BOOK STORAGE BOOK STORAGE 8899
skin and lungs. Make sure to where gloves, goggles and a
respirator when handling it. I also took steps to minimize the
time that the ammonia was exposed to the environment in our
shop.
Before fuming the entire piece, I did some tests on scraps.
As I worked on this project, I saved the cutoff pieces from the
end panels and top. I put these, along with other scraps in a
plastic container with an airtight lid. I put some ammonia in a
small plastic bowl in the larger container, sealed the lid, and
let this sit for 24 hours. Satisfied that the final result would be
close to matching, I built a frame from inexpensive 1 by 3 pine
and covered it with 4-mil-thick plastic sheet, as shown at right.
I tucked the plastic under the wood frame at the floor, and
secured it to the frame with spring clamps to get an airtight
seal. I left one end open so that I could place the assembled
cabinet and all of the parts inside. Once everything to be
fumed was inside, I clamped most of the opening closed, leav-
ing just enough room at the bottom to reach in and pour the
ammonia in to a plastic container. After this, I sealed the rest of
the end and waited a day.
When it came time to remove the cabinet from the tent, I
put on my goggles, gloves and respirator, opened the bottom
of the end, and put a lid on the plastic container inside. I then
put a fan in the opening, and exhausted the fumes outside.
After letting the fan run for an hour, I opened the tent com-
pletely.
Most of the pieces came out close in color, but there were a
few parts that were a bit lighter, and a couple edges that didn’t
take at all. Overall though, I was happy with the results, and
prepared to deal with the inconsistencies.
The first step after fuming was to smooth all of the surfaces
with a nylon abrasive (Scotchbrite) pad, and give everything
two coats of garnet shellac, in a two-pound cut. I then mixed
some aniline dye (Liberon Fumed Oak light) with some alcohol.
With a 1"-wide sash brush, I applied the dye to the lighter
areas, brushing on slight amounts until the color was close. I
followed this with two more coats of shellac.
The shellac changes the dirty-looking brownish gray of the
fumed oak to warm brown. The photos at right show the
progression of the color from raw wood, fuming and shellac.
The color from the shellac, however, is just a bit too orange,
and needs to be waxed to achieve the desired rich brown I was
looking for. I smoothed all the surfaces with #320 -grit sandpa-
per, followed by a Scotchbrite pad.
The final step in finishing was to apply dark paste wax,
which fills the open pores of the oak, and tones down the
color from the garnet shellac, leaving the piece a rich warm
brown.
With the finish complete, I installed the glass in the door, hold-
ing it in place with^1 ⁄^4 " x^1 ⁄^4 " glass stop. I mitered the corners,
and attached the stop to the inside of the openings with 23
gauge pins.
All that remained was to install the lock and escutcheon in the
door, hang the door and attach the top with figure-8 fasteners. I
placed three fasteners in the front and back rails, and one in the
center of each of the end panels.
Harvey Ellis’s association with Gustav Stickley lasted only a few
months before Ellis died in January 1904. Ellis’s influence on Arts
and Crafts design however was tremendous. The details he pro-
duced for Stickley have served as hallmarks of the period.
Ellis related the arrangement of spaces in good design to the
notes in a musical chord. This bookcase combines the practical
and architectural elements that he is known for in perfect har-
mony, and serves as a fitting tribute to his genius.
After exposure to ammonia fumes for 24 hours, the oak has turned a gray-
ish brown color.Garnet shellac adds some color, and highlights the distinctive grain. Dark
wax will complete the fi nish.8 80-89_HarveyEllisBookcase.indd 89 0 - 89 _HarveyEllisBookcase.indd 89 3/25/13 9:57 AM 3 / 25 / 13 9 : 57 AM