Abe wrote:
On Mar 14, 7:29 pm, (J T) wrote:
Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 6:46am (EDT-3) (Abe) doth
proclaim:
I'm refinishing a solid cedar chest that is probably 90 years old.
I've stripped the original finish and have sanded the entire thing a
couple times. snip

Well, I guess you finished any collector value it might have
had.

I'd get a scrap piece of cedar and test on it. Well, not
actually, I doubt I'd want to stain cedar.

JOAT
It was too early in the morning for it to be early in the morning.
That was the only thing that he currently knew for sure.
- Clodpool

That's not really all that helpful.

It wasn't worth much beforehand. It's a nice chest, but the old
finish was black. I tried to just clean and rejuvenate, but it was
too far gone.

He's being honest. There's no magic stain that works for every piece
for every person. Figure out what you want it to look like, find a
stain or dye or tinted topcoat that looks like it comes close, try it on
the bottom or somewhere else that will be hidden, if you like it go with
it, if you don't then try something else.

Personally I don't use much stain--generally oil brings out enough color
for me unless I'm going for an off-the-wall effect like the black-dyed
maple box I made for someone a while back. Aromatic red cedar if it's
of good quality has quit a bit of color already--if you can bring that
out then finish with something that has a UV block and there shouldn't
be much need for stain.

Get some tung oil and and some boiled linseed oil and try a little of
each in an inconspicuous spot and see what they bring out--you may get a
pleasant surprise. Note--only oil the outside--a cedar chest shouldn't
have any finish on the _inside_.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)