I have come across a couple of pieces in the last few months that folks have
asked me to either duplicate or restore. The problem is matching the
finish. On both pieces, the finish was a varnish/urethane over a brown
stain with decided yellow high lights.

Anyone have any idea what this color stain is? All I know is that it was
used on a lot of inexpensive/cheap furniture made about 30-40 years ago, or
maybe longer.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Deb

Sounds like it is time to buy a few flavors of transtint dye and do
some mixing and testin'. Keep in mind color won't be true until after
you apply the film finish, especially with dyes which look dead until
finished. So the tests should do all the steps up to and including
wax. If you find one that is close you can try placing a toned (dyed)
film finish. Sometimes some yellow in some shellac can add the final
warmth.

On May 15, 8:38*pm, "Dr. Deb" wrote:
I have come across a couple of pieces in the last few months that folks have
asked me to either duplicate or restore. *The problem is matching the
finish. *On both pieces, the finish was a varnish/urethane over a brown
stain with decided yellow high lights. *

Anyone have any idea what this color stain is? *All I know is that it was
used on a lot of inexpensive/cheap furniture made about 30-40 years ago, or
maybe longer.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Deb

I agree that you will have to buy some different colors and practice
your tone on tone.

Most of the old furniture finishes were just sprayed on, the covered
with some type of lacquer. A favorite of years ago was "provincial
maple" which around here was the color of a Hershey's milk chocolate
bar. Yellow streaks can easily be found in these old finishes as the
resins degrade in the finish and pull slightly away from the wood due
to shrinkage. When purchased, it probably had no fading.

Of course, there was the famous "golden oak" which was used on just
about everything for a while.

Streaking can be caused from a lot of different issues such as
placement in the home, exposure to air flow (go ahead and look at the
grime on that table you put by the return air vent), exposure to
sunlight or a strong lamp, pads or covers left in it, etc.

Be aware that asking "what color is this" over the internet is like
someone asking, "how many fingers am I holding up now?"

Robert