When I was about 14 years old, I became interested in furniture finishing. My parents purchased me an unfinished poplar night table, and for information on how to complete the job they enlisted the advice of a family friend, Sam, a professional painter and refinisher. Sam told me exactly what I would need to create a finish that he said would last a lifetime.
He told me he had used the same technique on a mahogany bar he refinished for a tavern thirty years earlier. Driving by the tavern many years later, he saw that it had just been demolished. He saw the old bar lying in the debris, the finish still smooth and shiny despite all the years of beer and alcohol spills, not to mention the demolition itself.
After some hands-on training from Sam, I followed his directions to the letter and achieved an incredible piano finish for my night table. My parents were so proud of the result that they showed off my table to every visitor that came to the house. Sam came by and gave his official stamp of approval too, which made me very proud.
After high school I went off to college. During my sophomore year, my parents moved from New Jersey to Georgia. My night table became a permanent fixture in my Mother’s new sewing room. The first time I visited our new family home in Georgia, Mom excitedly guided me into her new sewing room to show me my nightstand in its new place. I proudly observed that it survived the move, and was still smooth, shiny and scratch free.
Over the next 22 years, I ritualistically examined that night table every time I visited my parents. It always looked as shiny as before. Time didn’t seem to take any toll on its appearance. After my mother died in 1985, Dad lived another ten years. Sadly, after Dad’s death the night table disappeared! Wherever it is today, I’m certain it still has that beautiful appearance, just like that tavern bar Sam told me about when he gave me my first furniture finishing lesson all those years before.
If you’d like to try this timeless finish, you can achieve the same results Sam and I did. It will definitely be worth your time! You might start with a small wooden item to practice on.
Here’s the recipe:
1. A good oil stain in the finish color you desire
2. One small box of rottenstone, also known as Tripoli (a little box goes a long way!)
3. #400 fine grade steel wool
If you are starting with new wood, I recommend washing it down with denatured alcohol; it will make the stain go on more evenly. Then sand the finish smooth until you are ready to start the staining process. Use a rag or a brush to apply the stain (I prefer a rag). When the first coat dries, use the steel wool to remove practically all the stain. The goal is to fill up the grain with stain color. Follow this procedure as many times as it takes to fill up the grain. About three applications of stain followed by the steel wool should do it.
You’ll know you’re done when, after the last application of the steel wool, the entire surface is an even color. Next, pour some rottenstone, about the size of a golf ball, into an old cotton sock. Twist it into a ball and dip it into linseed oil. Use the rottenstone ball to sand the wood, always going with the gain, not in circles. Occasionally dip the ball into the linseed oil to replenish it. Periodically wipe some of the linseed oil away to observe how the finish is coming along. Continue this process until you achieve the degree of gloss you want. When it looks right, just polish the finish with a dry cloth and you’re done.
Congratulations, you have just created a finish that will last a lifetime!
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