On Thursday, January 1, 2015 10:50:57 AM UTC-6, RonB wrote:
We are preparing to restore and refinish a couple of antique items--a dining table and a side-by-side that belonged to my grandparents. Both, especially the side-by-side, are in need of significant repair and being 'tightened up'. They are well over 100 years old; but preservation of antique finish and patina is not a concern. My parents refinished them in the 1960's with a standard strip, sand, stain-and varnish process. The key word above is "RESTORE."

The key word is not "restore". In your case it is "refinish". If you strip, sand, remove the original finish completely, remove the patina completely, and then consider you re doing this to a piece that has already been "refinished" once, there isn't anything left to restore. Lastly, with consideration that almost without doubt that a vintage oak piece wasn't stained and certainly wasn't "varnished", there isn't anything left to restore.

So you are starting with a clean slate.

The problem: We want the final color to be as close as possible to a set of chairs we ordered a few years ago. Also, I need to replace two of the table leafs so color matching is a real concern. The chairs were stained to a MinWax specification (Red Oak #215), but they ended up lighter than expected. That is the stain we plan to use during restoration.

Again, this is not a restoration. Sounds to me you are trying to make your table and assorted chairs and table parts match a Minwax color you have committed to using sometime in the past. Consider too, that if your old stain/finish projects are a few years old, you won't duplicate the color (age ambering)using the same color of stain and your top coat of choice.

If I had a client bring your assortment of pieces to me to refinish, I would tell them the best shot would be to refinish all pieces together at the same time. Strip the wood to bare and clean it well. It will be light enough. You can clean the tubules out by brushing off the stripper with a medium scrub brush loaded with plenty of saw dust as an abrasive medium. Not all of the old color and finish will come off, but you can reach a certain consistency of color by doing all pieces the same way.

Never have I seen great, consistent success using any acids or bleaches to lighten color. The results are inconsistent, the tiniest remnant left behind can foul your finishes, and water on old wood and veneers (as carriers or neutralizers for the acids)is a really bad idea.

You can clean the rope patterns on the chairs more easily (this is almost all end grain) with a brass brush and stripper.

If you are indeed well equipped and experienced, I will tell you how I would do it and you can tailor (or ignore!) as needed. I would strip all parts and clean as much as possible. Allow to completely dry overnight from last wash (I use lacquer thinner).

Using a 1mm tip and a cup gun (or HVLP), I would shoot a custom color of dye I liked (favorite dye: Behlen's SolaLux) applied evenly over all the pieces. Previous experimentation would dictate how many times I would spray dye. When correct amount of coats are matched, then apply lacquer or conversion lacquer (using the correct tip) directly over the dried dye.

By laying the dye ON TOP of the wood, you will have color consistency throughout all pieces. Rubbing stain on, no matter what kind or how you do it won't get it done.

Good luck!

Robert