Refinished handles and totes turn black

[Mark Berenbrok]

The rosewood handles and totes on my refurbished Stanleys turn black when I refinish them. All traces of color vanish. I remove the old finish, sand thru 220, give them a wipedown with mineral spirits, let them dry, and use a spray finish like Deft semi-gloss clear wood finish (spray lacquer). They come out jet black. I want to keep the rich rosewood colors. Suggestions?

[John Dykes]

I had a similar experience on my first go round...

Shellac gave me the best results.

- jbd in Denver

[Johnny Kleso]

Took me awhile to remember what my 7th grade wood shop teacher tried to teach us..

Always use dewaxed shellac before any other finish..
Execpt a Soft ot Pure Oil finish like Danish Oil..

After a few coats of shellac give it a light sanding with something like 280 then a few more coats and sand with 400 and one finish coat..

[Mark Berenbrok]

Thanks guys. I'll give shellac a try and post the results.

[Mike Henderson]

If you do any turning and have a buffing system, just buff the knob and tote up to (and including) the wax and it will keep the original color.

Mike

[Ken Werner]

ditto on shellac. I add a coat of Liberon wax after the shellac.

[David Keller NC]

That's really odd - I would expect the handles to turn very dark if the finish contains any significant amount of oil (linseed, tung, or polymerized saffron), but laquer? Laquer shouldn't significantly absorb into the wood, which would leave it dark. That said, there is no finish that will leave the wood the color it aquires after sanding, which will be very light.

I'd compare the color yours have turned with photos of the original Stanley finish, which was nitrocellulose laquer after the early teens. If they compare well, I'd say that you've just duplicated the original finish, and if you want it lighter, don't finish it at all - just rub in a hard paste wax as others on the thread have suggested.

There are some good color photos of original Stanley finishes on www.thebestthings.com (http://www.thebestthings.com) - click on "antique tools" and the "stanely tools" links.

[Jim Koepke]

Mine have beautiful rosewood. After repairs when needed, all that is done is a fine sanding and a coat of mineral oil and beeswax. The feel of the natural wood is so much better than the feel of any other finish.

jim

[Mike Henderson]

That's really odd - I would expect the handles to turn very dark if the finish contains any significant amount of oil (linseed, tung, or polymerized saffron), but laquer? Laquer shouldn't significantly absorb into the wood, which would leave it dark. That said, there is no finish that will leave the wood the color it aquires after sanding, which will be very light.

I'd compare the color yours have turned with photos of the original Stanley finish, which was nitrocellulose laquer after the early teens. If they compare well, I'd say that you've just duplicated the original finish, and if you want it lighter, don't finish it at all - just rub in a hard paste wax as others on the thread have suggested.

There are some good color photos of original Stanley finishes on www.thebestthings.com (http://www.thebestthings.com) - click on "antique tools" and the "stanely tools" links.
I've tried lacquer on Stanley rosewood knobs and totes and the wood goes almost black. That's why I recommended just wax.

Mike

[Johnny Kleso]

You can lacquer over the dewaxed shellac but not over waxed shellac..

It works very well as a sanding sealer IE: add a coat or two of dewaxed shellac then sand and add Poly or Varhish or Lacquer of just plane wax..

If you want a nice feel I dont add a final coat of shellac I add a wax finish to sanded shellac and it gives a nice hand feel to a tool handle but you can use several coats of just shellac to get a lacquer looking finish as well..

[David Keller NC]

"I've tried lacquer on Stanley rosewood knobs and totes and the wood goes almost black. That's why I recommended just wax."

I did the ones I re-finished with several coats of shellac applied with the French Polish method. They did turn darker than they were after stripping off the old finish (I didn't sand them), but not black. I wonder what's going on that would do this? So did your handles look something like this:

http://www.thebestthings.com/oldtools/graphics/st81118.jpg

This pic, by the way, is from The Best Things - I don't think the proprietor will mind me using this for illustration purposes, particularly if someone here decides to buy the plane from him - it's a Stanley 4-1/2 in incredible original condition. If I had the funds, I'd buy it myself!

[Stu Gillard]

I use the following method whenever I refinish knobs/totes...

4 or 5 coats of golden shellac with a light rub of 0000 wool in between coats.
Final coat is a mix of shellac and BLO rubbed on. Then a good waxing and buffing. looks good and feels great in the hand.
Pic below shows my new (old) type 5, No. 8 jointer. The tote was finished this way, and the knob is untouched. The knob didn't really warrant refinishing (just cleaned with spirits and waxed), but the tote was covered in the typical white paint that always seems to find it's way onto old tools :p
After looking at this photo, I'm thinking I might clean the knob right back and refinish as well....when I get the time :(