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Jim Reaper
 
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Default Stone Fireplace Cleaning

I have a large Cornish stone fireplace and my wife in her wisdom decided to
clean it with Vim or some such scourer and now the stone has lost its look
and is now very drab. I won't draw any similarities with the wife at this
point. :-)
What can I use or do to restore the colour and lustre? To the fireplace not
the wife.
TIA
Jim


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Andy Dingley
 
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On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 13:27:27 +0100, "Jim Reaper"
wrote:

I have a large Cornish stone fireplace


What's "Cornish stone" and what was the original finish ?
  #3   Report Post  
Jim Reaper
 
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Default

Sorry, forgot it might be a bit vague for a description...I believe its a
form of limestone. It's a tan brown and as far I could see there wasn't any
varnish/glaze over it and the surface is rough and not a polish finish.
The surface now looks dusty and very dull.


"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 13:27:27 +0100, "Jim Reaper"
wrote:

I have a large Cornish stone fireplace


What's "Cornish stone" and what was the original finish ?



  #4   Report Post  
Chris Bacon
 
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Default

Jim Reaper wrote:
Sorry, forgot it might be a bit vague for a description...I believe its a
form of limestone. It's a tan brown and as far I could see there wasn't any
varnish/glaze over it and the surface is rough and not a polish finish.
The surface now looks dusty and very dull.


Limestone! Is it actually *in* Cornwall, or somewhere else? If it's in
Cornwall, and is made from stone from Cornwall, it'll be either slate
or granite. Cornish granite is a whitish rock with black speckles in
it. Slate could be most any sort of look, but your fire sounds like
"rustic slate". Do the individual stones exhibit any sort of "grain",
or layering? Is it uniform tan, or are there green bits?
  #5   Report Post  
Chris Bacon
 
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Chris Bacon wrote:
Jim Reaper wrote:

Sorry, forgot it might be a bit vague for a description...I believe
its a form of limestone. It's a tan brown and as far I could see there
wasn't any varnish/glaze over it and the surface is rough and not a
polish finish.
The surface now looks dusty and very dull.



Limestone! Is it actually *in* Cornwall, or somewhere else? If it's in
Cornwall, and is made from stone from Cornwall, it'll be either slate
or granite. Cornish granite is a whitish rock with black speckles in
it. Slate could be most any sort of look, but your fire sounds like
"rustic slate". Do the individual stones exhibit any sort of "grain",
or layering? Is it uniform tan, or are there green bits?


http://www.foster-yeoman.co.uk/docum...tesInserts.pdf

About half way down.


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Jim Reaper
 
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Well I live in Cornwall so it's definitely in Cornwall...I've just taken a
look at the pdf link (many thanks) and it's rustic Cornish slate. Though the
stone I've in my fireplace is (was) much more presentable than the pic in
the document. I would imagine that would be down to the dressing of the
slate.
So... and ideas please?

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
Jim Reaper wrote:
Sorry, forgot it might be a bit vague for a description...I believe its a
form of limestone. It's a tan brown and as far I could see there wasn't
any varnish/glaze over it and the surface is rough and not a polish
finish.
The surface now looks dusty and very dull.


Limestone! Is it actually *in* Cornwall, or somewhere else? If it's in
Cornwall, and is made from stone from Cornwall, it'll be either slate
or granite. Cornish granite is a whitish rock with black speckles in
it. Slate could be most any sort of look, but your fire sounds like
"rustic slate". Do the individual stones exhibit any sort of "grain",
or layering? Is it uniform tan, or are there green bits?



  #7   Report Post  
Chris Bacon
 
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Default

Jim Reaper wrote:
Well I live in Cornwall so it's definitely in Cornwall...I've just taken a
look at the pdf link (many thanks) and it's rustic Cornish slate. Though the
stone I've in my fireplace is (was) much more presentable than the pic in
the document. I would imagine that would be down to the dressing of the
slate.
So... and ideas please?


