Restoring an old Desk

[Mike Holbrook]

I just bought an old Oak Scottish Schoolmaster's desk and file cabinet made in Glasgow Scotland in the mid to late 1800s by James Simpson. They are in decent shape but the wood is dry with some cracking.

I plan to use these items not restore them for sale as antiques. I put WATCO on most of the old tool handles I restore. I realize that WATCO is a blend of penetrating oil and varnish which I could probably make up myself and save a little money on, but I have a large qty of WATCO so I usually just use it and save the time. I am a little concerned with what might be on the surface of this wood from many years ago. I suppose there is a chance there is lead although from the look of it it has been protected more recently. I am wondering if I should rough sand/scrape the surface? I would prefer scraping as sanding will get more particles air born.

Although I do not plan to sell these items I would prefer not to ruin them in terms of their historic value. Any help is appreciated.

[Mel Fulks]

I would get a knowledgable friend to look and judge whether you have a worn average finish or "wonderful patina". Many would just clean it a bit and wax. If the desk and file cabinet have always been together they are probably late 19th century, file cabinets were pretty slow coming in. Show us some photos.

[Mike Holbrook]

Mel here are some pictures:

The desk
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Not sure if the picture is clear enough to see but the center of the desktop is raised. There is a recess/storage area under the center section that has small drawers in it (on top of the base in base picture). Drawers and the drawer cabinets are made with dovetails, which may or may not be visible. It all, except the back of the file cabinet, seems to be solid wood. The back of the file cabinet is maybe 3/8" wood with a double thick veneer over it, worn at this point. There is a tag that looks very old under the desk top, center section, which says James Simpson, Klasgow. I found a little information on the Simpson cabinet making business that apparently was run by three generations of Simpsons in Glasgow. The information I found was on a Glasgow University archive of some sort.

The File Cabinet
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The construction of the file cabinet is fascinating to me. The outside sides of the frame seem to be double frames. The drawers actually have small metal rollers on frames that slide in & out of the file cabinet frame. Each file drawr front has an opeartional hinge to lower the drawer front. Each frame, the drawers rest on, slides in & out too. It looks like the old file holding sheet metal is copper. The casters on the desk bases appear to be brass with glass or ceramic wheels. I don't actually care whether or not it is valuable. I just find the whole thing a fascinating trip back in time, with ingenious construction methods one would never see in this day and time.

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The seller apparently let a mover jam these pieces into moving pods. One of the desk drawers apparently got cracked from that experience. We found a bunch of wooden knobs that had fallen down into the desk frame when it was moved. What I think are the original desk knobs are two pieces of wood. One piece being about a 3/8" wood screw that went through a hole in the inside of the drawer into the knob on the outside. So I have what I think/hope are the original knobs that can be used and or copied to make new knobs where/when needed. They are very dry and I think they need some sort of finish/oil.

[Mel Fulks]

I think you did well, my inclination would be to clean and wax,maybe touch up anywhere finish has worn off. Some of us are not big fans of oak,but that nice nut-brown color and wide boards make the desk quite appealing, much different from the yellow we are used to seeing. So too, the nice wide boards, unusual design configuration, and "knob collection" accumulation. Great to have the mortise and tenon construction and hand cut dovetails on a piece with 'high tech state of the art drawers'. I have no idea why file drawers were not invented long before the airplane. I did a little checking on file cabinets a few years back,most documents were stored in plain labeled boxes.

[Mike Holbrook]

The wood feels dry. I was thinking it might need some oil, but I suspect that might change the color, ruin the patina, whatever that is... I think WATCO is oil & varnish which in my experience will change the color, even if the lighter color/stains are used. I think the one I have is natural oak, which I picked up because of the lighter color. It sounds like Mel is suggesting I just wax it. I actually have Renaissance Wax, which I think was developed to use on antiques? It might take more than I have to do the whole desk though. Would it make sense to put WATCO, tonque oil on the back, invisible side of the wood, inside the cabinet? Maybe that would just be wasted time though?

