), but rather a uniform look where the top finish has browned. Something that could be achieved in a glaze).

[ernest dubois]

You must spend much more time at Rijksmuseum Kees.

[Kees Heiden]

Lye, that's caustic soda isn't it? I can get that.

[David Weaver]

Yes - caustic soda. I have no clue about the implications of using it on wood other than what I've seen making soap. It reacted so heavily with a small cherry stick that I used that the color that came off of the stick - an instant dark red - actually tinted the soap as well. It looked like the unstained old cherry furniture my parents have, with a very deep dark red.

[george wilson]

I agree it CAN be a sacrilege,Jim. I only have done it to age missing parts as part of the conservation process. Conservators in museums will go either way: They will either make their parts stand out like a sore thumb on purpose,or they will skillfully age them to look correct,with discrete signatures on them to warn future curators and collectors. I have a name stamp 1/40" high.

My main customer,who collects sewing,weaving,and spinning things,used to get me to make the parts new. Then,she got more sophisticated,and had me re do everything aged. The parts shown went into an 18th. C. mahogany spinning wheel with inlay,brass wheel,and level winding mechanism. Much different from the ordinary type of spinning wheels. They run into 5 figures,and are very scarce,being playthings for the super rich.

Part of every woman's education back then consisted of learning to spin. Even Queen Elizabeth I spin. Curiously,the weaving was done by men. Probably due to the heavy,bulky looms. Women would take their spun materials to a weaver,and have cloth made. It took huge accumulations of spun materials to do this.

My customer had to out bid a major London museum to get this spinning wheel,even though it was missing a few vital parts. She had another similar wheel whose parts I copied.

[Kees Heiden]

Ernest, the problem with the Rijksmuseum is, everything looks brand new!

The lye is a good start. I'll give it a try with some cherry.

[David Weaver]

Ernest, the problem with the Rijksmuseum is, everything looks brand new!

The lye is a good start. I'll give it a try with some cherry.

Outside and with gloves on, it goes without saying. I've only ever gotten one good whif of lye mixing with water, but it's something that you will do only once. The strong initial smell dissipates pretty quickly, though. I can't remember what the ratio of water to lye was, but any soap recipe will describe a good mix for the water before it's put into oils and fats, and I'm sure that it could be less concentrated than that.

[Prashun Patel]

Personally, I wouldn't focus on making it look 'old' but on making it look 'well-used'.

To simulate age, you can do a lot with the right glazing. It can appropriately muddy a too-perfect finish and simulate patina in crevices. I also think a thinner, oil finish gets to looking worn in quicker than something with a more protective, modern finish.

[Kees Heiden]

Yes, a quick read learned me tp be carefull with that stuff. Old clothes is also a good idea.

[Kees Heiden]

Personally, I wouldn't focus on making it look 'old' but on making it look 'well-used'.

To simulate age, you can do a lot with the right glazing. It can appropriately muddy a too-perfect finish and simulate patina in crevices. I also think a thinner, oil finish gets to looking worn in quicker than something with a more protective, modern finish.

Yes, I think that is a good tip too. Something to think about. I don't see myself creating warped and cracked panels either.

[george wilson]

Kees, I have reasons,not just keeping secrets,for not divulging some of the things I use in aging materials. You may not be able to obtain some of these things unless you can get them through museums.

In another area,for example, you cannot turn in silver or gold for refining,or making into sheet,etc.. You have to have a jeweler's or silversmith's license. That keeps stolen precious materials from being sent in.

In more innocent times,some of these materials were freely available.

[Sean Hughto]

Kees, I recently made my version of a tavern table I liked from a photo of the real deal antique. Below is mine (in dark blue paint) and under that is the original from the book (in black paint). I was guided by the real thing, but not trying to scrupulously copy it or fool anyone. On the top I used dye - something I rarely do on other pieces - and learned that dye reverses the grain and might give the right color, but not really an old look. When I make the next one, I will use chemical aging instead. So I guess the bottom line is that I have little meaningful to offer you, other than to say I've tried what you seem to be describing, and am happy with the result, but would recommend against dye.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/13491034343_5a5b030d9e_c.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/12091367183_65132ac6fb_c.jpg

[David Weaver]

and learned that dye reverses the grain

That's exactly why I'd apply it in a glaze instead, as that's what the aging on the older furniture looks like - more like a glaze and less like a stain. If you look at an old painted plank chair that was painted and then covered with a protectant coat, it looks as if the discoloration is in the top coat, but not the paint.

[george wilson]

One thing I have is a refrigerator size cabinet,with a bunch of powerful black light tubes inside it. Wood is hard to age with stain: On REAL old boxwood,for example,the boxwood is brown,but with NO stain in the grains. Stain it and it looks different.

[Kees Heiden]

You guys are giving me great tips allready. Lots to experiment with.

Nice table Sean. That is actually a bit like the thing I'm looking for.

[ernest dubois]

At Labshop in Twello you'll get the materials you look for.

[glenn bradley]

Lots of good info here. Items become distressed through us and there are patterns (like in Sean's post) that emerge. Getting a look at similar items (or parts of items; legs, table edges, etc.) in antique shops, museums, or online can really help you add authentic looking age as opposed to "beating it with a chain". As George stated, you will go too far on some pieces before you learn when to quit. Like rocking a row boat, distressing looks great up to a point but, it can very suddenly be too much.

[Mike Henderson]

I guess I've never understood distressing. I've seen homes where all the furniture is antique and it looks terrible to me. The chips and broken pieces, worn finishes, upholstery that looks dirty, etc. Why people want that in their homes is just beyond me.

Mike

[Kees Heiden]

Bedankt voor de link Ernest!

[David Weaver]

I guess I've never understood distressing. I've seen homes where all the furniture is antique and it looks terrible to me. The chips and broken pieces, worn finishes, upholstery that looks dirty, etc. Why people want that in their homes is just beyond me.

Mike

This is partly my point about what real wear looks like on the average well cared for piece. I can refer to the painted plank chairs that my parents have because they are very old, but as they were my grandfathers and not for sitting every day, they were well cared for and don't have any of the beatings that some antique furniture is shown with. I would much rather have furniture that looks like that than beat furniture. The comment about the glaze is just that over that period of time, someone has usually clear coated them with something (long ago - not ruined them with polyurethane or something) and it has aged, looking more like a glaze. the furniture is otherwise nearly undamaged other than the aging that occurs on the painting. Very tasteful.

