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appropriate color. I fl ood the surface with oil, and use a synthetic
steel wool pad to work it in. I let it soak in for 15 minutes, wipe
dry and come back a day later.
The stain and the oil work together to highlight the wood fi gure
with an even tone overall. In authentic Craftsman pieces, the
grain doesn’t "pop," that is, there isn’t a drastic difference
between the fl akes and rays and the surrounding surface. I follow
the oil with a coat or two of shellac.
Amber shellac for the fi rst coat will warm up the color and give it
an old look. I thin the shellac from the can, if it’s a new can I use
about half shellac, half denatured alcohol. If it’s a can I’ve used
before, it likely has had thinned shellac poured back into it, so I
thin it less the next time. I use a good brush and judge how thin
the shellac ought to be by how it feels as it goes on.
If you’re concerned about durability, you can top coat the shellac
with lacquer or varnish. I think shellac is more durable than a
lot of people would have you believe, unless you’re in the habit
of sloshing alcohol around your furniture. I usually just apply
paste wax – clear wax most of the time or the stinky dark wax if
the color is a bit too light. If the shellac is too shiny, I’ll take an
abrasive pad to it before waxing, but most of the time I use the
abrasive pad to apply the wax. After it dries I buff it with a cotton
rag for a satin sheen.
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