Antique Reproductions....

[Phil Winn]

I am using Jeff Jewitt's liquid dyes to color and pop the Curly Maple, and then using a few coats of Varnish --- When finishing antique reproductions ---
especially drawer chests, blanket chests:

1. Does one dye the outside & the inside, or just the outside of the drawers?
2. Then does one varnish the inside as well?

Thanks,
Phil

[Roger Myers]

What I do (and there are many alternatives)...
Inside and outside of drawers get a very light coat of blond shellac (thin cut) or seal coat. Follow this with a very fine sanding to remove any nibs... some paste wax on the mating surfaces of drawers and runners.
I do not finish the inside of cabinets. Blanket chests, unless using an aromatic cedar lining, I would treat like drawers with thin coat or two of shellac.
Roger