I also don't care for the abused furniture.

[Nate Nieman]

I can't really offer advice with the aging, but I do a lot of matching existing baseboard/trim in older homes.
I tend to use a stains/dyes and then a coat of amber shellac overtop, to help give the wood the warm, aged look.

One thing I've noticed about antiques (the average age of the furniture in my house is WAY older than me) is the clear coat is usually cracked/checked. Old homes weren't climate controlled so as the wood moved the finished did not. That would be pretty hard to replicate...unless you wanted to leave it in an unheated garage/shed for a few months over the winter.
Or maybe blast it with compressed air...*shrug*

Sean, great looking table!

[george wilson]

Sean,the places on your piece where feet were placed,should be bare,not stained. They should have wood that was worn by dirt on shoe soles,looking like dirt was ground against them,leaving an abraded looking surface.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Kees, for a lot of information and sources of further information on 17th and 18th century furniture and reproduction techniques check out the website of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers www.sapfm.org (http://www.sapfm.org) You can check out the forum and register for free and ask your questions there. There is at least one Smithsonian Institution trained furniture conservator who is great at answering questions and offering advice. How to make newly built antique reproductions look tastefully aged is a regular topic for SAPFM members.

[Mel Fulks]

I might be wrong,but my impression of Sean 's table is a stylized nod to the typical wear on the old tables rather than copying it. He does more than march to a different drum beat, he leads a jazz band.

[Sean Hughto]

You're right, George, if I was trying to be completely accurate. I could certainly see such wear in the picture of the original. I ended up liking the shiny blueberry feet too much to ding them up/sand them back that much. There's more than you can see from this angle in real life, but I (perhaps perversely) consciously chose to leave the feet in better shape than the world likely would have. Mind you, no one would see mine and think for a second it was an antique. I was attracted to the asthetic qualities that the wear had brought o the original - the way the bare wood spots accentuated edges or invited one to put their feet on the rails and so forth. I was trying to recreate that moreso than trying to make it look authentically old.

[Richard Moran]

I like antiques, natural wear and tear and the old finishes. But I can't stand that Shabby Chic white stuff that is so popular nowadays.

[Kees Heiden]

What you don't like this? :eek:

http://decoholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/shabby_26_chic_living_room.jpg


:D

[Kees Heiden]

Distressing is not the best title for this thread I think. Ageing or patinating would be better. But this title sure atracks attention....

I want to thank again for all the tips. The SAPF link is a good one too and I am going to have a look.

[george wilson]

Many years ago I had to go to Philadelphia along with some other craftsmen to set up exhibits of our work. There was a man there from the company which used to make reproduction furniture for the museum to sell. This fellow had various tools such as bronze chains nailed across a short block of 2 x 4". He was the "distresser". I have never seen a more arrogant ,self assured guy in my life! He thought his skill was way beyond any of the actual museum's craftsmen who were there. He happily beat and banged to their delight upon samples of furniture tops that he'd brought along. With immense skill did he damage,dent and scratch. Oh,and fling bits of stain also. Regardless of what he did though,lacquer still glinted like lacquer,and not like varnish. Specks of stain remained unconvincing. Similar looking dents revealed themselves to the careful eye. He banked upon customers not having careful eyes,though !

His female audiences thought he was a God!!!

But,alas,even he played second fiddle to the fellow who was the head flower arranger for the museum!!!:) His female audience was totally enthralled with him,though I am sure he had no real interest in them !

[Jim Koepke]

One of my favorite videos on YouTube is "Make a five board bench with Charles Neil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX4fXbRNqqY)."

He distresses his boards by laying them on the gravel driveway and jiggling around on them.

jtk

[Warren Mickley]

When I look at distressed or aged furniture, it often has a sameness and predictability about it that is somewhat tiresome. Like guys are using a formula for aging. I think a guy who studied up on it might be able to look at a piece and name the decade in which it was made. I don't think guys are using chains as much as they used to on the 1980's.

The funny thing is that genuine old pieces are now being doctored, gunk and wear added, so they look more like the artificially aged new pieces. So they meet customer expectations. When some months ago Sean Hughto first showed the picture of the table he copied, my first reaction was that it had added wear. I have been looking at this kind of stuff all my life; it looks like someone sanded the appropriate edges in order to make it look more like fake wear.

[Moses Yoder]

I doubt you will be happy with the result. For myself, I would do something to compliment the antiques and still look new. A crackle paint finish is relatively easy to do and while it does not look old it has a certain style to it.

[Jim Matthews]

Me, too.

It's not as if original furniture looked worn.
Pure artifice chaps my hide.

[Kees Heiden]

Ha ha, not too many supporting voices.

But I'm not giving up so easilly. Are there books available about ageing or patinating wood?

[Shawn Pixley]

I am against distressing. The only times I went close was when repairing an antique piece of furniture and had to replace a piece. I added just enough patina so the piece wouldn't stand out.

[ernest dubois]

I think I have an idea of what you want Kees. It's sort of an ideal and might explain partly what is so appealing to some people in those old pieces.

In my mind I have mulled over an idea, maybe its applicable, maybe not but it is certainly not a finishing technique applied to a completed piece. Still, it is somewhat related and I throw it out. It would be to try and make up some component, for example a panel for a door in elm wood, and then strapping it on the roof of my woodshed for one year, touching it up where needed after that and putting in its place. The idea comes from somewhere between what that Bennet guy does and my liking for old wood.

[Prashun Patel]

Every now and then this place gets a little snobby.

Kees is asking how, not whether.

Maybe this only rubs me the wrong way because as a blanket opinion i am distressed at the blanket opinions about distressing. Ask your question on the finishers forum or to jeff jewitt and i think you will get more tips on how instead of poo poos.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Kees

What is it that you wish to emulate - a well looked after vintage piece, a poorly looked after vintage piece, or something that resembles shabby chic? .....

Frankly I cannot see how furniture beaten to an inch of its life with chains, and scratched to resemble having had a hard life could conceivably still be in one piece. With a life like that it would more realistically be falling apart. Who wants that?

