Hello,

I purchased a wooden chess board - it came with a small typed note. Handmade
1987. Shellac and wax 3 times. Made of Tasmanian Oak and Silkwood.

It looks beautiful- the chess squares are all individually handlaid and
distinct. I think the maker used a different woods for the white squares and
black.

However, when i rubbed the board - it still felt quite rough. I always
thought that shellac and wax would have given it a nice waxy finish.

What's the best way to protect it? Is there an oil I can purchase to rub it-
to prevent it from cracking from age/dry conditions.

Reason why I asked is that a few of my imported furniture has cracked or
shrank when I brought them back to Australia.

Any comments?

Cheers!

James Martin wrote:
Hello,

I purchased a wooden chess board - it came with a small typed note. Handmade
1987. Shellac and wax 3 times. Made of Tasmanian Oak and Silkwood.

It looks beautiful- the chess squares are all individually handlaid and
distinct. I think the maker used a different woods for the white squares and
black.

However, when i rubbed the board - it still felt quite rough. I always
thought that shellac and wax would have given it a nice waxy finish.

What's the best way to protect it? Is there an oil I can purchase to rub it-
to prevent it from cracking from age/dry conditions.

Paste wax. NOT spray wax, which is mostly solvent and may even
contain silicon oils.

Shellac is about the best finish for stabilizing wood with respect to
humidity, so you probably cannot improve on what you have already.


Reason why I asked is that a few of my imported furniture has cracked or
shrank when I brought them back to Australia.

Any comments?

Problems like that happen when furniture is subjected to rapid swings
in
humidity and temperature, especially the former. Just changing the
humidity in the ambient environment may be enough to cause problems
but a rapid change will expecially stress the wood as it creates a
moisture gradient in the wood so that part of the wood is trying to
expand or contract more than the adjacent fibers.

--

FF

wrote in message Shellac is about the best
finish for stabilizing wood with respect to
humidity, so you probably cannot improve on what you have already.

Hello Fred,

Sorry to ask such a dumb question. But how can I tell if shellac and wax has
been applied? Should it feel smooth? The board's surface feels a bit rough.

Cheers,

JJ

James Martin wrote:
wrote in message Shellac is about the best
finish for stabilizing wood with respect to
humidity, so you probably cannot improve on what you have already.

Hello Fred,

Sorry to ask such a dumb question. But how can I tell if shellac and wax has
been applied? Should it feel smooth? The board's surface feels a bit rough.



Now that's a good point.

Shellac over rough wood will still be rough for a couple of coats
unless the
shellac is mixed very thick. Shellac is a film finish like a lacquer
or a varnish
there should be a visible film on the wood if it was shellaced.

You can also tell by rubbing a cloth with a little alcohol on it, but
only
try that somewhere that does not show--it will lift the finish if it is
shellac.

If it is not shellaced, then shellacing it would be a good way to
finish it. DAGS this newsgroup about mixing shellac from flakes
and applying it, as well as the different grades.

--

FF

wrote in message Now that's a good point.

Shellac over rough wood will still be rough for a couple of coats
unless the
shellac is mixed very thick. Shellac is a film finish like a lacquer
or a varnish
there should be a visible film on the wood if it was shellaced.

You can also tell by rubbing a cloth with a little alcohol on it, but
only
try that somewhere that does not show--it will lift the finish if it is
shellac.

If it is not shellaced, then shellacing it would be a good way to
finish it. DAGS this newsgroup about mixing shellac from flakes
and applying it, as well as the different grades.

Dear Fred,

Thank you for your considerate response. I was worried I'd get a standard
newbie rough reply.

I very much appreciate your comment on shellac. Will try and show the board
to a (distant carpenter friend) and ask his opinion on it before trying to
use any alcohol.

I only used something (purporting to be shellac) years ago and it was more
like varnish. And the instructions weren't in English- so I'm not even sure
whether it was really shellac.

Cheers,

JJ

James Martin wrote:
...

I very much appreciate your comment on shellac. Will try and show the board
to a (distant carpenter friend) and ask his opinion on it before trying to
use any alcohol.

I only used something (purporting to be shellac) years ago and it was more
like varnish. And the instructions weren't in English- so I'm not even sure
whether it was really shellac.


Because shellac is alcohol based it dires very fast and the smell is
quite
different from other finishes. There are at least two common bands of
denatured alcohol sold in the US. One has ketones in it and really
stinks.
The other (SLX, I think) is just methanol and ethanol and is much more
bearable to use. You can check the label. Ordinary rubbing alcohol
will
lift shellac, just more slowly than denatured.

One of the good things about shellac is that if you mess it up, you can
scrub it off with a cloth soaked in alcohol. No need to sand or
scrape.

Alcohol will also damage hide glue, so it may lift veneer on antiques
if it is allowed to soak through the veneer. Just finishing veneer
with
shellac will not hurt the glue though.

--

FF