The wood that has been hidden away inside the file cabinet has a dingy grayish substance/film on it that does not show up in the pictures. Should I try to clean that off with something like mineral spirits or maybe just rubbing it with the wax will get it off?

[Lee Schierer]

Unless there is paint, it is very unlikely there is any lead. You can buy lead test kits at most home improvement stores for a few $$. From that time period it is likely the finish is shellac, which could easily be determined with a bit of alcohol in a hidden area. If the finish softens, it is likely that it is shellac. If it is shellac, you can wipe down the piece with lots of rags and alcohol to remove all the old finish and you will need little if any sanding.

[Mike Holbrook]

Great tip Lee, will do that on the morrow. I did not want to sand or scrape maybe I can get round it.

[Robert Engel]

My wife restores antique treadle sewing machine cabinets and used Restora A Finish made by Minwax, I think.
I was skeptical but it actually does a great job of cleaning off grime but not stripping leaving original finish.

[Mike Holbrook]

I tried alcohol, unfortunately it did nothing to the finish. I was afraid the current finish was added relatively recently. It looks like someone just painted on a finish/restorer to get the desk back into usable condition. The desk top looks more like oak the drawers & cabinets are a little more honey colored. Now I have to decide what to do. Woodcraft sells a Howard's Wood Restore product that sounds a little like what Robert mentions above: "In 1969, Douglas G. Howard set about solving the problem of restoring the finish on a piece of furniture without destroying it. The goal was to create a product that could restore the surface, penetrate the finish with stain, and evaporate before the original finish was removed or damaged in any way. Restor-A-Finish is a unique finish penetrating formula that restores the original color and luster to wood finishes while blending out minor scratches and blemishes." The problem with that being that I like the color of the drawers and cabinet. I would like the desk top to match a little better, maybe. There is a Neutral, light oak, dark oak...and it says they can be mixed.

The idea of penetrating the existing finish sounds good if it works. I would rather not sand or scrape off the existing marks of wear and tear as they are part of what I like about the desk and file cabinet. I got the name of a guy who restores antiques and works part time at Woodcraft. It turns out he lives very near me. I am trying to get in touch with him, but I'm do not plan to turn these pieces over to someone else. I am calling this my learn to finish new & old furniture project. I have three chairs, Windsors types, that I need to finish soon too and I am not a fan of paint or even milk paint. If I could purchase a little education...

[Mike Holbrook]

I spent an hour or two with Josh Brackett at my local Woodcraft yesterday discussing several methods for restoring the finish on antiques and other surfaces, which Josh does professionally.

Josh's first suggestion was to "fume" (sp?) the antique pieces in a tent with a high concentration of ammonia. The more I heard about this method the more it concerned me as I have had issues with allergic reactions on my skin and I have 6+ German Shepherds and 4 Lancashire Heelers running through the house that sometimes sneak into the shop. I bought a bunch of supplies including a water based dye in an amber color and an oil based Gel that looks like it will match, in small qty, to try. The Gel was more Josh's suggestion for my other finishing project 3 windsor chairs. I will use one or two of the chairs around the desk I am restoring so I am going to roughly match the finishes. I also bought a very skin friendly, biodegradable, soy gel, paint & urethane stripper called Blue Bear to see if it will remove the various old finishes and grime on the desk's surfaces. We decided to leave the file cabinet with the finish that is on it, as it is in fairly good shape. I will just clean the nasty stuff off the finish using Murphy's Oil Soap.

I laid in a fresh supply of rags, two pair of neoprene gloves, nonwoven scouring pads, foam brushes. I am trying out the new silicon glue brushes and glue tubs too. Supposedly glue will just peel right off the silicon once it dries. I also bought two glues: Titebond Liquid Hide glue, for the chairs & antiques, and Titebond II Wood Glue, for gluing up the pieces to make the frame for my bench top. I also bought a Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner that Josh thought might come in handy in my efforts to match the stain/color on the three different woods in the windsor chairs. Once I figure out which product works the best on which of the pieces I am working on I will order larger quantities.