The type of simulated wear I would go for would be subtle - darkened wood (use a darker wax polish), some areas worn away by rubbing with a polishing rag (lightly sanded with very high grits and then waxed), etc. I'm just guessing - I've never done this. What I have that is old has aged naturally. And what I have that is not will eventually do so as well. I don't have painted furniture, so cannot comment on that.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

Well, if it could turn out to look somewhat like this, then that would be great.

298923
But I said that I'm not aiming for a perfect reproduction. More for a work that is inspired by pieces like this. A lot of this kind of stuff is made from oak, and I am going to make the first one from cherry. So that is the first deviation from the original.

First thing is getting the wood to be aged nicely. With just a bit of googling around I find a few methods. Sun tanning (can be speeded up with UV lights). Lye. Or Potassium Dichromate. Then I would have to take care of all the corners and edges, rounding a bit. Then looking for obvious wearspots, like around a keyhole, or the place where the door rubs on the plinth, stuff like that.

To be honest, the more I read, the more I see how difficult this is.

[Sean Hughto]

Prashun: Judge the judgmental, and what am I? ;-)

Kees, unless you are building for a client, shrug off the haters and do what makes you happy. You have to live with the piece. It's your enjoyment and your taste. Why would anyone want to live with something they don't like as much just because it makes the haters happy - i.e., suits someone else's tastes? Maybe for some people, happy haters brings them the most fulfillment .... naah.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/c2c64cf946989b9e1428939a8c856aeb/tumblr_naj406yCfe1rm300po1_500.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

http://www.dumpaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/haters-gonna-hate.jpg

[george wilson]

I have possibly done more "aging" than most here. My clients have demanded it. So I'm not a "hater". I just think if it's going to be done,do it right.:) I distinguish between aging and distressing,however. You will not see damage to the bobbin and flyer I posted. Just aging.

One time I had to make a missing ivory arcade from a an original spinet. One of the cleaning staff had probably sucked it up with a vacuum cleaner(They were prone to doing that!! One time a maid sucked out most of the jacks of a harpsichord trying to dust it with the top rail off. They had to re assemble the instrument. Fortunately,the jacks are always numbered,) Anyway,I did not scratch,dent,or otherwise damage the arcade(A decorative piece found on the fronts of the keys.). I did put a judicious amount of cigarette ash and some small amount of dye in the crevices. It fooled all the curators. They then got all excited and demanded that I sign the bottom of the new arcade! I did. You'd have thought It was a major event!! I just enjoyed fooling those types.

It did need to match the other 200 year old arcades,with their usual dose of old crud,soot,and other accumulation.

I'll mention that one janitor knocked an original coffee pot off a mantle. It was dented. Fearing getting into trouble,he took a ball pein hammer and tried knocking it back out. Somehow his crude attempts were discovered,and the master silversmith had a time hammering the stretched and damaged silver back down. The cleaning staff were not the sharpest knives in the drawer,and they were always working around valuable antiques. The moving crew(a special one at that!) were good at damaging valuable antiques,too.

[David Weaver]

I have possibly done more "ageing" than most here.

Yeah, about twice as much as many of us! haha. :)

[Kees Heiden]

George, your posts are really helpfull, even when you are just sharing anecdotes.

[george wilson]

David refers to me being an old duff,which I AM!!!!!!!:):):)

[ernest dubois]

It wasn't my intention but I thought the finish on this simple box did come out with a sort of pseudo antique look. I rubbed the slurry from the bottom of my sharpening pond into the wood a few times is all with the filings, clays binders and other filth I think it gives that well aged look. I guess more could have been done but as has been suggested, more is less in the instance.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/P7040168_zps2e30c23b.jpg

[Kees Heiden]

That looks pretty convincing Ernest. And like you say, less is more.

[Brian Holcombe]

I guess I've never understood distressing. I've seen homes where all the furniture is antique and it looks terrible to me. The chips and broken pieces, worn finishes, upholstery that looks dirty, etc. Why people want that in their homes is just beyond me.

Mike

Much like David and George mentioned above I think there is a distinction between 'well worn' and 'abuse'. The patina most manufacturers attempt to create seems to fall into the category of abuse (thank you 'shabby chic'). It's worth noting the difference as I personally feel that well kept antiques look fantastic.

[ernest dubois]

Oh yeah Kees, I forgot to mention, I had that nest of swallows in the workshop just above and well, you know how the swallows are around here - good shots. Never mind cleaning it off, might be interesting, and it was.

[Harry Hagan]

About forty years ago, when paneling was in vogue, a homeowner wanted to maintain the same molding profile throughout her new house and asked me to give her white pine molding a “weathered look” in the Family Room to match the installed Masonite Weathered paneling.

After picking through a lot of molding I was able to find a good grain match and grain color as a starting point. I used a small sandblaster to distress the surface and relied on the paint store guru for an exact color match with the paneling.

I received several referrals from the homeowner for people wanting to duplicate that same look on other projects but I told them the molding had been discontinued and was no longer available. It was too much work and I figured I might not be so lucky the next time.

[David Weaver]

Much like David and George mentioned above I think there is a distinction between 'well worn' and 'abuse'. The patina most manufacturers attempt to create seems to fall into the category of abuse (thank you 'shabby chic'). It's worth noting the difference as I personally feel that well kept antiques look fantastic.

There was some faux english chain that came here "elephant and castle" or something, that seemed like a united states version of english food. Whoever they bought tables from tried to make the tables look like they were old and from who knows where.

*every single table* had the side of a screw hammered into it at least a dozen times. And it looked like the exact same screw was used for every single dent in every single table. That was just one example of how imitation everything looked.

[george wilson]

Why,David,you sound like you do not believe that in the normal course of use,screws are going to be hammered sideways into your table!:)

[David Weaver]

I'm sure in a factory that manufactures screws and packages them by dropping them on a table and then shooting hammers out of a cannon toward the packing area, such a thing would happen!

I'm so closed minded by now that I don't like anything!! that's getting to be true!!

[Kees Heiden]

Hmmm David, I think you should hammer some screws on those bland planes you made lately. That would certainly improve them.

[David Weaver]

Hmmm David, I think you should hammer some screws on those bland planes you made lately. That would certainly improve them.

