Showing posts with label desk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label desk. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2014
WHAT IS A DOERNBECHER pre WWII desk
I found a Doernbecher desk that needed my help.
Doernbecher was a furniture manufacturing company established by Frank Silas Doernbecher
in Portland Oregon from 1900 until WWII.
I found a nice little write up that I thought you may enjoy reading.
My step-grandfather started working for Mr.Doernbecher when he was nine years of age. The factory had just been built and put into operation. My grampa started as a sander which ment that he worked twelve hours a day for six days a week. He made 50 cents a day. When he retired at age 45 he was the superintendent of the finishing department and one of the highest paid emploies of the company. He had made enough money working there that he never had to work another day in his life.
If this man started when the factory opened and continued to be there until he retired,
the likely hood that he touched this desk is huge.
You can find a side by side before and after pic here.
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Friday, February 21, 2014
Putting A Finish On The Craftsman Desk Repair
Heres where the desk started out.
I put it through a series of repairs and removed all the old, beaten finish down to bare oak.
Getting the finish right was important. A great finish could make the difference between this looking like an average Craftsman style desk you can find in any furniture store. Again I went to the Craftsman Bible, Bob Langs "The Great Book of Shop Drawings For Craftsman Furniture." and he didnt lead me wrong.
I gave the piece a quick finish sanding at 220 grit followed by a wipe down with a tack cloth. Then I wiped on two coats of Dark Walnut Watco Danish Oil and let it cure for two days. I gave it a light scuff buff with some steel wool and hauled the desk out of the shop and into the sun.
I then put on a half dozen coats of amber shellac. I buy the Bullseye brand from the local home center and cut it 2 parts shellac to 1 part denatured alcohol. Working in the sunlight is great because it speeds the already fast drying of the shellac and on a larger piece like this by the time you get to the end of one coat you can grab a quick drink of water and start over at the beginning again.
After the final coat of shellac I let it cure for a day, then a quick buff down with a finer steel wool to take down any dust nibs and even the surface. I followed this with a coat of paste wax and buffed that out by hand.
The results. . . I found them to be fantastic.
With the wax on there was nothing left to do but move the desk up the stairs into my daughters bedroom. The trick was getting her to clean up, pick up, and move things around to open the space. I quickly shot some pictures before the clutter could crash back into place.
From a surprise of a project to start to some interesting repairs and problem solving to pull it together. This was a pretty fun and satisfying project. A good jump out of the gate in my new shop.
Ratione et Passionis
Oldwolf
Read More..
I put it through a series of repairs and removed all the old, beaten finish down to bare oak.
Getting the finish right was important. A great finish could make the difference between this looking like an average Craftsman style desk you can find in any furniture store. Again I went to the Craftsman Bible, Bob Langs "The Great Book of Shop Drawings For Craftsman Furniture." and he didnt lead me wrong.
I gave the piece a quick finish sanding at 220 grit followed by a wipe down with a tack cloth. Then I wiped on two coats of Dark Walnut Watco Danish Oil and let it cure for two days. I gave it a light scuff buff with some steel wool and hauled the desk out of the shop and into the sun.
I then put on a half dozen coats of amber shellac. I buy the Bullseye brand from the local home center and cut it 2 parts shellac to 1 part denatured alcohol. Working in the sunlight is great because it speeds the already fast drying of the shellac and on a larger piece like this by the time you get to the end of one coat you can grab a quick drink of water and start over at the beginning again.
After the final coat of shellac I let it cure for a day, then a quick buff down with a finer steel wool to take down any dust nibs and even the surface. I followed this with a coat of paste wax and buffed that out by hand.
The results. . . I found them to be fantastic.
With the wax on there was nothing left to do but move the desk up the stairs into my daughters bedroom. The trick was getting her to clean up, pick up, and move things around to open the space. I quickly shot some pictures before the clutter could crash back into place.
From a surprise of a project to start to some interesting repairs and problem solving to pull it together. This was a pretty fun and satisfying project. A good jump out of the gate in my new shop.
Ratione et Passionis
Oldwolf
Friday, January 24, 2014
An unusual desk project follow up pics
Here are some follow up pictures on the desk project. At this point, it is a matter of slowly blending in the final coats of stain and poly to get as close of a match to the original as possible. I am very close, and it will only be a matter of touch ups at this point. These pictures dont really show the true color matchs. The ultimate goal is, of course, to have a satisfied customer!
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