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Making New from the Old
It
is a long way until an old unattractive piece of furniture can become
the dazzling centerpiece of your home. The piece of furniture is dismanteled, all metal fittings, glass elements, marble plates must be removed. Paint, which has possibly been applied in an uncraftsmanlike way must be plained away. Cracked woodwork is protected with a filling compound and each piece of wood is again joined together with the approprate glue. To achieve the correct colouring the wood is stained with a Spirit solution in the correct hue. Only now can the first coating with SCHELLAC* be applied. Once dried the wood is smoothed and polished by hand until the renowned Schellacglow evenly shines. to obtain a smooth suface (as in piano sufaces) the pores of the wood a re subsequently closed with Pumice Dust. This necessitates several smoothing and polishing procedures. Depending on the size of a piece to be restored the time involved can be estimated for example : A chair requires between 10 and 12 hours of work. *SCHELLAC Produced in India and Thailand from the secrete of an insect which they use to feed their young. That which is not eaten is stored on the branches of surrounding trees. These branches cut by harvesters and the Schellac is removed by hand. Original Schellac ist waxy and is used mainly for matt surface Polish. To obtain a Schellac which is ideal for shiny surfaces the wax is extracted. the differing nuances and hues of Schellac are dependant on the region where it is harvested. Thailand for example produces a dark Schellac. To obtain a lighter hue then colour pigments can be filtered until the required nuance is achieved. Schellac is 100% biological and was used to protect furniture in Vienna in the time of the Barock era. But it hasn`t been retricted to furniture: Schellac has also been used to give Marzipan its noble shine, Pills and other medicines have been coated to hinder that they dissolve in the mouth, even a popular local chocolate biscuit: "Napoli Drageekeksi", which, according to the advertising slogan "do not melt in the hand" have been coated with Schellac. Lemons and Oranges, to ensure that they do not dry out during their transport have enjoyed a thick coat of Schellac. And of course the old 78 records should not be left unmentioned. On the following page you will find some tips about how to take care of your furniture. Furniture Care |