I dropped one of them already. That's authentic! I broke the edges out of the jack, too...a little.

At some point, I'll show all three on youtube and use them, but I have some other videos I want to make first, and I make just terrible videos.

If I wanted them to be shabby chic, though, I'd put a mismatched modern iron in them and recut the eyes so that they actually make the cheeks lower than the top of the plane.

maybe some sequins in the handle, too, and a big Megadeth sticker on the side of one.

[Warren Mickley]

I saw a painted hanging cupboard at an antique store Wednesday It was from the early 19th century. The paint was old and discolored, but there were no places where it was worn through and I don't recall any chipped places even. If someone had reproduced this they likely would have felt the need to remove paint completely at the high wear locations. There was also a very nice 18th century Windsor chair which was not worn through on every edge the way most reproductions are.

Here is a cabinet for which I wonder if fake wear has been added. It really is over 200 years old., but the wear pattern seems just too predictable, too much like a furniture doctor would make it. The dents all seem to have paint at the bottom, like they all occurred before the wear took place. Also note the vertical line on the bottom rail, like where a belt sander stopped. I can't remember all that I noted when I saw it in person. This cabinet could have been stripped in 1965 and repainted in 1995. Or it could be the the original paint and somebody thought it would look more fashionable with more wear.
298933

[David Weaver]

Warren, I know much less about this stuff than you, but our antique and used furniture (I shouldn't say our, it belongs to my parents) is as you describe. On 6 chairs, I don't recall seeing a significant amount of wear on any of the corner surfaces. In fact, the only significant issue of concern that I can remember is the condition of the paint on the backs of the chairs (it was painted with some kind of fruit scene or something at the top of each). I don't know what the right term for the chairs is, but we referred to them as "plank bottom chairs". Not elaborate chairs, but not cheap junk, either.

I'm not sure we (again, I guess not we) have any other furniture that has not been repaired or refinished. My parents do have numerous things like walnut wardrobes, and other than showing evidence of some quickness (drawknifed backsides on the raised panels, etc), they also show no significant damage and never did. Someone has finished them with modern finish, though, which is a shame.

The corner cupboard built in our house, now 100 years old, shows no wear, just paint that looks old. The style is is almost identical to that one.

People took too good of care of things and had too much pride to allow something like that cupboard above to look like that. It would've been a significant outlay to purchase such a thing, and folks who didn't go out in public without dressing well wouldn't have allowed themselves to be associated with something that conveyed they were reckless and didn't take care of their things.

[Kees Heiden]

That cupboard looks very artificial.

I just walked around the house. Our antiques are nothing special, mostly farmers pine cabinets and tables. Some have been in the lye baths of the 1970's, something I wouldn't do now, but back then it was all the rage. Anyway, what I see is that none of the edges are sharp, All the corners are quite rounded. There is tearout in some spots. The high wear areas are mostly dirty, not bare. A footstool has considerable wear on edges and corners. Tabletops have scratches. Dings are rare. The single most important aspect of these items looking old is the color of the wood.

When I look around in the house of my mother in law, who has really valuable antiques, I see a lot of immaculate furniture. It's a style that I don't like at all, but I can see that it is very well cared for. I need to have a closer look some day, not easy because she isn't herself the last couple of years and visits are a bit stressy.

Of course, in the wild you can find antiques in all stages of decline, from well cared for to falling apart, just like old tools in fact.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

That cupboard is a very nice design, but I agree the wear is very fake. I never understood the whole distressed look thing; restore something, then make it look old again. :confused:

[Brian Holcombe]

I'm sure in a factory that manufactures screws and packages them by dropping them on a table and then shooting hammers out of a cannon toward the packing area, such a thing would happen!

I'm so closed minded by now that I don't like anything!! that's getting to be true!!

Seems logical.

I have screws and hammers in my shop, maybe they go all 'sorcerer's apprentice' when I'm not around.

[ernest dubois]

There is a small wall cabinet I made with similar intentions. The only thing I did was paint it with a paint that would be vulnerable to use patterns itself, some lime or milk paint I mixed up, I don't know it now. It has been hanging in the kitchen for 15 years and now it looks distressed. What is my secret to getting that authentic distressed look? Patience.

[Zach Dillinger]

As you may know, I catch a lot of guff from fellow woodworkers for making my pieces look old. Be forewarned on this. Also, there is much, much more to making a piece look old than just the finish. That is the lazy (and ineffectual) way to try this. If you are interested, PM me and I will tell you more.

Now I will slowly sneak out again and try not to offend anyone with my work ;)

[Kees Heiden]

Don't worry Zach. I know that this is a controversial topic, and I really don't mind when people have a different opinion or when they express that opinion. The world would be a boring place when everone is the same.

I send you a PM.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Apologies for my comment. It wasn't meant in disrespect. I have seen it done really well, like in kitchen cabinets in an old kitchen.

[Kees Heiden]

No reason for an apology Malcolm. I respect your opinion. I can only hope I will succeed.

[Sean Hughto]

When some months ago Sean Hughto first showed the picture of the table he copied, my first reaction was that it had added wear. I have been looking at this kind of stuff all my life; it looks like someone sanded the appropriate edges in order to make it look more like fake wear.

Take it up with Albert Sack.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/12091367183_65132ac6fb_c.jpg

[Sean Hughto]

By the way, here's what old Albert had to say about it. Begging your pardon, but I think I'll take his assessment over yours.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2185/2256743586_53b41e8b21_b.jpg

[Tom McMahon]

As long as we are voicing opinion and not answering your question I will offer my 2cents. Pieces in different period styles require different finishing strategies. Nothing looks more amateurish to me than a Queen Anne piece with nothing but a clear coat of gloss polyurethane. Likewise Midcentury modern looks silly distressed. It is wrong to believe that period finishers did not use stains ,dyes, caustics, even paint. In some cases time alone cannot recreate the look of an antique. As to your question, the hardest part is to age the wood, each wood requires a different technique. The reason commercially aged pieces usually look wrong is that the are using stain or dye which doesn't work. In my experience chemical aging works the best but is dangerous and not used commercially. There is a long list of chemicals that can be used but there is little good information written on the subject. " Classic Finishing Techniques " by Sam Allen is the best I have found.