Yup... a) posting under quoted text is generally more acceptable in
uk.d-i-y & :. "the thing to do; and b) Speak to Graham Pearse of
Trebarwith Stoneworks on 01840 214000 to explain the situation and
see what he's got to say about it! There are various things you
could do, but it would be worthwhile phoning up.
  #8   Report Post  
Andy Dingley
 
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On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 16:50:14 +0100, "Jim Reaper"
wrote:

The surface now looks dusty and very dull.


If it's slate, then a coat of wax polish is the best. You should get a
lovely result for just a little effort.

You need the right polish - ideally a stone polish rather than a wood
polish. This is a hard but not too shiny wax polish, with maybe 15%
carnauba wax in it. Mary can tell you the rest, or I've got a few
recipes he
http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/.../waxpolish.htm
If you want it in a can, Liberon's Black Bison in neutral will work. You
might find Goddard's stone polish somewhere too.

Don't use a "liquid wax" They tend to give dark splotches on even
slightly porous stone. Mr Sheen is definitely the wrong thing.

Apply it with a nylon bristled "wire" brush. Work hard, along the grain
of the stone. A plastic wire brush in an electric drill can save a lot
of effort.

You might want to work it with a soft (stainless steel) wire brush dry
first, in case there's any Vim dust left behind. Some people use a
bronze brush, but these can sometimes cause "bronzing" on darker slates.

If you've had problems with soot stains from an open fireplace, then you
might want to apply a sealer before the wax. Those sold for sealing
stone floors are good. However these don't leave such a natural stone
look as wax alone.

--
Cats have nine lives, which is why they rarely post to Usenet.
  #9   Report Post  
Jim Reaper
 
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Default


"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 16:50:14 +0100, "Jim Reaper"
wrote:

The surface now looks dusty and very dull.


If it's slate, then a coat of wax polish is the best. You should get a
lovely result for just a little effort.

You need the right polish - ideally a stone polish rather than a wood
polish. This is a hard but not too shiny wax polish, with maybe 15%
carnauba wax in it. Mary can tell you the rest, or I've got a few
recipes he
http://codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/.../waxpolish.htm
If you want it in a can, Liberon's Black Bison in neutral will work. You
might find Goddard's stone polish somewhere too.

Don't use a "liquid wax" They tend to give dark splotches on even
slightly porous stone. Mr Sheen is definitely the wrong thing.

Apply it with a nylon bristled "wire" brush. Work hard, along the grain
of the stone. A plastic wire brush in an electric drill can save a lot
of effort.

You might want to work it with a soft (stainless steel) wire brush dry
first, in case there's any Vim dust left behind. Some people use a
bronze brush, but these can sometimes cause "bronzing" on darker slates.

If you've had problems with soot stains from an open fireplace, then you
might want to apply a sealer before the wax. Those sold for sealing
stone floors are good. However these don't leave such a natural stone
look as wax alone.

--
Cats have nine lives, which is why they rarely post to Usenet.


Many thanks to both of you for your help on the stonework and the netiquette
of news groups.
I'll be hard at work this weekend trying to restore the stonework.
As I'm an ex beekeeper and seller of candles I have some of the polish
ingredients at hand. Great.

Cheers :-)


  #10   Report Post  
Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)
 
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Default

In article , Jim Reaper
wrote:

Many thanks to both of you for your help on the stonework and the netiquette
of news groups.


Hi Jim. See if this link helps to explain a bit better....

http://www.allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?How_to_post

--
AJL Electronics (G6FGO) Ltd : Satellite and TV aerial systems
http://www.classicmicrocars.co.uk : http://www.ajlelectronics.co.uk




  #11   Report Post  
Chris Bacon
 
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Default

Andy Dingley wrote:
Jim Reaper wrote:
The surface now looks dusty and very dull.

wax
Apply it with a nylon bristled "wire" brush. Work hard, along the grain
of the stone. A plastic wire brush in an electric drill can save a lot
of effort.

You might want to work it with a soft (stainless steel) wire brush dry
first, in case there's any Vim dust left behind. Some people use a
bronze brush, but these can sometimes cause "bronzing" on darker slates.


The attraction of Cornish "Rustic" is a surface film, . You should be
careful not to damage it, so I wouldn't go at it with a wire brush.
Did Trebarwith Stoneworks help?
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