jane Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 hello all,i was pointed in this direction from AI (normandy), but not knowing this forum very well, it took me a little while to find this particular corner!anyway, i have a question. we have just had a new oak table made for us and, as it was a gift, we chose not to have it treated in order to keep the cost down for my very generous MIL. the chap who made it said to first apply bondex in a 'medium oak' shade (or any other shade that took our fancy), and then to apply beeswax, or something similar (but NOT linseed oil, he said), finishing with wire wool. would you agree this is the correct way to proceed on virgin oak? other suggestions on AI included tung oil, which also looks useful.thanks in advance for any comments....jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Head Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hi Jane, glad you found us, we got shoved into a little corner because a few of us are a bit dodgy!Your question is really a big one, it'll only be done once so it's worth getting it right.Can you post a picture of the table? I'd love to see it.What is the style of the table, have the chairs been made to go with the table? What is your home like? Do you like dark or light?Questions questions!Look forward to hearing from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane Posted November 4, 2006 Author Share Posted November 4, 2006 hi chris and thanks for your answer. i thought it was important to get this right from the outset, as you say. i can't post a pic right now, because it arrived the on day we left for the uk and we just didn't have time to take a photo. the table top is 7cm deep, it weighs 250kg, and has 'pieds monastere' similar to this one, but obviously not shiny...www.fabricant-de-meuble.fr/upload/image/502_petite.jpgthe house is partly 18thC, but a lot of it was rebuilt in 1939, including the part where the table is. it is stone/slate and in a rural setting in the val de sée (normandy). when the room is finished, the only beams showing will be new ones which have been added to support the new rooms upstairs, and these beams are also new oak and very light in colour (so far all we have done is use a sort of liquid beeswax on these). there is a small amount of exposed stone, and there will be more when the room is finished.chairs/bench - will come later, we'll have to make do with what we've got at the moment (we have an english oak pew which is very dark, varnished, but could easily be stripped back as it is very unfussy in style).all our decor is currently do-it-all magnolia! i prefer light decor/furniture. the floor is chestnut, and there is a t&g 'wall', which is also magnolia.i hope that link works; i'm not used to all the codes on this site yet!janeoops, it works if you copy and paste the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Hi JaneDoes that mean la vallée de la Sée near Brouians? If so, how is the Auberge du Moulin doing under new ownership? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane Posted November 4, 2006 Author Share Posted November 4, 2006 er, not sure of this place. we're between brecey and st pois. there's the moulin de jean nearby.....is that the one?jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Yes, that's the area, but there are 2 Moulins. We were at le Moulin de Jean a couple of weeks ago, good food but a bit fussy and over-seasoned. L'Auberge du Moulin is on the horribly twisty road along the valley between Sourdeval and Brouains. It has always been very good, but changed hands at the end of the summer. We haven't been there since, so don't know if the previous standards have been maintained. If they have, you have an excellent resto almost on your doorstep! If you are looking across the valley you also have a million-dollar view - lucky you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane Posted November 4, 2006 Author Share Posted November 4, 2006 i liked everything about the moulin de jean except the service - you barely take a sip of wine and they're at the table topping you up again. it gets on my nerves a bit.the auberge de moulin is not a place we've been to - sounds worth a try (with vegetarian daughters....?).we have superb uninterrupted views - over to st pois (east-ish) from one aspect and then to juvigny (south-ish) from another. the location (sounds such a cliché now - sorry!) was what sold the house to us. jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Head Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 Welcome to you Robinhood. You sound like the sort of chap that has got alot to share. I hope you stick around, I personally have a zillion questions and a whole lot to learn. I agree with you on the oil finishing but it might not work with what Jane is trying to achieve.By the way, I've never really understood why folk want to stain Oak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 [quote user="jane"]we have superb uninterrupted views - over to st pois (east-ish) from one aspect and then to juvigny (south-ish) from another. [/quote]Almost snap! [:D] We look across the See valley to Juvigny-le-T and right along the ridge to Reffuveille. Stunning, isn't it. [8-|] Have not yet been down to the Moulin (which is on the 911 valley road) since it changed hands but probably will in the next week or two. I'll report back. I think I prefer that Moulin to the one at St L Cuves because the food can be fussy at the latter and, as you say, the service can be a bit precious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 We're almost neighbours! (Well, a 20 minute drive!) Let us have the info on the Moulin de la Sée, though we won't be out again until February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 I have just made an oak bar for my kitchen from recycled SNCF wagon floor timbers, I finished it with two coats of "Cire Antiquaire" applied with cotton then brushed with a nylon scrubbing brush followed by a shoe brush.I am very pleased with the finish and have also used done the same on the laminated beech worktop although it remains to be seen if the rainures in the draining board will last.The wax finishes are also available in lighter colours, my preference is to use the solid wax, not the liquid type which does not give the depth of finish/shine and really look more like a stain.I have also used the antique wax on a bed and some bookcases that I made from DIY shed laminated pine boards, I did 2 coats of wax as before and then removed most of it with a brass wire brush (buy the proper one) before polishing with a duster, the finished result looks like it has just been brought in from the cave or grenier and dusted off. Most people are fooled by the finish and I tell tham that I discovered them when I bought the house.So my vote is for a wax finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane Posted November 5, 2006 Author Share Posted November 5, 2006 thanks for all your thoughts so far. very helpful. i had a good look at the bondex site, and there is a lot of info there too. i am now inclined to think of starting with a non-coloured 'sous-couche avant finition', followed by 2 or 3 coats of 'cire des antiquaires en pate' using rags and nylon/shoe brushes as jr describes.we have a little victorian pine drop-leaf table which i think has had mainly beeswax treatment over the years, and it feels lovely as well as having a gentle sheen.have also gathered some useful local info on this thread! we are near st laurent de cuves, for school hols only.jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 A couple of people have mentioned wire wool and that they would not use it, but not why? As most on here know I do a fair amount of turning and love it, especially the results. The reason that I would not use wire wool is that it is made from iron and when it hits the wood it breaks tiny bits off that imbed into the wood. These then go rusty and will stain the wood. If you want to use the same approach then there is a plastic (wash my mouth out) equivelant a bit like a washing up scourer only it's grey. You can get it from Hermes or Axminster Power Tools (Axminster get theirs from Hermes), it will do the same job as wire wool, but with out the staining. The other downer about wire wool is that not only does it dump its bits in the wood but in your fingers too!! Not a lot of people know that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jane Posted November 5, 2006 Author Share Posted November 5, 2006 well, the lovely chap who made our table DID say wire wool, and he also mentioned brushes, but i can't really remember the order he said to use them in. how about a brush on the first layer of wax, and softer shoe brush on the second layer, and then wire wool for the third? he said the wire wool would stop flies landing on the table because it would give such a smooth surface they would skid off the end when they came in to land!i've got bits of wire wool in my fingers before. i'll use gloves when i do that bit (surgical gloves might be ok).jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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