[Tom M King]

I just looked over all the furniture in our house. There aren't many pieces less than a hundred years old. A lot came out of my Grandfather's house. Others passed on from family members who have passed on. A lot of it most likely served daily use for a long time. One piece in particular, I remember my Grandmother using in her bedroom, a faux grained armoire, with a small porcelain knob, is still in absolutely perfect condition.

The only pieces I can find any wear patterns on are a couple of pie safes. One in the kitchen that my Wife has used for 34 years, and another in a bathroom. I remember my Aunt, who left them to us, had them refinished in the sixties. Both of them do show dirt from hands, and wear patterns from keepers that turn from opening and closing, but it's all into, and through whatever finish the restorers used in the sixties. I expect the original finish would have shown similar patterns. All the hardware is original.

[ernest dubois]

I don't have to look far for an example. My computer sits on an antique tansu as I type this. It definitely shows it has been used, ink stains criss-crosses, burns, dents, bug holes in the sapwood, stain worn through at the front edge, scratches behind the bails and pulls, burnished edges at the front of the top where I rest my hand to type, just great.

[Sean Hughto]

George, I think you are confused. Warren is saying that the ORIGINAL 300 year old pilgrim table included in Sacks' book was distressed/fake.

[Sean Hughto]

He and David and now others are asserting that antiques don't really suffer significant wear, apparently no matter how old or how used, say many times per day for decades in a tavern, for example.

[george wilson]

Well,Sean,the table in Mr.Sack's book does show the foot worn areas as polished looking. Maybe It's the picture that is confusing me. They show shiny light reflecting off of them in a few places where the foot wear is. How is that possible if the piece has the original finish(and has had no varnishing over those areas.)

Sorry about the confusion.

Whether an old piece shows significant wear is obviously related to how well it was taken care of. For example,I have books with early fire arms or musical instruments in them that look like the day they were made. Others get completely worn out. The collection of objects in the Williamsburg collection runs the full gamut of pristine to completely worn out.

[Sean Hughto]

Great, George. You and Warren probably owe it to Mr. Sack's heirs to let them know so at the next reprint they can make the correction. I'm sure the present owners of the piece would appreciate your assessments too.

[Sean Hughto]

Well,Sean,the table in Mr.Sack's book does show the foot worn areas as polished looking. Maybe It's the picture that is confusing me. They show shiny light reflecting off of them in a few places where the foot wear is. How is that possible if the piece has the original finish(and has had no varnishing over those areas.)

Well. I'm no freakin Hardy Boy, but I'll take a crack at The Mystery of the Shine and suggest we test for furniture oil or polish or wax. In my limited experience all of these materials can impart shine to wood, and yet are not varnish! Much well-cared for furniture has been known to suffer such applications, I think. But I'm just speculating; I don't have the expert eye to judge from this tiny photo reproduction like some can.

[David Weaver]

He and David and now others are asserting that antiques don't really suffer significant wear, apparently no matter how old or how used, say many times per day for decades in a tavern, for example.

My comment was in reference to the corner cupboard. I don't know what tables in taverns look like, they're probably more subject to wear and tear because they are a business item and not a reflection on the owners. I stand by my comment about the corner cupboard, it looks like fake wear to me.

I'll defer to Warren and George on the tavern table.

[Derek Cohen]

I think the problem is that many want to associate age wear with use wear. A piece of furniture that has been subjected to daily heavy use in a pub or restaurant will accumulate wear at a rate of knots that may have taken several hundreds of years in the average home. In a business setting, where the owners are not fastidious, this may go unchecked. However, in the average home I do imagine that wear just does not happen this way.

How much painted furniture went over good wood? If the designs were intricate, it is likely to have been looked after, as with furniture made of decent hardwood. The type of wear would reflect years of upkeep. I recall the last Studebaker my father owned (he was a Studerbaker guy until they went out of business). He bought it new in 1958 and polished this car every weekend. After 10 years the baked on enamel had thinned and worn at the peaks of the fins and on certain areas of the body where he had lavished extra love.

Anyone who ages furniture to give it that well loved look needs to be a good furniture psychologist. To ask "how was this piece used", and "who used it". The rubbing of a person's back on the splats of a seat back and arms on the rests, or knees under a table edge, elbows on a desk leather, years of polishing brass that have taken off detail and left behind resudue in the crevices, colours changing with reaction to the environment, the effects of wax and other polishes ...

I do not see much painted furniture but assume that wear should be the same.

For some years fashion has been led by many designers with little knowledge of furniture, per se, and more interested in the effect they might achieve. The rise of Shabby Chic appears to have confused many - and may, in fact, have encouraged some to age their furniture the same way.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Warren Mickley]

I said that my first impression was that the table had added wear. I have not seen the table in person; I have only seen one picture. I can't imagine what could be wrong with stating my impression on a forum.

[Sean Hughto]

I don't believe anyone is suggesting that there is anything wrong with you stating your "impression" that he table in that picture has had wear added. Are you suggesting that there is anything wrong with me expressing my impression of your impression?

[David Weaver]

All of these impressions are causing me to experience depressions, or is that distressions? :)

[george wilson]

Sorry,Sean. I did not say I thought the table was a fake. I just wondered why there seems to be shine on the shoe worn areas. It is hard to judge something by just a picture. Even with waxing,it would SEEM difficult to make the abraded surface where shoes have rested shiny. That's my impression. I am on a new med for sleep these last few days that has affected my head anyway.

[Sean Hughto]

Sorry, George. Think what you want. Warren too.

My thinking is that there are such things as experts. Scientists, doctors, art historians, etc. I'd imagine you think of yourself as an expert in many things. If you published a book about one of those topics - I dunno - harpsichord building maybe, should I respect your statements? Rely on them? Would you think it sort of offensive and suspect if some folks on a form who are not as expert as you in the field expressed impressions suggesting you were wrong about some basic fact? At the least I would think you would be rather amused.

[Mel Fulks]

Warren's point about the wear being even up to the corners of the legs is a valid observation, but I remember being a child and "fixing " uneven wear with my shoes. Even museum standards have changed considerably in how pieces are
conserved,waxed, etc. The Elgin marbles were drastically altered for display purposes ,alas there is not a better set to be
had.

[Chris Fournier]

Sorry, George. Think what you want. Warren too.