I took a drawer from the desk and a drawer from the file cabinet to Woodcraft with me so we could discuss specific repairs and see the two similar but different finish colors on the two pieces.

It was a long but very educational trip. Now I feel like I have a clue on how to finish a few projects and a better idea of which glues to use for which projects as well. If the wife will give me a few hours this AM I can get cracking.


Last edited by Mike Holbrook (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/posthistory.php?p=2467705); Today at 9:45 AM.

[Mel Fulks]

Fume an old desk? I would say YOU are the expert for having decided not do that.

[Mike Holbrook]

Thanks for your support Mel. I am still a little confused about water based vs oil based vs.....The guy I talked to was emphatic about wood being dead and people not understanding that it can't be "revitalized". The whole line of thought has been haunting me for a couple days now. I know organic materials, even human/animal flesh, can be "preserved" with chemicals that as I understand it protect the delicate cells from air, UV and microorganisms that seek to decay it. Although this may not be "revitalizing" it may slow the decay process down.

I checked out a finishing article Bob Lang did in Popular Woodworking. He was matching a Stickley finish on a Stickley reproduction piece he made. Bob apparently shares my affection for WATCO and outlined the process he went through to reproduce a finish to match Gustav Stickley's. The person I consulted with dislikes WATCO preferring water based dyes. He would use the fuming method to recreate the "stain" characteristic of Stickley type pieces. Maybe these are two major factions in the finishing world? From what I hear so far it sounds like water based dyes/finishes are sort of like Hyde glue is to water resistant or waterproof glues, easier to put on/remove... I have had a problem with allergic/ inflammatory reactions on my hands so I am also trying to figure out which substances might be friendlier to my skin. I know I have to be careful with harsh soaps, alcohol, artificial scents...

[Mel Fulks]

Mike,we have some skilled smart finishers here. I Think the reason you are not hearing a lot is they don't know what you want. The nut brown color it has now is a time honored look more often sought than achieved. Unless you have a clear idea of desired result just clean and wax.

[Mike Holbrook]

Right Mel I guess I am asking too many vague things at once. On the one hand I am trying to just learn more about finishing particularly the pluses and minuses of oil based vs water based finishing products. On the other hand I am trying to figure out what specifically to do to get two old pieces I bought back into a functional capacity. I will do some general searching on this forum about water & oil based products before I try to figure out more specifically which I might prefer to use in the future. Part of my problem is I have had some relatively severe skin issues in the past two years and I am very cautious about the products I use that might in any way come in contact with my skin. Figuring out what may or may not cause a skin allergic reaction is not always as simple as it sounds.

Regarding the two pieces I am trying to get back into service, I think you make a great suggestion Mel. I have been agonizing about trying to put something in/on these old pieces that may reduce the chances of further decay,splitting and damage to the wood. The wood has some fairly major cracks, but I think this is to be expected due to the large size of the boards used to make the pieces. The truth is the wood is actually in surprisingly good shape for it's age and I am not sure whether I should try anything "heroic" that might just make it worse, especially something like an ammonia fuming. Putting some wax on them and leaving them alone certainly has the least risk of damaging pieces I like as they are. As Mel mentions I like the honey/nut color of this wood and do not want to risk altering it. The file cabinet is a little darker than the desk but they are fairly close, probably closer than I could achieve by trying to strip off finish and start over.

Someone suggested that I clean the file cabinet wood with Murphy's Oil Soap. Is that a good product to clean old gray/black grime off surfaces with before applying wax? The only other question I have is whether or not I should apply some sort of finish, other than wax, to the inside/back side of the drawers and cabinets? Some of this wood looks very dry to me and it seems to show evidence of abrading and or chipping on some of the wood to wood contact areas. Could applying WATCO, Tonque oil, Blo...something to inside/backs of boards, which currently do not have any finish on them, help protect them from wear? Maybe the wax is the best treatment to prevent that kind of wear though? I just do not think of wax as something that gets into the wood. Is the Renaissance Wax I have a good wax to use?