My thinking is that there are such things as experts. Scientists, doctors, art historians, etc. I'd imagine you think of yourself as an expert in many things. If you published a book about one of those topics - I dunno - harpsichord building maybe, should I respect your statements? Rely on them? Would you think it sort of offensive and suspect if some folks on a form who are not as expert as you in the field expressed impressions suggesting you were wrong about some basic fact? At the least I would think you would be rather amused.

Sean, don't get too riled up by your detractors from the peanut gallery. Predictable and pathetic. You actually made the piece that you posted, not for a paying patron or the State, you did it because you are, well, crazy. Sorry, an enthusiast craftsman. Damn fine job too, of course I would have done things differently and quite a bit better.

Shame on you for sanding in and varnishing over the "patina" points, you'll never fool the Smithsonian with this sort of work. Wait a minute, you were trying to fool the Smithsonian right?

You have never come across as anyone vying for any sort of seat on this forum. You have come across as a guy with a boat load of talent and ability who actually works wood for his own pleasure. You have never said, "I am an expert, I am talented", but your work supports this! Don't let the detractors and deferrers get you down. They are habitual and have little to show for themselves.

Quick note, your stool lacks the smell of horse piss, the scuff of shoe leather and the surface coefficient of spilt draft, no wait, cider.

[Kees Heiden]

Not so touchy guys. No reason to become angry, this is just a forum after all.

Personally I am more interested in the how then in the why. As I see it there are two distinct aspects. First, the wood ages. The trick now is to do 3 centuries of change in a couple of days. Cherry seems to be not the worst kind of wood in that respect. Actually, a lot of woodworkers use aging tactics to get a better color from cherry, for example with UV light or with chemicals like Lye or Potassium dichromate. I am a bit reluctant to resort to chemicals like that, so I will first experiment with UV light. There are plenty of cheap second hand ones available, so that's a good start for some experimentation.

Other parts of the aging of wood are cupping and splitting. Often you see boards that aren't very flat anymore in antique furniture. I am not sure if I want to try that or how I would do it. Wood can be quite erratic in that respect. It bows and cups only when you don't want it to.

The second aspect is wear. And that's where I am also looking for practical ideas. How to make scratches? How and where to make the usual dents and broken bits that result from using the furiniture or moving it around? How about corners and edges, they rarely survive intact and sharp over 300 years. Indeed this seems to be a psychologic question. Just watching old pieces is going to learn me more then anything I presume.

[ernest dubois]

What about using actual old wood?

[Prashun Patel]

Think sclupting. Rasps and sandpaper allow me to sneak up on a look much better than things that cut more discretely.

my advice on dings is to do them after the piece is complete, like over months. Accelleration and exaggeration have produced more pleasing results than prediction.... TO ME!

[Joe Leigh]

"You have never come across as anyone vying for any sort of seat on this forum. You have come across as a guy with a boat load of talent and ability who actually works wood for his own pleasure. You have never said, "I am an expert, I am talented", but your work supports this! Don't let the detractors and deferrers get you down. They are habitual and have little to show for themselves."


Well said Chris. You have, I'm sure, expressed the sentiments of many here too worried to upset the resident "experts" who seem to proliferate these threads.

And great job by you Sean. I admire your work and your willingness to think outside the box with your designs and your eagerness to share. Yours is the real definition of what a valued member here means.

[Dave Anderson NH]

On controversial subjects differences of opinion and back and forth are fine. Please stay away from the personal stuff. This is an interesting and valuable thread and I don't want to edit or close it. A couple of the answers and rebuttals have been borderline so lets back off the rhetoric and stick to the topic avoiding rancor.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd be careful about criticizing their tone vs. their credibility. They've earned the latter. I'd hate to see a professional/expert (without quotes) walk away from here because we hobbyists can't take some truths.

[Kees Heiden]

Using old wood could be an option, but you almost always need to cut and plane it to size. It's rare to find pieces fitting exactly. I have some old pine boards for the back of my cabinet, and they are exactly long enough. That's nice, because they will be visible from the side. I hope I can use them.

[george wilson]

Look guys,I have already apologized to Sean. I have been taking a strong dose of sleeping med as prescribed by my doctor. I am pretty confused and I wish I had stayed out of this thread.

If this isn't good enough for you,I guess it's just tough. I'm 73,and not always as on the ball as I once was.

I'm admitting I messed up. Is that o.k.,Sean? You do great work,as I have said repeatedly.

As for Joe,I see you are back with your usual remarks. It would be nice to see you share some constructive information.

[Joe Leigh]

Not at all George, just agreeing with other members observations.

No one is questioning some of the advice posted here, certainly not me as I have no experience or expertise in his technique, just the delivery of it.

Hope you feel better soon.

[ernest dubois]

I was out at the warehouse of Van Hier Tot Tokyo, in Halveweg, half way between Amsterdam and Haarlem funny enough, some time back and noticed how, along with importing complete pieces they also make it a point of bringing back parts of unusable tansu for repairs. They were even good enough at the time to sell some to me and even the back pieces I have taken are most welcome because otherwise unobtainable and new wood would have to do, which is second best.

[Sean Hughto]

First, this is an Internet forum, so by definition I do not take anything that happens here too seriously. When we are not face to face, it's hard to judge tone. While I may get momentarily exasperated, I'm typing with a smirk and a chuckle most of the time.

I want to thank those who said such nice things. I assure you, I do not deserve any accolades. Like most of us I'd wager, I am my own harshest critic. I'm a mere hobbiest who like to make stuff, I have no illusions or delusions of grandeur.

By the way I did not take it anyone was attacking my little tavern table. It is what it is. To my mind it is an ode to the real Pilgrim table that attempts to incorporate some of the aspects of the original that I find aesthetically appealing.

What set off my little rants I guess was the progression from 1. The general sneering and dislike of adding wear to pieces, to 2. The assertion that real stuff did not suffer significant wear, to 3. The assertions that a real life example of a piece with significant real world wear (the Sack "masterpiece" pilgrim table) was fake or at least suspect.

For what it's worth, I generally prefer to let my pieces age and gather patina naturally - to let them develop their story honestly, if you will. The exceptions for me are when I use milk paint, I'll often sand through layers of color and such, but more as a finishing technique than an effort to impart the look of age. I rarely make anything like reproductions - the tavern table was an unusual project for me. If I had made a "like new" table, and let wear happen naturally, I would not have lived long enough to see a table that looked anything like the original as I do not live in a tavern and my family's use, while trying at times, would never be of sufficient volume over a short enough time.

On resident forum experts. I sure appreciate them. I appreciate them most, however, when they offer constructive advice for helping me achieve a desired end. "Oh, Sean, you wish to build a tavern table, here are some turning tips for crisp sanding-free elements." "Hey, and I see you are struggling with how to deal with the mortise and tenons on that double splay, well I've built several over my professional hand tool career, and here's what I learned and how I successfully and efficiently do it." Etc.

[Jim Koepke]

What about using actual old wood?

Finding a source could be a problem.

It seems one antique dealer had a lot of sources for 'old wood':

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/the-alisters-antique-shop-and-the-fakes-made-from-wardrobes-2151063.html

jtk

[george wilson]

Using old wood is not a good answer. You have to cut and shape old wood,and when you cut it,you expose the un patinaed (sp?)wood inside.

[ernest dubois]

I would say then that in the case when old wood was made use of, remembering it's one suggestion among others and whether it's a good answer or not depends on many factors beyond my ability to determine or affect, the question of matching areas of newly exposed wood to the old would then have to be weighted in relation to aging an entire piece.

[george wilson]

I have a bunch of very old mahogany. It gives me a rash on my arms when I use it,due to fungus inside it. So far I have managed to not breathe it,luckily,as the first time I used it I was not aware of the fungus. It is not spalted either.

Thought I'd mention this for whatever it's worth,as an aside.

Once it's been cut and planed to the required thickness,it looks like ordinary mahogany. Except for the dank smell. It is probably at least 150 years old. It came from state rooms in an old sailing ship. When the ship was demolished,the mahogany paneling and bunks were saved. I bought the whole pile at an auction of an old ship fitting company that went out of business. I also bought all of their NOS wood screws,about 2000# or more.

[ernest dubois]

I've got no stories of nasty reactions to wood that have happened to me personally, maybe I have extra good resistance or am incredibly insensitive. But an old cabinetmaker acquaintance of mine told of how he went to do some repair, or restoration to an old box made of ebony found in a dark attic and suffered a reaction as he dusted the inside out, that left him in bed for two days.

I tell this story because, maybe you will find some way to get me some of that mahogany wood that is either unfit for you to use or the other way around.

[Mel Fulks]

George, wondering how you determined it was fungus, and if a kiln drying would get rid of it?

[Tom Vanzant]

I knew a WW in Katy TX who made a couple thousand tote/knob sets. He did beautiful work in a number of exotics and domestics, but was sensitive to rosewood and VERY sensitive to cocobolo in particular. When he worked cocobolo, he wore an outfit just short of a Hazmat suit, complete with a respirator mask/hood with a 20-ft hose to outside the shop. Some woods can be vicious. Know which ones.

[george wilson]

It's the way the wood smells. It could be something else,but I have no allergic reactions to any wood I know of,not even cocobolo.

Little tiny red dots in the millions break out on my arms when I have used that wood. Normal mahogany doesn't affect me at all. Most of the guitars I have made had mahogany necks. Some had mahogany backs and sides. Never any trouble. If I had breathed any of the dust,I wonder how much trouble I'd have been in. If I use it now,I'll only use it near a vacuum drop that I have at my bench to catch sanding dust.

I have no kiln to put it in,though that might kill off whatever is in the wood.

[Stu Gillard]

In regards to the original question, "How do I make new wood look old?", I can't really help.
I have used things like Potassium Dichromate to deepen the color of timbers to blend repairs, but I have never intentionally 'distressed' my work.

In my opinion it's not that hard to use 'old' wood for feature parts of a project.
Most of my work is antique restoration, and most the of the stock I use for repairs is orphaned furniture parts from a similar period. Old table aprons. Table tops etc. Ready made authentic patina.

Here's an Australian Red Cedar chair (circa 1850) that I purchased. It needed a new seat and aprons.

299046

I band sawed an old table top to thickness. Whilst it has great color and figure inside, it was appropriate to use the old table surface for the seat top. I would be very hard to replicate this patina. A light clean and polishing was all that was required.

299047299048299050

Here's the result.

299055

Another example is some bedside tables I made out of orphaned washstand legs.
Basically colonial styled 'mini washstand' tables. I certainly didn't try to remove any of the character of the legs.

299053299054299056

Cheers all,
Stu

[Pat Barry]

In regards to the original question, "How do I make new wood look old?", I can't really help.
I have used things like Potassium Dichromate to deepen the color of timbers to blend repairs, but I have never intentionally 'distressed' my work.

In my opinion it's not that hard to use 'old' wood for feature parts of a project.
Most of my work is antique restoration, and most the of the stock I use for repairs is orphaned furniture parts from a similar period. Old table aprons. Table tops etc. Ready made authentic patina.

Here's an Australian Red Cedar chair (circa 1850) that I purchased. It needed a new seat and aprons.

299046

I band sawed an old table top to thickness. Whilst it has great color and figure inside, it was appropriate to use the old table surface for the seat top. I would be very hard to replicate this patina. A light clean and polishing was all that was required.

299047299048299050

Here's the result.

299055

Another example is some bedside tables I made out of orphaned washstand legs.
Basically colonial styled 'mini washstand' tables. I certainly didn't try to remove any of the character of the legs.

299053299054299056

Cheers all,
Stu
Its nice work Stu, I assume the shapes you created match the originals, but I fail to see any distressing at all.

[Stu Gillard]

Its nice work Stu, I assume the shapes you created match the originals, but I fail to see any distressing at all.

Thanks pat.
On both the wash stand legs and the old table top, there are stains, scratches, chips, dings etc. These were formed over 150 years of use.
Is this not distress?

[Pat Barry]

Thanks pat.
On both the wash stand legs and the old table top, there are stains, scratches, chips, dings etc. These were formed over 150 years of use.
Is this not distress?
Yes - that's natural distress of course but I don't see that you attempted to enhance that distress or add any of your own to the new pieces. Thats all I meant - Like I said, your projects turned out very nice.

[Stu Gillard]

Yes - that's natural distress of course but I don't see that you attempted to enhance that distress or add any of your own to the new pieces. Thats all I meant - Like I said, your projects turned out very nice.

Cheers Pat.

I don't add any distressing, I use pre-distressed timber. I was confirming this as an option to the OP.

I have used tops, aprons and turned legs from different antique tables to assemble quite a few finished pieces for customers.
The legs have wear where the chairs rub against the turnings. There are knife and fork marks on the top etc.
In most cases I am able to rejuvenate the original polish. I finish them with a buff of wax.
It would be very difficult to tell that it wasn't an original 150 year old table.
I don't sell them as 'true' antiques and I'm very honest about their provenance.

[Kees Heiden]

Well done Stu. Especially those stains and the wear pattern of actual use is hard to replicate. You gave me food for thought.

[george wilson]

The problem is,you've finished over the original distressing,where scratches,etc.,would not have finish left on them.

The work looks nice,regardless.

[Jeff Schmidt]

Kees, I think I understand what you are after. As others have mentioned, professional furniture conservators are able to repair valuable pieces and match the repair to the aged patina of the original piece. Have you ever seen the work by "Jack Plane" at Pegs and Tails (http://pegsandtails.wordpress.com/) ? In my opinion, his work epitomizes the desired patina of a piece that is 200 years old yet well cared for. But good luck getting folks with that type of knowledge to divulge the "trade secrets". The guild mentality runs thick. "Jack Plane" was asked to share his patinizing techniques and he responded with a few crumbs on how to wear certain surfaces, a rough outline of how to age brass. The message was clear.

Joshua Klein (http://www.workbenchdiary.com/) has posted some helpful information on his blog and I expect that he will be much more forthcoming. I have already learned quite a bit from his posts.

You might also take a look at Norm Vandal's book. While he does not discuss anything like what the professional conservators are doing, he does discuss how to stain, glaze, etc so that the piece does not have that new sterile look.

[Kees Heiden]

Thank you Jeff. Especially Joshua's blog is very informative. One thing I learned allready is using a glaze. Of course, I have no idea what this stuff is called overhere in Europe, so maybe I just mix my own.

I am slowly accumulating stuff to start some experimentation. It looks like the graden work is almost done this year, and as soon as I get over this cold that affects me now, I am going to burry myself in my shop.

[Kevin Harris]

I've never tried actually distressing anything, but occasionally I've experimented on various cherry pieces with accelerating the darkening process so I don't have to worry as much about light patches caused by shadows or objects on the table top reducing light exposure. I've found that if you are using a caustic such as lye to darken cherry, then it is important to make the piece from the same board or tree or else the color won't be even - this is of course important over time anyway as the cherry naturally darkens, but it is just that the color mismatch gets created instantly if you use caustic. In cases where I couldn't make the entire piece of furniture from one tree, I found that using dye is a better option because it is possible to even out the color variations.
Lately I've gone away from trying to accelerate the darkening much so have switched to finishes like shellac combined with spray aklyd varnish that contains UV inhibitors as my taste is now for cherry that isn't too dark - if you want dark cherry, then another thing to try is just putting linseed oil on it and put it in the sun - the oil seems to accelerate the darkening and avoids having to mess around with dyes and chemicals.

[Kees Heiden]

Well, George told me I would spoil a couple of projects before I had this technique under control. And right he was. Exhibit number one.

Before. A maple chest with carving. I wasn't happy with the finish, blotchy and too light:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/Kees2351/Kist/foto_zps53d1e987.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Kees2351/media/Kist/foto_zps53d1e987.jpg.html)

So I decided to paint it with milk paint. First I tried a kind of salmon color. But it looks like I have to study a bit on my color mixing technique:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/Kees2351/Kist/foto6_zps77ebf76f.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Kees2351/media/Kist/foto6_zps77ebf76f.jpg.html)

So I repainted it. First red, then black. Just as if a red box from the 17th century was repainted in the 19th century and then had some ups and down in its life. The black isn't too bad, especially where the red shimmers through the surface. But the red parts are just way too bright. I still need to learn more about colors.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/Kees2351/Kist/foto1_zps9740b4a2.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Kees2351/media/Kist/foto1_zps9740b4a2.jpg.html)

So, if someone sais the box was better before I started the painting and distressing, then I can't deny that.

[David Weaver]

Looks like someone's been referring to peter follansbee tutorials!

[Prashun Patel]

I like the look of milk paint followed by a coat of boiled linseed oil or light oil/varnish.

'glaze' can be anything you like. It's just glorified 'crud' sandwiched in between two layers of finish. I've used thickened oil stain, commercially sold water-based glaze, and oil-based pore-filler, and oil based artist paints. They all work the same. As long as you know your compatibilities or use a thin, spray coat of lacquer or shellac in between, there's little more one needs to know to get the basic effect.

FWIW, I like the box. Finishing well takes time and effort. A multi-layer process like this impresses me the same way sophisticated joinery impresses me even on a piece that may not be to my style.

[Kees Heiden]

Looks like someone's been referring to peter follansbee tutorials!

Exactly, these patterns are straight from his DVD.

[Kees Heiden]

Thanks for the tips Prashun! I know I need them for my painting endeavours. Painting never has been my passion, but I think I'm starting to like it.

[george wilson]

Milk based paint is a 19th. C. innovation. They used all oil earlier. At least so says Mack Headley,Master Cabinet Maker in the Anthony Hay Shop in Wmsbg.

[Warren Mickley]

So I decided to paint it with milk paint. First I tried a kind of salmon color. But it looks like I have to study a bit on my color mixing technique:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/Kees2351/Kist/foto6_zps77ebf76f.jpg (http://s290.photobucket.com/user/Kees2351/media/Kist/foto6_zps77ebf76f.jpg.html)

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I think I recognize that color:
300109

[Kees Heiden]

Nice pink isn't ugly isn't it?

Milkpaint is much older. But oil paint was develloped in the late middle ages and used a lot after that. They also used a glue size. Pigment in glue which made a not very abrassion resistant paint.

In the 70ths milkpaint was reintroduced because of the hippy ideals of a clean earth, but also it is a nice reproduction of a worn finish on an antique piece.